It's Peter Sellers birthday today so it is appropriate to talk about one of his less known classics – Casino Royale. Released in 1967, this movie was a quirky spoof of James Bond and featured a number of noteworthy actors and directors.

 

First things first - What's the story about?

 Alright, unlike the on-the-go Bond we are used to, the philandering spy has retired and is enjoying peace and quiet. But not for long: someone out there is targeting famous spies and only Bond can save the day. However, the case is not a typical Bond case to solve, not with crazy villains like Dr Noah. And with references to Mata Hari Dance & Spy School in the movie, you know things are going to get a little bit … wild.

A little bit about the cast

 This movie was well-known for its massive cast which included numerous cameo roles by actors and input from different directors. This includes David Niven, Peter Sellers, Ursula Andress (Yep, Ms. Honey Ryder herself), Orson Welles, Woody Allen, Deborah Kerr and many more. The director's list names at least five names: Ken Hughes, John Huston, Joseph McGrath, Robert Parrish and Val Guest.

Keep your eye on the real Bond

 007 is played by British actor, David Niven. Sellers fans will remember him from the Pink Panther series. To this effect, Niven has always had a suave demeanor to him. Here's the fun bit – did you know Bond creator Ian Fleming loved the idea of Niven playing the real Bond? And I mean in the serious Bond pow-pow flicks and not just in the spoof. Niven was never chosen which must have disappointed Fleming. Well, he certainly made up for that. Niven was actually mentioned in a few of the Bond books, like You Only Live Twice.

Sellers' infamous side

Sellers was known for his brilliant acting capability. At the same time, he was notorious for his moods and tantrums. Folks state that Sellers had a if-looks-could-kill attitude towards Orson Welles, so much so that he refused to act with him in some scenes. Furthermore, the lovable Pink Panther star apparently wanted this to be a serious Bond movie. Thus, there are stories of how he would improvise some scenes or dialogs and go for a less comedic tone. This coupled with his tantrums on the set probably resulted in a few of his scenes being cut.

Speaking of which, this started out as a serious Bond flick

Alright, so that is not quite true. If the producer had had his way, he would have made a serious Bond flick. However, budget worries and the hefty price demanded by Sean Connery, the face of Bond for that time, sealed the deal – the man would make a spoof and hire other actors instead. And it turned out to be a classic. If only some of the cast had known it would be a funny take on Bond as opposed to the real deal: turns out some of them didn't know it until a bit later.

Funny you should mention budget …

For folks who were initially worried about splurging out on this movie, it is funny that they ended up doing the exact opposite of their actual aims. This movie became a bit notorious for splashing out for unwanted or unnecessary expenses. IMDB cites the producer approaching Connery at a social event and stating that, ironically, with the way they ended up spending money, they could easily have hired Connery.

Finally, miscellaneous trivia about movie

Remember that Mata Hari Dance & Spy School I mentioned? In the movie, it is located on a German street called Feldmanstrasse which is a tribute to the movie's producer, Charles K. Feldman.

 At the beginning of the movie, viewers will catch a glimpse of graffiti which reads: "Les Beatles". This was particularly amusing for me as it is well-known that some of the Beatles members were good buddies with some of the cast members like Peter Sellers.

 Dr Noah is a funny take on the bad guy from Dr. No.