In 1967, actress Jill St. John appeared in the movie
Banning. It was a busy time for this talented performer and she could steadily be seen at cinemas (in four different feature films!) and on television (in one TV movie and multiple guest appearances) throughout the year.
Banning comes from a fantastic era in the history of Universal Pictures and stars Robert Wagner as an unscrupulous golf pro who unexpectedly arrives and causes trouble at an exclusive private club in Arizona. Wagner garners the fancy of three local ladies -- played by actresses Anjanette Comer, Susan Clark & Jill St. John -- each with their own set of problems. With equal measures of potboiling melodrama and thrilling sports action,
Banning is an underrated classic from the fabulous 1960s.
As many might be aware, Jill St. John later married her
Banning co-star Robert Wagner in 1990. Way back in 1966 (though originally aired at the start of 1967), the pair had first worked together in an item from the early era of made-for-television films, a saucy little number titled
How I Spent My Summer Vacation. Later on in 1967, the charasmatic duo again showcased their chemistry in the cinematic charmer
Banning...and the rest, as they say, is history!
In
Banning, Jill St. John plays the very naughty Angela Barr, a bored, egocentric, and extremely wealthy denizen of the members only El Presidente Country Club. When the handsome and mysterious Mike Banning (Robert Wagner) shows up, her interest is piqued and she sets her sights on him and will stop at nothing in her quest to conquer! This being the '60s her character is described as being masculine due to her upfront demeanor and aggressive attitudes concerning love. St. John and Wagner have a couple of very fun scenes together and it is a pleasure to watch this attractive twosome at work. Additionaly, while all three of the actresses featured in the film deliver excellent performances, it was Jill St. John who stood out the most for me with her extremely appealing screen presence. It should also be mentioned that when called upon to provide some moments of comic relief for the film she does so with the greatest of ease.
Banning is not a very popular film and this is partially due to the fact that, up until recently, the film had not been widely available to view or purchase. It was only occasionally shown on TV (and even then it was 'formatted to fit your screen') and it never had a domestic home video release during the VHS/Laserdisc/DVD era (there was an Australian DVD but it was a full-screen edition). Then came the 2020s and finally
Banning has been restored and remastered and its Techniscope glory is now available for all to see on Blu-ray! Hopefully more people will discover this previously hidden gem of a film!
Before we finish I need to mention two things. First, concerning Robert Wagner's character name of Mike Banning...it is interesting to note that this same name is used by actor Gerard Butler in the successful "
...Has Fallen" action movie series. Second,
Banning contains some terrific golf content. I wouldn't neccessarily call it a pure "golf movie" since its primary focus is on spicy drama but the golf sequences included are indeed fantastic. This title belongs in the pantheon of great golf cinema and, from here on out, I vow to dismiss any 'best golf movie' lists that don't include
Banning or at least give it an honorable mention.
No comments:
Post a Comment