Climax!

1954
Climax!

Seasons & Episodes

  • 4
  • 3
  • 2
  • 1

EP1 Trial by Fire Sep 05, 1957

A forest fire spreads with fury, threatens a town with destruction, and brands a boy a murderer.

EP2 The Secret of the Red Room Sep 12, 1957

The technical notes say that this television drama was in black and white. But I remember its being broadcast in color, one of the very few broadcasts in color at that time. I remember because my father was trying out, on loan, a new color television set, and we saw this broadcast as a test of the color quality of the broadcast and of the set. The quality was good for this broadcast, as I recall, but not for all broadcasts.

EP3 Necessary Evil Sep 19, 1957

When a man with the reputation of a fast gun turns up in a small New Mexico community, the townspeople, including the man's son, want no part of him. Then two brothers who have vowed revenge on the gunfighter ride into town.

EP4 Along Came a Spider Sep 26, 1957

As she's leaving to meet her daughter at the airport, a psychoanalyst receives a phone call from one of her patients, who tells her he's just killed a man. When the two women return home the patient, who is waiting for them, pulls a gun, forces the daughter into a room, and locks the door.

EP5 Jacob and the Angels Oct 03, 1957

A criminal lawyer makes a desperate gamble to defend a boy charged with murder. Risking his career, his love, even his health, he faces an even greater terror when he finds his own guilty conscience is on trial.

EP6 Mask for the Devil Oct 10, 1957

Tom Gardener invites the invalid widow of a man he accidentally killed to live with himself and his wife, unaware that her facade of sweetness and gentleness conceals a scheme to destroy his marriage.

EP7 The Largest City in Captivity Oct 17, 1957

An American newspaperman in West Berlin and an East German freedom fighter in the anti-Soviet underground are in love with the same woman, in whose apartment the freedom fighter takes refuge after being wounded.

EP8 Tunnel of Fear Oct 24, 1957

Drama about the men who struggle to move rivers and dig tunnels.

EP9 Keep Me in Mind Nov 07, 1957

Publicity hungry, Las Vegas lounge singer, Mike Owens stages a hoax publicity stunt making the local police and his entourage furious with him, especially his press agent. And like the little boy who cried wolf, he discovers when he actually can identify a cop-killer, the cops and the newspapers and his press agent don't believe him. But the killer knows he isn't lying and determines to kill him next.

EP10 Two Tests on Tuesday Nov 14, 1957

A college professor tries to help an ex-GI with a history of mental illness whose anxiety over low grades caused him to cheat on his final exam.

EP11 A Matter of Life and Death Nov 21, 1957

A man wakes up with a hangover one morning believing he is responsible for a murder. All he can remember is standing over a body holding a broken bottle in his hand. The girl in love with him is convinced he is innocent and helps him try to prove

EP12 Murder Has a Deadline Nov 28, 1957

A ruthless gossip columnist who's been receiving threatening letters asks for police protection and then, in a panic attack, barricades himself in his apartment.

EP13 The Devil's Brood Dec 05, 1957

Two fugitives, hoping for a life of ease and respectability, leave for Australia to buy a sheep ranch, not knowing they're being followed by a blackmailer.

EP14 Hurricane Diane Dec 12, 1957

Among the people seeking shelter from a flood at a rundown Southern hotel are a man accused of murder, the deputy sheriff to whom he's handcuffed, a compassionate young social worker, a preacher, and the hotel owner's disturbed wife who claims she's a countess.

EP15 To Walk the Night Dec 19, 1957

On a snowy Christmas eve, police detective Ed Brooks hopes to be able to get away early. But a call comes in that a prowler, who has murdered several women, has struck again.

EP16 Shadow of a Memory Dec 26, 1957

A woman returns to the cottage owned by her late husband and tries to settle in, but a body is discovered in the living room and she is accused of murder.

EP17 Scream in Silence Jan 02, 1958

Medical student tries to help depressed neighbor.

EP18 Thieves of Tokyo Jan 16, 1958

While on the trail of a black-market ring in Tokyo, an undercover man runs across a murder. During the investigation he begins to date a pretty Japanese dancer, which upsets his American girlfriend.

EP19 Sound of the Moon Jan 23, 1958

Facing a personal crisis on a coast-to-coast flight, an airline hostess appeals for help to a doctor on the plane, but he claims he's too busy to see her.

