Code Name: Diamond Head

1977 film by Jeannot Szwarc

Code Name: Diamond Head

Written by| Paul King
Directed by| Jeannot Szwarc
Starring| Roy Thinnes
France Nuyen
Gilbert Lani Kauhi
Music by| Morton Stevens
Country of origin| United States
Original language| English
Production
Producer| Quinn Martin
Running time| 74 minutes
Original release
Release| May 3, 1977 (1977-05-03)

Code Name: Diamond Head is a 1977 American television spy film starring Roy Thinnes[1] as an undercover counterintelligence officer known as Diamond Head whose mission is to stop a rogue double agent from stealing the formula for a new chemical weapon.[2] Originally filmed as a pilot for a new television drama (which was never picked up by the networks), it was eventually used for The NBC Monday Movie on U.S. broadcast network NBC. [3][4]

## Plot

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Johnny Paul (Thinnes) is a flashy gambler and ladies' man living on Oahu. In reality, he is an agent working for a secret US government agency. He is assigned to a mission to stop the theft of a deadly new gas, which has the potential to cause instant death upon contact. The substance was being secretly created by a top battalion of Marines at the request of a Pentagon official. However, a double agent had infiltrated the unit, killed the executive, and assumed his identity. Paul uses his image to get close to the double agent, who is known by the pseudonym "Tree". However, once his cover is blown, it's a race against time to stop Tree from selling the secrets to an unnamed foreign power.

## Cast

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* Roy Thinnes as Johnny Paul / "Diamond Head"
* France Nuyen as Tso-Tsing
* Gilbert Lani Kauhi as Zulu
* Ward Costello as Captain Macintosh
* Don Knight as H.K. Muldoon
* Ian McShane as Sean Donovan / "Tree"
* Eric Braeden as Ernest Graeber
* Dennis Patrick as Commander Yarnell
* Alex Henteloff as Dr. Edward Sherman
* Eric Christmas as Father Murphy

[5]

## Reception and legacy

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Kevin Thomas for the Los Angeles Times praised Jeannot Szwarc's direction, calling it "crisp and driving". Conversely, Thomas was critical of Paul King's script, finding it "too trite to succeed as the escapist entertainment intended".[6]

The film was featured in a season six episode of Mystery Science Theater 3000.

### Home media

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The film is currently available only in VHS format. The Mystery Science Theater version was released in DVD format on March 27, 2012 as part of the 23rd boxset of the series.[7]

## References

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1. ^ BFI
2. ^ Turner Classic Movies
3. ^ Daddy-O's Drive-In Dirt
4. ^ B&S About Movies
5. ^ TV Guide
6. ^ Thomas, Kevin (May 3, 1977). "The Spy Game in 'Diamond Head'". Los Angeles Times. p. 15 - via Newspapers.com.
7. ^ MST3K: Volume XXIII - DVD - Shout! Factory

## External links

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* Code Name: Diamond Head at IMDb
* AllMovie
* Excerpt of MST3K treatment on Shout Factory's official YouTube channel

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Films directed by Jeannot Szwarc

* Night of Terror (1972)
* The Weekend Nun (1972)
* The Devil's Daughter (1973)
* You'll Never See Me Again (1973)
* Extreme Close-Up (1973)
* Bug (1975)
* Code Name: Diamond Head (1977)
* Jaws 2 (1978)
* Somewhere in Time (1980)
* Enigma (1982)
* Supergirl (1984)
* Santa Claus: The Movie (1985)
* The Murders in the Rue Morgue (1986)
* Grand Larceny (1987)
* Honor Bound (1988)
* La Vengeance d'une blonde (1994)
* Hercule et Sherlock (1996)
* Les Soeurs Soleil (1997)

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