Indeed!

You are welcome.

I have seen the Nelson. THIS-TV:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/This_TV

has it fairly frequently in its rotation.

I think you have the rankings about right. But I must confess I have a weakness for the Niven even though I came to it a bit appalled that my beloved Bond was spoofed. But I should note that THE MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E and GET SMART TV series had already exposed me to the notion of a more light-hearted approach so it wasn’t as if it I got my nose all bent out of joint over it. I suppose I’m admitting to enjoying it in the 60s as a spoof.

So, for me, the three are lot closer together for a lot of different reasons than I suspect they would be for you.

1. Casino Royale (with Craig)
2. Casino Royale (with Nelson, on TV)
3. Casino Royale (with Niven).

Aside from one or two clips, I haven’t seen the TV version, but I feel that it must be better than the extremely icky spoof with Niven (and Allen playing Jimmy Bond).

To be honest, I haven’t read the original novel, and it may be better than any of the movies.

Niven’s Casino Royale was such a mess that it’s hard for me to believe it was ever released. I suppose it’s funny in an unintentionally “Austin Powers” kind of way. A product of the wannabe hipster late 1960’s sensibilities but made by people who just didn’t seem to get it. Everything about it, from the inferior special effects to the now-tacky end titles, to the weird and disconnected story itself, screams “Look away! Don’t watch me!”

Except that you do kind of want to watch it, in a looky-loo car-wreck kind of way.

David Niven is supposed to be a good actor, but I think he made the wrong choice to be associated with this movie.

And if you read about it on the Internet, you’ll see accounts of how Peter Sellers was somewhat written out of the movie at the end, how prior scenes they filmed with him were used when he was no longer on the set, and other fascinating bits of trivia basically telling you how bizarre this production really was.

It all started when the producer, Charles K. Feldman, couldn’t get what he wanted….

That’s all well and good, but how do you rank the 3 CASINO ROYALEs? ;-)

Bond rankings, best to worst:

1. Connery (except for “Octopussy”)
2. Early Moore.
3. Brosnan.
4. Craig.
5. “Funny” (late) Moore.
6. Dalton.
7. That guy — On Her Majesty’s Secret Service — whose name nobody ever remembers. Okay, it’s George Lazenby.
8. Barry Nelson (TV Bond)
9. David Niven (comic Bond — in the 1960’s cinematic mess with Woody Allen as Jimmy Bond, Casino Royale — not the serious one with Craig).

Look at the praise Pierce Brosnan got as James Bond when his first movie Golden Eye hit. And once Daniel Craig was on the scene, they were crtical of Pierce’s performance.

That is the mainstream attitude I don’t like, the mainstream only like the now, if fashions and opinions change they swithch sides so to speak.

To quote Meyer, “You can ask.”