Banning (1967) — AI Story Visualization

Plot Analysis Summary

A disgraced golfer returns under a new identity and risks everything in a high-stakes tournament to escape the consequences of a false accusation.

Story Structure — 5 Plot Phases

The Framed Professional

Mike rises on the PGA Tour but refuses Jonathan's proposal to manipulate a final putt. Jonathan then helps accuse Mike of the scheme.

Key Events

• PGA Tour Rise — Mike McDermot is introduced as a rising golf star on the PGA Tour. Characters: Mike Banning Location: PGA Tour
• Bribery Proposal — Jonathan approaches Mike about splitting the winner's purse after a deliberate missed putt. Characters: Mike Banning, Jonathan Linus Location: PGA Tour
• Mike Refuses — Mike refuses the proposal even though Jonathan initiated it. Characters: Mike Banning, Jonathan Linus Location: PGA Tour
• False Accusation — Jonathan and another pro accuse Mike of the scheme Mike rejected. Characters: Mike Banning, Jonathan Linus Location: PGA Tour

Return To El Presidente

Jonathan retires, marries into wealth, and becomes connected to the El Presidente club. Mike returns under a new name and receives an assistant professional's job.

Key Events

• Linus Retires — Jonathan retires from the PGA Tour and marries into a wealthy family. Characters: Jonathan Linus, Cynthia Linus Location: Arizona
• Club Ownership — Family money places Jonathan and his wife among the club's principals. Characters: Jonathan Linus, Cynthia Linus Location: El Presidente
• Mike Changes Names — McDermot returns under the name Mike Banning and confronts the club's past. Characters: Mike Banning Location: El Presidente
• Assistant Pro Job — Mike is given the assistant professional's job to keep him quiet. Characters: Mike Banning, Jonathan Linus Location: El Presidente

The Dangerous Wager

Mike arranges a Calcutta tournament because he needs money to repay the loan connected to his trial. His poker deception and Angela's winning bid establish the contest's financial pressure.

Key Events

• Calcutta Tournament Plan — Mike organizes a high-wager Calcutta with auctioned two-man teams. Characters: Mike Banning Location: El Presidente
• Debt Deadline — Mike must win enough money to repay the mob-backed loan from his trial. Characters: Mike Banning Location: El Presidente
• Poker Deception — Mike appears drunk on whiskey while secretly drinking iced tea during high-stakes poker. Characters: Mike Banning, Jonathan Linus Location: El Presidente
• Angela Wins Bid — Angela wins the competitive bidding for Mike's tournament team. Characters: Mike Banning, Angela Barr, Cynthia Linus Location: El Presidente
• Hidden Background — The club president knows Banning's professional background and expects his daughter to secure the winning team. Characters: Mike Banning, Jonathan Linus, Cynthia Linus Location: El Presidente

Exposure And Violence

Chris reveals Mike's professional past to the tournament committee. Mike gives up his handicap, confronts Chris, and nearly kills him after learning who exposed him.

Key Events

• Hidden Background — The club president knows Banning's professional background and expects his daughter to secure the winning team. Characters: Mike Banning, Jonathan Linus, Cynthia Linus Location: El Presidente
• Patton Exposes Mike — Chris tells the organizing committee that Mike is a former professional. Characters: Mike Banning, Chris Patton Location: El Presidente
• Handicap Removed — Mike gives up his five handicap and agrees to play at scratch. Characters: Mike Banning, Chris Patton Location: El Presidente
• Fight With Patton — Mike learns Patton provided the information and nearly kills him in a fight. Characters: Mike Banning, Chris Patton Location: El Presidente
• Patton Withdraws — Patton withdraws from the tournament, and Jonathan replaces him. Characters: Mike Banning, Chris Patton, Jonathan Linus Location: El Presidente

The Final Golf Test

Jonathan replaces Chris and the tournament reaches sudden death. Mike answers the pressure with a nearly impossible shot over the trees in the decisive stretch.

Key Events

• Sudden Death Begins — The tournament reaches a sudden-death playoff involving Mike and Jonathan. Characters: Mike Banning, Angela Barr, Jonathan Linus Location: El Presidente
• Seventeenth Hole Shot — Mike makes a nearly impossible life-saving shot over a tall stand of trees. Characters: Mike Banning, Angela Barr, Jonathan Linus Location: El Presidente
• Tournament Resolution — The decisive golf contest determines whether Mike can meet the financial stakes threatening his life. Characters: Mike Banning, Angela Barr, Jonathan Linus Location: El Presidente

Story Breakdown

• Tour Scandal — Mike's professional career collapses after he refuses a proposal and is falsely accused.
  • Bribery Proposal — Jonathan approaches Mike about dividing a winner's purse after a deliberate missed putt.
  • False Accusation — Jonathan and another professional report Mike for the scheme he rejected.
• Linus Ascendancy — Jonathan leaves the tour and gains wealth, marriage, and authority at the El Presidente.
  • Marriage Into Wealth — Jonathan marries into a rich family after retiring from the PGA Tour.
  • Club Principals — Family money connects Jonathan and his wife to the ownership of El Presidente.
• Banning Returns — Mike adopts a new name and enters the club's structure while threatening to expose its principals.
  • New Identity — McDermot returns as Mike Banning.
  • Assistant Pro — The club gives Mike an assistant professional's job to quiet him.
• High Stakes Scheme — Mike creates a Calcutta tournament to obtain money under severe personal pressure.
  • Calcutta Tournament — Two-man teams are auctioned, with the money placed into a shared pot.
  • Debt Pressure — Mike needs the winnings to repay the loan connected to his trial.
• Exposure And Fallout — The tournament is threatened when Mike's professional past becomes public.
  • Patton Speaks — Chris tells the organizing committee that Banning is a former professional.
  • Violent Retaliation — Mike confronts Chris and nearly kills him after learning about the disclosure.
• Sudden Death Finish — The tournament recreates the pressure of the earlier scandal and culminates in a decisive golf shot.
  • Linus Replaces Patton — After Chris withdraws, Jonathan joins the tournament in his place.
  • Impossible Seventeenth — Mike makes a life-saving shot over a tall stand of trees.

Directed by

Ron Winston

Key Cast

• Robert Wagner — Mike Banning
• Anjanette Comer — Carol Lindquist
• Jill St. John — Angela Barr
• Guy Stockwell — Jonathan Linus
• James Farentino — Chris Patton