John Dortmunder  

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 +'''John Archibald Dortmunder''' is a fictional character created by [[Donald E. Westlake]]. He first appeared in the novel ''The Hot Rock'', published in 1970. Westlake originally intended ''The Hot Rock'' to feature his character [[Parker (fictional criminal)|Parker]] and to publish it under his [[Richard Stark]] pseudonym. However, the plot involves a precious gem that is stolen, lost, stolen again, lost again, etc., which seemed too comic a situation for a hard-boiled creation like Parker. Westlake therefore rewrote the novel with a more bumbling and likable cast of characters.
 +
 +A neon sign reportedly reading "[[Dortmunder Actien Brauerei|Dortmunder Actien Bier]]" gave Westlake the name for the book's new protagonist. Dortmunder has occasionally used the alias "John Diddums", a name he dislikes but uses involuntarily in circumstances that preclude using his real name.
 +
 +Dortmunder is similar to Parker in several ways. He is a career criminal and a "planner," creating schemes for [[burglary|burglaries]] and assigning responsibilities to his team. He is tall and has a disreputable face. He shares a home with a long-term girlfriend, in this case named May, a supermarket cashier; they live in Manhattan on East 19th Street. Unlike Parker, however, Dortmunder is a nonviolent character who devises schemes that are usually outlandish and over-the-top.
 +
 +Very little is known of Dortmunder's childhood. It is mentioned in more than one book that he was raised in an orphanage in the fictional town of Dead Indian, Illinois, run by the Bleeding Heart Sisters of Eternal Misery.
 +
 +All-purpose crook Andy Kelp is Dortmunder's best friend, though Dortmunder would be the first to deny this. Cheerful and optimistic where Dortmunder is dour and relentlessly pessimistic, Kelp is boundlessly enthusiastic and full of (sometimes questionable) ideas. Kelp also loves to adopt the newest gadgets, generally to Dortmunder's disgust. Because Kelp has brought Dortmunder many eventually unsuccessful jobs, Dortmunder has been known to call Kelp a jinx. Dortmunder has also taken exception to Kelp suggesting plans, being somewhat jealous of his position as "the planner".
 +
 +Other members of Dortmunder's usual string include the carrot-topped driver Stan Murch; Murch's cab-driver mother, usually referred to as "Murch's Mom," though her first name is eventually revealed as Gladys; and Tchotchkes "Tiny" Bulcher, "man mountain" and thuggery specialist. Several other specialists appear less frequently. The group usually meets in the back room of the O.J. Bar and Grill on Amsterdam Avenue. When Dortmunder's schemes are successful, he usually sells the resulting booty to Arnie Albright, a fence. Albright, through his appearance and behavior, repulses every character he encounters, but compensates by offering better terms than his competitors.
 +
 +===Novels===
 +*''The Hot Rock'' (1970)
 +*''Bank Shot'' (1972)
 +*''Jimmy the Kid'' (1974)
 +*''Nobody's Perfect'' (1977)
 +*''Why Me?'' (1983)
 +*''Good Behavior'' (1985)
 +*''Drowned Hopes'' (1990)
 +*''Don't Ask'' (1993)
 +*''What's the Worst That Could Happen?'' (1996)
 +*''Bad News'' (2001)
 +*''The Road to Ruin'' (2004)
 +*''Watch Your Back!'' (2005)
 +*''What's So Funny?'' (2007)
 +*''Get Real'' (2009)
 +
 +===Shorter Works===
 +*''Thieves' Dozen'' (2004), a collection of ten Dortmunder short stories and one related story.
 +*"Walking Around Money" (2005), a novella in the anthology ''Transgressions'', edited by [[Evan Hunter|Ed McBain]].
 +
 +===Films===
 +*''[[The Hot Rock (film)|The Hot Rock]]'' (1972) stars [[Robert Redford]] as Dortmunder.
 +*''[[Bank Shot]]'' (1974) stars [[George C. Scott]] as Dortmunder, who was renamed "Walter Upjohn Ballentine" for the film.
 +*''Come ti rapisco il pupo'' (1976), based on ''Jimmy the Kid'', stars Walter Chiari as the Dortmunder character.
 +*''Jimmy the Kid'' (1982) stars [[Gary Coleman]] as Jimmy, and [[Paul Le Mat]] as Dortmunder.
 +*''[[Why Me? (1990 film)|Why Me?]]'' (1990) stars [[Christopher Lambert]] as Dortmunder, renamed "Gus Cardinale".
 +*''Jimmy the Kid'' (1999) is a German film that stars [[Herbert Knaup]] as Dortmunder.
 +*''[[What's the Worst That Could Happen?]]'' (2001) stars [[Martin Lawrence]] as Dortmunder, renamed "Kevin Caffery". The film also stars [[Danny DeVito]].
 +
 +===Trivia===
 +*The IAV ''Dortmunder'' is shown to be the name of an Alliance Capital Cruiser on the television show ''[[Firefly (TV series)|Firefly]]''. This is possibly a reference to the fact that the main cast consists of bumbling thieves and crooks, in the same vein as Dortmunder himself.
 +
 +
 +
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John Archibald Dortmunder is a fictional character created by Donald E. Westlake. He first appeared in the novel The Hot Rock, published in 1970. Westlake originally intended The Hot Rock to feature his character Parker and to publish it under his Richard Stark pseudonym. However, the plot involves a precious gem that is stolen, lost, stolen again, lost again, etc., which seemed too comic a situation for a hard-boiled creation like Parker. Westlake therefore rewrote the novel with a more bumbling and likable cast of characters.

