Save the Tiger (1973) — AI Story Visualization

Plot Analysis Summary

A financially desperate businessman contemplates arson to save his company while battling war trauma and moral decay.

Story Structure — 4 Plot Phases

The Weight of Survival

Harry navigates daily financial pressures and war trauma while managing his struggling apparel business with partner Phil Greene. He picks up hitchhiker Myra and faces mounting debts.

Key Events

• Morning Screaming & Rituals — Harry wakes up screaming and acts out pre-war Dodgers baseball games. Characters: Harry Stoner Location: Beverly Hills Mansion
• Daily Expense Calculations — Harry calculates the high daily cost of maintaining his lifestyle and business. Characters: Harry Stoner Location: Bedroom
• Wife's Hypnosis Referral — Janet urges him to call a doctor for a hypnosis session to manage trauma. Characters: Harry Stoner Location: Bedroom
• Hitchhiker Encounter — Harry picks up free-spirited hitchhiker Myra and declines her advance. Characters: Harry Stoner, Myra Location: Sunset Strip
• Office Financial Crisis — Co-owners argue intensely over funding the new fashion line amid audit threat. Characters: Harry Stoner, Phil Greene Location: Capri Casuals Office
• Maid's Silent Presence — Ula maintains the household while Harry's life unravels behind closed doors. Characters: Harry Stoner, Ula Location: Mansion

Desperate Measures

Facing an audit and bank rejection, Harry proposes arson to save the company. A client's medical emergency shakes his nerves before the fashion show.

Key Events

• Office Financial Crisis — Co-owners argue intensely over funding the new fashion line amid audit threat. Characters: Harry Stoner, Phil Greene Location: Capri Casuals Office
• Arson Proposal — Harry suggests torching the Long Beach factory for the insurance payout. Characters: Harry Stoner, Phil Greene Location: Office
• Client Medical Emergency — Client suffers heart attack, leaving Harry shaken before the fashion show. Characters: Harry Stoner Location: Restaurant
• War Trauma Flashback — Harry imagines injured soldiers in the audience during the fashion show. Characters: Harry Stoner Location: Stage
• Bank Loan Rejection — Bank offers only 50% on sales, demanding full amount within 60 days. Characters: Harry Stoner, Phil Greene Location: Bank

The Arson Pact

Harry hires arsonist Charlie Robbins and experiences a public breakdown at the fashion show. He secures mob financing and finalizes the illegal fire scheme.

Key Events

• Fashion Show Breakdown — Overcome by war memories, Harry gives an incoherent ramble about Italy. Characters: Harry Stoner Location: Runway Stage
• Mob Financing Offer — Financier offers emergency cash at 200% interest to save the company. Characters: Harry Stoner Location: Backstage
• Arsonist Meeting — Harry pays Robbins a retainer and provides factory details for arson. Characters: Harry Stoner, Phil Greene, Charlie Robbins Location: Blue Movie Theater
• Tiger Petition Signing — Harry signs a petition to save tigers while leaving the theater. Characters: Harry Stoner Location: Theater Exit
• Night with Myra — Harry spends the night with Myra but refuses sex, delivering an incoherent rant. Characters: Harry Stoner, Myra Location: House-sitting location
• War Trauma Flashback — Harry imagines injured soldiers in the audience during the fashion show. Characters: Harry Stoner Location: Stage

Fractured Loyalties

The arson plan is altered, Harry excludes Greene, and finds fleeting peace with hitchhiker Myra before a symbolic baseball moment concludes his journey.

Key Events

• Night with Myra — Harry spends the night with Myra but refuses sex, delivering an incoherent rant. Characters: Harry Stoner, Myra Location: House-sitting location
• Fire Safety Rejection — Robbins reveals the warehouse fails fire codes, so insurance won't pay. Characters: Harry Stoner, Phil Greene, Charlie Robbins Location: Theater
• Altered Fire Strategy — Harry agrees to ignite an adjacent business to funnel flames into the factory. Characters: Harry Stoner, Charlie Robbins Location: Theater
• Excluding Greene — Harry tells Robbins to forget Greene completely if the plan fails. Characters: Harry Stoner, Charlie Robbins Location: Theater
• Baseball Field Return — Harry returns a stray ball to children playing in a field. Characters: Harry Stoner Location: Field
• Dramatic Pitching Windup — He winds up to pitch, wanting the kids to see it one last time. Characters: Harry Stoner Location: Field
• Final Rejection — A child tells him he cannot play, leaving Harry smiling alone. Characters: Harry Stoner Location: Field
• Financial Ruin Looming — Fraudulent accounting catches up, leaving the company facing collapse. Characters: Harry Stoner, Phil Greene Location: Office

Story Breakdown

• Financial Desperation — Harry faces mounting debts and audit threats that threaten to collapse his apparel business.
  • Daily Expense Calculations — Harry calculates the high daily cost of maintaining his lifestyle and business.
  • Bank Loan Rejection — The bank refuses full financing, demanding repayment within sixty days.
  • Fraudulent Accounting — Harry and Greene use illegal bookkeeping to keep the company afloat.
• War Trauma & PTSD — Unresolved combat memories from WWII surface during moments of stress and public exposure.
  • Morning Screaming Episodes — Harry wakes up screaming and acts out baseball games to cope.
  • Fashion Show Breakdown — War memories overwhelm him on stage, causing an incoherent public ramble.
  • Hypnosis Referral — His wife suggests professional help to manage his recurring trauma.
• Business Partnership — The strained dynamic between Harry and his partner Phil Greene drives key decisions.
  • Intense Financial Arguments — The partners clash over how to fund the new fashion line.
  • Exclusion from Arson Plan — Harry deliberately keeps Greene out of the illegal fire scheme.
  • Shared Audit Fear — Both men dread the potential IRS investigation into their books.
• Arson Conspiracy — Harry hires a contractor to burn down the factory for insurance money.
  • Hiring Charlie Robbins — Harry pays a retainer and provides factory details to the arsonist.
  • Fire Safety Rejection — Robbins reveals the warehouse fails insurance compliance standards.
  • Altered Fire Strategy — Harry agrees to ignite an adjacent business to funnel flames upward.
• Romantic Encounters — Interactions with Myra highlight Harry's emotional isolation and inability to connect.
  • Hitchhiker Pickup — Harry picks up Myra on the Sunset Strip and declines her advance.
  • House-sitting Night — Harry spends the night with Myra but refuses intimacy due to his mental state.
  • Incoherent Ranting — Myra grows concerned by Harry's erratic behavior and emotional distance.
• Moral Decline — Harry's ethical boundaries erode as he prioritizes survival over legality and loyalty.
  • Dismissing Legal Options — Harry rejects lawful solutions in favor of dangerous illegal schemes.
  • Mob Financing Offer — A mob financier offers emergency cash at predatory interest rates.
  • Abandoning Greene — Harry instructs the arsonist to forget Greene if the plan fails.
• Symbolic Resolution — The film concludes with a poignant baseball scene reflecting Harry's lost innocence.
  • Baseball Field Return — Harry returns a stray ball to children playing in a field.
  • Dramatic Pitching Windup — He winds up to pitch, wanting the kids to see it one last time.
  • Final Rejection — A child tells him he cannot play, leaving Harry smiling alone.

Directed by

John G. Avildsen

Key Cast

• Jack Lemmon — Harry Stoner
• Jack Gilford — Phil Greene
• Laurie Heineman — Myra
• Norman Burton — Fred Mirrell
• Patricia Smith — Janet Stoner