Along with its companion film THE FABULOUS BASTARD FROM CHICAGO, DIAMOND STUD is a mysterious attempt to elevate softcore porn to mainstream filmmaking level, by injecting a (relative to usual porn) seemingly ample budget, solid production values and a ton of story material that overwhelms the porn content.I have no idea whether this was simply a case of money laundering (La Cosa Nostra backing perhaps), or a lame-brained grab at the crossover brass ring.
DIAMOND STUD is an unusual exploitation film in that it has far better production values than the norm and far less exploitation than you'd expect from the what-you-see-is-what-you-get genre. The film is based on the true story of the 19th century real-life character 'Diamond' Jim Brady, a larger-than-life fellow who amassed an incredible personal fortune while at the same time living it large in terms of food, gambling, drink, and the ladies.
