Character Relationship Map: The Devil's Party

Characters

• Marty Malone (played by Victor McLaglen) — protagonist

  A former member of the Death Avenue Cowboys who owns the Cigarette Club as an adult. He becomes involved in criminal activity through his men, but never intended for their actions to cause deaths. Aft...

• Mike O'Mara (played by William Gargan) — supporting

  A police officer and Joe's brother, Mike investigates the deaths after becoming convinced that Joe's death is connected to the earlier killing. He is in love with Helen and is manipulated into suspect...

• Jerry Donovan (played by Paul Kelly) — supporting

  A childhood member of Marty's gang who becomes a priest and remains connected to his old friends. Jerry prevents Mike from killing Marty when Mike is driven into a rage, and later helps stop him from...

• Helen McCoy (played by Beatrice Roberts) — supporting

  A performer at Marty's Cigarette Club and a childhood friend of the gang. Although Marty has repeatedly proposed to her, Helen loves Mike and spends the reunion evening dancing with him. When Diamond...

• Sam (played by Frank Jenks) — supporting

  One of Marty's strong-arm men, Sam helps Frank Diamond beat a gambling debtor, whose death they try to disguise as an accident involving a fallen neon sign. He and Diamond later kill Joe to prevent hi...

• Frank Diamond (played by Joe Downing) — supporting

  A criminal working with Sam and serving as one of Marty's strong-arm men, Diamond helps beat a gambling debtor and disguise the resulting death as an accident. He and Sam kill Joe when he threatens to...

Canonical Relationships

Family, romantic, and professional connections based on plot evidence.

• Mike O'Mara → Helen McCoy (Romantic Lovers) — Their mutual affection becomes the story's surviving romantic bond.

  Helen loves Mike, and Mike dances with her throughout the reunion dinner; Marty's death brings Mike and Helen together.

• Marty Malone → Helen McCoy (Romantic Rejected Suitor) — Marty wants a romantic relationship that Helen refuses.

  Helen has spurned Marty's many proposals because she loves Mike O'Mara.

• Marty Malone → Frank Diamond (Professional Employer) — Frank operates as one of Marty's hired enforcers.

  Marty sends Frank Diamond and Sam to collect a gambling debt from a reluctant customer.

• Marty Malone → Sam (Professional Employer) — Sam works as one of Marty's enforcers.

  Marty sends Sam and Frank Diamond to strong-arm a customer who refuses to pay a gambling debt.

Story Dynamics

Alliances, conflicts, and narrative interactions that evolve throughout the story.

• Mike O'Mara → Frank Diamond (Conflict Enemy) — Frank is one of the criminals threatening Mike and obstructing his pursuit of justice.

  Frank participates in the killings and criminal schemes that Mike investigates, then helps lure Mike into a final confrontation.

• Mike O'Mara → Sam (Conflict Enemy) — Sam's crimes and manipulation make him an enemy of Mike.

  Sam and Frank kill the customer and later try to manipulate Mike into killing Marty by alerting him to the Polar Gardens plan.

• Helen McCoy → Jerry Donovan (Alliance Informer) — Helen gives Jerry information that helps expose the criminals' plan.

  After being kidnapped, Helen wisely informs Jerry where she is going.

• Marty Malone → Jerry Donovan (Social Confidant) — Jerry becomes the person Marty trusts with his confession and moral concerns.

  Marty confesses his involvement to Jerry and explains that he never intended any deaths to occur.

• Mike O'Mara → Jerry Donovan (Alliance Peacemaker) — Jerry repeatedly restrains Mike and prevents retaliatory violence.

  Jerry stops Mike from killing Marty during two separate moments when Mike loses control.

• Marty Malone → Mike O'Mara (Conflict Adversary) — Mike sees Marty as responsible for the crimes, while Marty tries to prevent further bloodshed.

  Mike believes the deaths are connected to Marty, tries to kill him after receiving incriminating notes, and is later lured toward another confrontatio...

• Sam → Frank Diamond (Alliance Teammate) — The two criminals consistently operate as a criminal team.

  Sam and Frank Diamond jointly beat the customer, stage his death, rob a jewelry store, and plan the Polar Gardens robbery.

Story Analysis

A former gang member confronts the violent consequences of his criminal empire and redeems himself through a final sacrifice.

Plot Progression

1. The Fire That Changed Marty — Marty joins the Death Avenue Cowboys and starts a warehouse fire during a fruit theft. He protects his accomplices during questioning and is sent to a reformatory.
2. A Criminal Empire Ignites — Years later, Marty owns the Cigarette Club and orders Sam and Frank to collect a gambling debt. Their beating accidentally kills the customer, forcing them to stage a false accident.
3. Old Friends and New Suspicions — A reunion brings Marty together with Mike, Jerry, and Helen, while romantic tensions surface. Mike discovers that the supposed accident was actually caused by a cut sign support.
4. Violence Closes In — The criminals kill an investigator, rob a jewelry store, bomb Marty's club, and send notes designed to implicate Marty. Mike's grief and anger drive him toward revenge.
5. The Sacrifice at Polar Gardens — Sam and Frank kidnap Helen and arrange a robbery at Polar Gardens to provoke Mike against Marty. Marty dies protecting Mike, and his final wish is honored through a memorial playground.