Black Diamonds

Black Diamonds is a 1940 American drama film directed by Christy Cabanne and starring Richard Arlen, Andy Devine, and Kathryn Adams. The film was released on July 19, 1940. Plot Walter Norton a reporter for big city newspaper. When he is given the assignment to be the paper's war correspondent, he decides to stop off in his home town before leaving for Europe. While there, Archie Connor, who also works with his father in the local mine, tells Norton that the mine is unsafe. Norton is not sure there is anything he can do, but on the morning he is to leave for Europe, his father is injured in a blast in the mine. Norton postpones his departure, and disguised as a miner, enters the mine to see the conditions for himself. Understanding the dangerous conditions, he attempts to explain the dangers to the other miners and get them to rally to demand that the mine owner improve conditions. However, the workers are fearful that if they complain they will lose their jobs. Having failed to convince the miners, Norton is resolute on finding another way to improve the mine's safety. However, Connor decides to take matters into his own hands, and plans to rig an explosion in the mine to close the mine down and highlight the unsafe conditions. When Norton hears of the plan, he realizes this will play into the mine owner's hands, and runs to the mine to prevent Connor from carrying out the blast. As the two men struggle, the police arrive and arrest both of them. While in jail, Norton's sister Nina overhears her boss, Redman, bribing the mining inspector, Mathews, to overlook the mine's safety deficiencies. With the help of Linda Connor, Archie's daughter and Norton's high school girlfriend, they get Norton transferred from the jail to the hospital, where he escapes. Norton and his friend, Barney Tolliver, lure Mathews into the mine, where they threaten to bury him in an explosion unless he comes clean and admits to the bribery and the unsafe conditions. However, Redman learns of the plan, and he sends Johnson, along with several company thugs to stop Mathews from exposing them. Johnson decides that dead men tell no tells, and leaves Norton, Tolliver, and Mathews in the mine, intending to use Norton's explosives to bury the three men in the mine.