The James Bond Bedside Companion (5 page)

The author takes a look at the first American edition of his first novel,
CASINO ROYALE.
(Photo by Maurey Garber.)

Save for a few noted exceptions, the U.S. reviews for CASINO ROYALE were not particularly flattering. Anthony Boucher, in the
New York Times Book Review
,
began what became long-standing complaints against Fleming by saying that the writer "pads the book out to novel length, leading to an ending which surprises no one but Bond himself." But on the positive side, Boucher credited the author for the gambling sequence:

Mr. Fleming, in a style suggesting a more literate version of Cheyney's "Dark" series, manages to make baccarat completely clear even to one who's never played it and produces as exciting a gambling sequence as I've ever read.

Sergeant Cuff, in
Saturday Review
,
stated that CASINO ROYALE was a "fine thriller by a new hand."
Time
said that "Author Fleming keeps his incidents and characters spinning through their paces like juggling balls."

However, the real problem was not the reviews, but the sales. The first edition of CASINO ROYALE came and went in America, and James Bond was off to a disappointing start.

On April 8, 1954, LIVE AND LET DIE was published by Jonathan Cape in the United Kingdom. The attractive jacket was scarlet with the title in large yellow letters. On the spine was an Edward IV gold rose noble coin. The jacket was again designed by Fleming. LIVE AND LET DIE received very good reviews in England.
The Times Literary Supplement
stated that "Mr. Ian Fleming is without a doubt the most interesting recent recruit among thriller-writers." It went on to say that Fleming's second novel "fully maintains the promise of his first book," and that he wrote "wincingly well."
Time & Tide
said the book was "a snorter—from first word to last." The book was an immediate bestseller, and today this first edition, too, is both valuable and difficult to find.

By June of 1954, the British edition of CASINO ROYALE had sold over 8,000 copies. In the United States, despite poor sales of a mere 4,000 copies, Popular Library bought paperback rights to the book and published it under the title, YOU
ASKED FOR IT. Apparently,
it was thought that American readers wouldn't know how to pronounce "Royale."

LIVE AND LET DIE sold out its 7,500 first printing, and was reprinted. It was around this time that film companies and producers began to be interested in James Bond. Sir Alexander Korda asked to see an advance copy of LIVE AND LET DIE, but later returned it. Then the Columbia Broadcasting System offered Fleming $1,000 to do a one-hour television adaptation of CASINO ROYALE. The deal was made through Curtis Brown in New York, and James Bond would make a "live" debut in America that October.

Fleming then began thinking about his next novel, which was to deal with diamond smuggling. Fleming never hesitated to enlist the help of experts in their fields for background material to his books. In this instance, he contacted an old Etonian friend, Philip Brownrigg, a senior executive of De Beers, one of the largest and wealthiest diamond merchants in the world. Brownrigg arranged for Fleming to visit the London Diamond Club to observe the cutting, polishing, and trading of stones. Brownrigg also introduced Fleming to Sir Percy Sillitoe, head of the Diamond Corporation's security organization created especially to combat illicit diamond trade. Sillitoe was a former head of M.I. 5, the cover title given to British Security Service (which is responsible for counterespionage). Of course, Fleming and Sillitoe took to each other immediately, and the two men worked together again a couple of years later on the story of Sillitoe's organization itself.

In July, Fleming flew to New York to attend to Kemsley business, as well as meet with Ivar Bryce and Ernest Cuneo about NANA. They stayed at the Bryces' home, Black Hole Hollow Farm in Vermont, which is not too far from the racetrack in Saratoga Springs, New York. Because Josephine Bryce had horses running, the group paid a visit to Saratoga, an experience that promptly went into DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER. It was here also that Fleming met William Woodward, Jr., a handsome millionaire who owned the famous race horse, Nashua. Woodward was the owner as well of the "Studillac" car which Fleming appropriated for Felix Leiter in his fourth novel. The Studillac was a mixed breed, a Studebaker body with a Cadillac engine, and could reach a speed of 85 m.p.h. in a matter of seconds! The Bryces remember that once when Fleming and Josephine were speeding down a country road in the Studillac, they were stopped and arrested by the highway patrol. Fortunately, the local sheriff happened to have recently read a James Bond novel and let Fleming off the hook. A few months later, William Woodward was shot by his own wife in a tragic accident; she mistook him for a burglar. DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER was dedicated to Ivar Bryce, Cuneo, and Woodward.

Front and back covers of the firstAmerican paperback edition of CASINO ROYALE, published in 1955. (© Copyright 1955 by Popular Library. Photo courtesy of collection
of
Michael Van Blaricum.)

After the visit to Saratoga, Fleming and Cuneo decided to take a cross-country trip together. Fleming had never seen the Midwest or California, so the pair took off on the Twentieth Century Limited to Chicago. Cuneo fondly remembers that the train was already pulling into Albany before Fleming had finished instructing the steward how he wanted his martinis mixed!

