That was an excellent one.

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

The movie is wonderful and true, an act of love in all its contradictions and complexity

I didn’t really have many expectations going into the movie (good or bad), but I actually really enjoyed it. I really liked the characters and the banter between them.

Not bad for what it is, this B crime thriller with lots of moments of comedy is fast and furious and includes the right amount of ingredients to make it satisfactory B movie fare. It all concerns a cut up diamond stolen and prepared to be sold and the chase to find the culprits. Diminutive Darro (at 5'3" one of the smallest leading men outside of Alan Ladd and Mickey Rooney) poses as a prize fighter in order to infiltrate the den of thieves and works along side special agent Kane Richmond. He also has to deal with the constant cloying attentions of perky teen June Gale whose schtick gets a little tired after a while. There's plenty of action though and a nice car chase finale, but most of the film I had pretty much forgotten about outside Darro's temperament, Gale's clinging onto him and a few of the more powerful action scenes. As directed by Leslie Goodwin (equal to William Beaudine and Samuel Katzman as a fast moving quota quickie director), this isn't something I'd push onto film classic aficionados other than to take a look at the career of the extremely likable Darro, a Bowery Boy type without all the bad malapropisms and certainly an actor of some note who has a cult following but isn't as well remembered as he should be.

After getting involved in a punching match, small town San Juan messenger boy Frankie Darro (as Lee Harris) is recruited by jewel thieves as a potential featherweight champ. Of course, it's a front for the criminally minded. While training for a championship bout that will never happen, Mr. Darro meets handsome and heroic mystery man Kane Richmond (as Jerry Carter). Claiming he's researching a book, Mr. Richmond acts more like a detective...Hoping to avoid "The Devil Diamond" curse, superstitious jewelers have employed the father of rooming house hostess June Gale (as Dorothy Lanning) to cut some diamonds. She and Richmond have a mutual romantic interest. Jogging, jumping, and working out on the parallel bars in his cozy sweat pants, Darro arouses attention from boy-crazy Rosita Butler (as Yvonne Wallace). She likes looking at Darro's "pretty muscles," but has trouble getting a kiss...***** The Devil Diamond (1/15/37) Leslie Goodwins ~ Frankie Darro, Kane Richmond, June Gale, Rosita Butler

Kane Richmond and Frankie Darro were a screen team and they seemed to have a rapport together. Richmond was the romantic lead and Darro had the interesting role which was central to the action.When the Van Groode Jewellry Company purchase the Jarvis Diamond, also known as the Devil Diamond - they decide to get the diamond cut up to lessen the curse that is upon it. One of the jewelers' has gambling debts so he hires a thug to steal it. Frankie Darro plays Lee, a messenger boy with a good right hook. The gang of crooks plan to train Lee for a fight - but only as a front for their real operation - diamond stealing!!!Dorothy and her father, who has been given the job of cutting the diamond, run the rooming house where the thugs are holed up. Gerry (Kane Richmond) comes to the boarding house, outwardly studying the life of Joaquin Murietta but really he is a special agent for the Jewellers' Association, and is hired to see that the diamond isn't stolen. Fern Emmett - a Margaret Hamilton look alike, plays a mysterious lodger, Mrs. Wallace, whose daughter is very keen on Lee.Lee is getting frustrated. He doesn't think they care about his fighting future and confides his cares to Gerry. Frankie Darro has a couple of nifty fight scenes and considering he does his own stunts, makes them doubly impressive. A mysterious assailant is getting rid of the jewelers - one is shot on the highway and then Dorothy's father is kidnapped. Gerry is around to save the day and get the girl and Lee has to be content with Mrs. Wallace's pesky daughter.It's Okay.

The Van Groode Jewelry Company purchases the Jarvis Diamond, worth a quarter of a million dollars, but also named the Devil Diamond because the owners or possessors of the stone become cursed. Hoping to make the diamond more marketable (as well as eliminate or lessen the curse), the jewelry company decides to have the stone cut. The job is handled by Peter Lanning, an expert gemologist who operates low key out of a boarding house in San Juan, where he lives with his daughter Dorothy. Stevens, a member of the company, conspires with a jewel thief Morgan to have the stones stolen. To make a front for his activities, he has his henchman train a young kid Lee for a prizefight, while Morgan, aka Moreland, researches for a book on Joaquin Murietta. Jerry Carter, an insurance adjuster hired by the jewelry company, also stays at the boarding house also researching a book on Murietta. When Morgan has Lanning abducted and Stevens killed (to get the stones for himself), Jerry, Lee, and Dorothy have to act. The film is strictly run of the mill with no surprises or anything new going for it. Darro's character seems to be picking fights with Morgan's henchmen every 5 minutes (and weak fights at that). Richmond spends the entire film walking around and looking through windows (as does Fiske as the Morgan). I did enjoy Baker's character (Yvonne) as the teenage girl with a crush on Lee and unable to take his hints to scram. The production values are nothing to write home about either. Rating, based on B-movies, 4.