EP20 Burst of Fire Jan 30, 1958

A singer orders a copy made of an antique cross for an old friend of hers, a priest. While she is in the jewelry store to pick up the cross, the store is held up by a masked gunman who steals the cross and makes his escape. The thief resembles the priest's brother. Then the third brother, a policeman, is assigned to investigate the case.

EP21 Four Hours in White Feb 06, 1958

Trapped in a crossfire of human emotions, a hospital chief surgeon fights his own conscience to decide the fate of two men. He must weigh the possible sacrifice of one life for another. Drawing on years of experience, he defies the pressures of time and personal fear to face one crucial moment of judgment.

EP22 The Secret Love of Johnny Spain Feb 20, 1958

Four days before his movie is to be released, singing idol Johnny Spain is killed in an airplane crash. His press agent decides he must dig up some publicity to make the up-coming movie pay-off. He pressures Julie, a young starlet, to pose as Spain's secret love.

EP23 Albert Anastasia, His Life and Death Feb 27, 1958

The story of Murder Inc. and the 1957 barber shop rub-out of mob czar Albert Anastasia. Anastasia had an appeal that belied his reputation for brutality and impetuosity. He had a sense of confidence and presence, and because he was so sure of himself he was at ease with other people.

EP24 The Thief With the Big Blue Eyes Mar 06, 1958

In Rome, an American actor and his wife come upon an Italian street urchin who appoints himself their guardian angel and after awhile begins trying to cajole them into adopting him permanently.

EP25 So Deadly My Love Mar 13, 1958

While on a date with her boyfriend a woman runs into her erratic estranged husband. Later that night two ruffians beat up the boyfriend and kidnap the woman.

EP26 The Great World and Timothy Colt Mar 27, 1958

A large Manhattan law firm hires the tireless dedicated Timothy Colt, the young lawyer. As he rises in the firm the opportunity to see the conflict between ethics and ambition are upon him. His disillusionment and the constant dishonesty shakes him to his foundations of belief against the bitter cynical conquest of his new great world.

EP27 On the Take Apr 03, 1958

In trying to clean up the local bookmakers, the Washington, D.C. Police department becomes convinced that members of the force are accepting payoff money. Lt. Todd Thoman is assigned the task of discovering the crooked cops.

EP28 The Volcano Seat Apr 10, 1958

This true story involving the crew of an in-air refueling operation for Air Force bombers who take a training team on a dangerous mission. RAF Flight Lieutenant MacKenzie Barton is assigned to an American Air Force base as a result of an exchange of pilots between the RAF and the U.S. Air Force. Barton receives orders to pilot an Air Force tanker--a plane which is capable of refueling jet bombers in mid-air. But in trying to gain the confidence of the American crew members, Barton encounters only resentment. The story is based on an actual experience.

EP29 Shooting for the Moon Apr 24, 1958

Engineer Frank Colby and his staff have developed a nose cone capable of launching into outer space.

EP30 The Deadly Tattoo May 01, 1958

A detective is assigned to investigate a series of murders in which the killer left a heart-shaped tattoo on each of his victims.

EP31 The Big Success May 08, 1958

Leo Carson a businessman who worked his way up from machinist's helper to owner of a million-dollar business. He realizes too late that the important things in life, his family have chosen destructive lifestyles and his own mistakes have caused harm to everyone else.

EP32 The Disappearance of Daphne May 15, 1958

A young heiress marries a dancer after a whirlwind courtship, but soon comes to suspect he's responsible for the mysterious disappearance of his former dancing partner.

EP33 Time of the Hanging May 22, 1958

In Texas, during the 1880's, cattlemen resent the intrusion of homesteaders on their grazing lands. When cattleman Mannon Tate's brother is sentenced to hang for the murder of a homesteader, Tate makes a desperate attempt to prevent the execution. Believing the sheriff is allied with the farmers, Tate takes him and his wife hostage.

EP34 The Push-Button Giant May 29, 1958

A song plugger making his daily rounds meets an attractive young singer in a recording executive's waiting room and, by passing himself off as her manager, begins climbing to the top of the music world.

EP35 Spider Web Jun 05, 1958

José Aragon, wealthy Texas cattleman, is on a cattle-buying expedition on the Mexican border. After a gueling day looking over the stock, Aragon returns to his hotel, tired and dirty. A beautiful young woman sees Aragon enter the hotel, and, because of his unkempt appearance, believes he is one of the local peasants. She approaches him and asks him to do her a favor. Amused when she offers him five dollars for the errand, Aragon consents to cross the border and pick up a package for her.