In Chicago, much to Cuneo's chagrin, Fleming was intent on seeing the location of the St. Valentine's Day Massacre. Cuneo convinced him first to visit the Art Institute of Chicago, which contains some of the great Impressionist masterpieces of the world. Fleming was entranced, and when Cuneo ribbed him about the fact that it was nice to find this much "culture" on the "great American prairie," Fleming grandly declared that the pictures had no right being in Chicago! The two men's relationship, remembers Cuneo, was one of constantly "guying" each other.

The pair took the Superchief to Los Angeles, and Cuneo again remembers that they were halfway to Iowa before the stewards had absorbed
their
instructions on how to make Ian's martinis. Because Cuneo was a friend of Errett Cord, a chief stockholder in the Santa Fe Railroad, the men gained access to the engine room. During the ride, Fleming questioned the engineer and his assistant on everything from the block-signal system to something called the "dead man control." Fleming was particularly interested in railroads, and his novels frequently contained scenes taking place on trains.

In Los Angeles, Fleming was in heaven when he and Cuneo visited the Los Angeles Police Intelligence Headquarters. Cuneo introduced Ian and himself to Captain James Hamilton, explaining that Fleming had the "usual distorted view" all Englishmen have of America. "They believe, you know, our country is laced by organized gangs of racketeers, of tremendous wealth, and of enormous influence." The captain, to Cuneo's amazement, replied, "Don't
you
?"
The captain proceeded to conduct an animated conversation with Fleming about the criminal world. He took out charts and showed the author the Mafia organizations, its discipline, and how it works. Los Angeles' detective work had been reduced to what Cuneo calls a "business machine fineness." A detective at the scene of a fresh crime could telephone the details to his office, where the information was punched on a card and run through a machine. The computer matched specific details of the crime with particulars of other cases. In this way, the detectives determined if there was a similar pattern between the new case and earlier ones. Fleming scribbled down notes on a handy pad that he carried with him at all times. Cuneo was bored by the proceedings, but Fleming was fascinated.

From Los Angeles, Fleming and Cuneo went to Las Vegas, a perfect locale for James Bond. They had hardly stepped off the plane when Fleming called to Cuneo with a "yelp of delight." He had found a coin machine from which, for a quarter, one could inhale pure oxygen for a couple of minutes. "This," Cuneo said to him, "ought to tell you all you want to know about the joint."

The pair stayed at the Sands, and went to the blackjack tables even before going to their rooms. There, Fleming met Jack Entratta, the owner of the hotel, who moved them into a better suite and offered the use of the private barbershop. Entratta and Fleming had lengthy conversations about gambling statistics and methods of cheating. The entire security system of the hotel was explained to Fleming, and he relished every word.

One evening, Cuneo told him that they would beat every joint in Las Vegas. "We started out at the Sands. I bet one dollar—one thin chip in a game of blackjack I won $1.00. 'One down,' I said, 'We leave.' We called over a girl, took a shot of champagne, and off we went. We did the same at the Sahara, the Old Frontier, right down the strip. One buck ahead and a one buck bet, we quit, took a sip, and went on to the next joint. Whether it was the liquor or my grim intent to beat every joint, I do not know. But literally, we laughed ourselves sick. One buck ahead and we quit—grandly announcing we had beaten the house to everyone's amazement, took a drink and whisked out, as if there were another notch on our guns. We ended way out at Steamboat Springs, about 4:00 a.m. We went out there because we wanted no possible questioning either in our minds or anybody else's that we beat every house in Las Vegas."

Barry Nelson was the first actor to portray James Bond in a one-hour television version of
CASINO ROYALE
on CBS' Climax Mystery Theater program in 1954. The kinescope, long forgotten and missing for years, was recently found in Chicago by film historian Jim Schoenberger. The program was "unveiled" again at a gathering in Los Angeles. Here, Nelson is interviewed by Steven Jay Rubin, author of The James Bond Films. (Photo courtesy of Steven Jay Rubin.)

Fleming used much of the material from his cross-country trip in DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER. He even named a character in the book, a Las Vegas cab driver, "Ernest Cuneo." He later sent Cuneo a plain gold money-clip inscribed, "To Ernie—my guide on a trip to the Angels and back. 007."

For Fleming the final important event in 1954 was the TV showing of CASINO ROYALE in America on October 21. Presented by William Lundigan on his "Climax Mystery Theater" series (an anthology of suspense stories), the live broadcast was directed by Bretaigne Windust, adapted by Charles Bennett, and starred Barry Nelson as James Bond. Peter Lone was cast as Le Chiffre and Linda Christian portrayed "Valerie Mathis." The basic plot of the novel was somewhat adhered to, with one major change: James Bond was portrayed as an American, and it was Felix Leiter who was British! One amusing incident took place during the live broadcast due to a technical error. After Le Chiffre's "death," the camera remained on Peter Lone until he stood up and began to walk toward his dressing room! The presentation went, for the most part, unnoticed, and was soon forgotten. Clare Blanshard wrote Fleming a critique of the television show. She states that she "tore it to shreds," but Fleming later told her that he laughed at her comments until the tears ran down his cheeks.