The original Casino Royale was a television adaptation of Ian Fleming's novel, which appeared in 1954. The first Casino Royale movie was released in 1967 by MGM. Although it was made for television, this was the first James Bond adaptation moving from novel to film.

Ian Fleming was originally approached to write 32 episodes for CBS in a two-year span based on the character of James Bond. However, the anticipated Bond series never came to fruition, and the only Fleming adaptation for CBS was Casino Royale.

In the original made-for-tv version, James "Jimmy" Bond is played by Barry Nelson, the first actor to every portray Fleming's Bond. Bond works for the "Combined Intelligence Agency" (an allusion to the CIA).

The ending to this television series has been somewhat of a mystery. Since the series disappeared after its original broadcast and did not re-appear until the 1980s. Since its reappearance, there have been several VHS and DVD releases with different endings.