Code Name: Diamond Head

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1977 film by Jeannot Szwarc

title: "Code Name: Diamond Head" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1977-films", "1977-television-films", "1977-drama-films", "1970s-english-language-films", "films-directed-by-jeannot-szwarc", "films-set-in-hawaii", "american-drama-television-films", "1977-american-films"] description: "1977 film by Jeannot Szwarc" topic_path: "arts" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Code_Name:_Diamond_Head" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary 1977 film by Jeannot Szwarc ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox television"]

Field	Value
image	Code Name- Diamond Head FilmPoster.jpeg
image_upright	1.0
writer	Paul King
director	Jeannot Szwarc
starring	Roy Thinnes France Nuyen Gilbert Lani Kauhi
music	Morton Stevens
country	United States
language	English
producer	Quinn Martin
runtime	74 minutes
released
::

Code Name: Diamond Head is a 1977 American television spy film starring Roy Thinnes as undercover counterintelligence officer Johnny Paul (known by the code name "Diamond Head") whose mission is to stop rogue double agent Sean Donovan from stealing the formula for a new chemical weapon. Originally filmed as a pilot for a new television drama—which was never picked up for series—it was eventually used for The NBC Monday Movie on the U.S. broadcast network NBC.

Plot

Johnny Paul is a flashy gambler and ladies' man living on O'ahu, Hawai'i. In reality, he is agent "Diamond Head" working for a secret US government agency. His mission: stop the theft of a lethal new gas, which has the potential to cause instant death upon contact. The substance was secretly developed by a top battalion of Marines at the request of a Pentagon official named Colonel Millard Butler. However, a double agent had infiltrated the unit, killed Colonel Butler, and assumed his identity. Paul uses his public persona 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

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

Reception and legacy

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".

The film was featured in a season six episode (#608) of Mystery Science Theater 3000.

Home media

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 box set of the series.

References

[https://web.archive.org/web/20201024182703/https://www2.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b7027ef04 BFI]
[https://web.archive.org/web/20220517165244/https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/462501/code-name-diamond-head Turner Classic Movies]
[http://www.mst3kinfo.com/daddyo/di_608.html Daddy-O's Drive-In Dirt]
[https://bandsaboutmovies.com/2020/04/17/code-name-diamond-head-1977/ B&S About Movies]
[https://www.tvguide.com/movies/code-name-diamond-head/cast/2000031203 TV Guide]
Thomas, Kevin. (May 3, 1977). "The Spy Game in 'Diamond Head'". [[Los Angeles Times]].
[https://www.shoutfactory.com/product/mst3k-volume-xxiii?product_id=1545 MST3K: Volume XXIII - DVD - Shout! Factory]

::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::