EP36 House of Doubt Jun 19, 1958

When she loses her job, Gwen Dacres seeks economical lodgings in a boarding house run by a mysterious old woman, Mrs. Garr. Strange noises and incidents disturb Gwen's peace of mind. Gwen is attacked and Mrs. Garr disappears and is later found dead. Gwen starts to investigate and uncovers a twenty year old mystery.

EP37 Cabin B-13 Jun 26, 1958

Shortly after Ann and Robert Brewster board a luxury liner for their honeymoon cruise, Robert disappears with the fortune he received as a wedding present from Ann. Ann reports her husband's disappearance to the captain. To her astonishment he informs her that there is no record of either herself or her husband as passengers, and that the cabin number she has given is non-existent.
6.5| 0h30m| en| More Info
Released: 07 October 1954 Ended
Producted By: CBS
Country: United States of America
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
Official Website:
Synopsis

Climax! is an American anthology series that aired on CBS from 1954 to 1958. The series was hosted by William Lundigan and later co-hosted by Mary Costa. It was one of the few CBS programs of that era to be broadcast in color. Many of the episodes were performed and broadcast live.

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Reviews

night_lex I wanted to see the original Casino Royale, and when I finally did, I wasn't expecting much, but all up, I was pretty disappointed. It's alright, but pretty weak.It's live, so done like a play, but isn't that good. I apparently saw a version which had the last minute cut from it, so maybe the reason I don't like it so much is that I was disappointed when it ended.Black and white doesn't bother me, so it wouldn't make much different whether it was colour or not. I actually don't think it would look as good in colour to be honest. I was surprised to hear that Ian Flemming had preffered this too Dr. No and the other official movies.Acting is very good, I can't complain about it, and the story doesn't add much at all to flemmings novel, but took a lot away.People say this casino royale is great, but all up, I can't see why.
mac-187 Just for information purposes: if you buy the spoof of Casino Royale (David Niven, Peter Sellers, et al) on DVD, this Climax episode is included on it under the special features category.The sound and video quality was not the greatest, but was about what I expected for a copy of TV video. Of the two, I prefer the spoof - Peter Sellers makes a great Bond and I loved it when he had to put on his glasses to shoot the cork off Ursula Andress' champaign bottle. If you've never seen the spoof and like Austin Powers, you should rent it. Soundtrack is good too. ; ; ; ;
mpgmpg123 I have only seen a few of these shows, they are pretty rare to see. One of them was "Trail of Terror" with Robert Preston and Diana Lynn in 1957. It was a live tv production, about the murder of a Dr., Lynn's husband. Preston was great in this as the police detective, and Lynn gave one of her typically latter day great tv performances. She acted on television from 1950 to 1965 and really expanded her range of acting; this was a typical great one as the grieving wife who almost goes against her values but is able to right her mistake at the last minute. Another excellent episode of Climax, and they are basically one hour long live films, was Katherine Ann Porter's "Pale Horse, Pale Rider." It starred Dorothy McGuire and John Forsythe, the second of their live television performances (they had earlier starred in a 1951 live remake of Dark Victory). Pale Horse, Pale Rider was a beautiful love story set in 1918, with the backdrop of WWI and the Spanish Flu, from which more Americans died than did American soldiers in WWI. This was one of the last, really, of McGuire's romantic roles and she is typically beautiful, charming, and lovely in it. It is one of her best television roles and she is very moving as the girl who falls in love only once. All in all, Climax was a great show from the ones I have seen and I wish I could see more!
J.Bond Being a Bond fan, procuring the video of this original broadcast was neither an easy feat nor overlooked in its importance. The October 21, 1954 episode of "Climax!" was the first time James Bond appeared on-screen, and nearly half a century later Bond is still making movies.The "live" quality of the show makes it all that much more enjoyable; the spontaneity of the lines spoken and the fact that the actors are working with an actual time limit makes for a show in which the flow is constant and consistent, the interest is kept to an expected level, and the characters are more realistic. These are qualities which cannot be replicated in some 20 overly planned and rehearsed later Bond films - but this only makes Casino Royale different - not better.It is certainly entertaining, to say the least, to watch the original characterization of "Jimmy" Bond - a fast-talking American agent - and compare it to the amazingly developed cool-headedness of today's 007. What a difference 45 years can make!