A neon sign reportedly reading "Dortmunder Actien Bier" gave Westlake the name for the book's new protagonist. Dortmunder has occasionally used the alias "John Diddums", a name he dislikes but uses involuntarily in circumstances that preclude using his real name.

Dortmunder is similar to Parker in several ways. He is a career criminal and a "planner," creating schemes for burglaries and assigning responsibilities to his team. He is tall and has a disreputable face. He shares a home with a long-term girlfriend, in this case named May, a supermarket cashier; they live in Manhattan on East 19th Street. Unlike Parker, however, Dortmunder is a nonviolent character who devises schemes that are usually outlandish and over-the-top.

Very little is known of Dortmunder's childhood. It is mentioned in more than one book that he was raised in an orphanage in the fictional town of Dead Indian, Illinois, run by the Bleeding Heart Sisters of Eternal Misery.

All-purpose crook Andy Kelp is Dortmunder's best friend, though Dortmunder would be the first to deny this. Cheerful and optimistic where Dortmunder is dour and relentlessly pessimistic, Kelp is boundlessly enthusiastic and full of (sometimes questionable) ideas. Kelp also loves to adopt the newest gadgets, generally to Dortmunder's disgust. Because Kelp has brought Dortmunder many eventually unsuccessful jobs, Dortmunder has been known to call Kelp a jinx. Dortmunder has also taken exception to Kelp suggesting plans, being somewhat jealous of his position as "the planner".

Other members of Dortmunder's usual string include the carrot-topped driver Stan Murch; Murch's cab-driver mother, usually referred to as "Murch's Mom," though her first name is eventually revealed as Gladys; and Tchotchkes "Tiny" Bulcher, "man mountain" and thuggery specialist. Several other specialists appear less frequently. The group usually meets in the back room of the O.J. Bar and Grill on Amsterdam Avenue. When Dortmunder's schemes are successful, he usually sells the resulting booty to Arnie Albright, a fence. Albright, through his appearance and behavior, repulses every character he encounters, but compensates by offering better terms than his competitors.

Contents

[edit]

Novels

  • The Hot Rock (1970)
  • Bank Shot (1972)
  • Jimmy the Kid (1974)
  • Nobody's Perfect (1977)
  • Why Me? (1983)
  • Good Behavior (1985)
  • Drowned Hopes (1990)
  • Don't Ask (1993)
  • What's the Worst That Could Happen? (1996)
  • Bad News (2001)
  • The Road to Ruin (2004)
  • Watch Your Back! (2005)
  • What's So Funny? (2007)
  • Get Real (2009)
[edit]

Shorter Works

  • Thieves' Dozen (2004), a collection of ten Dortmunder short stories and one related story.
  • "Walking Around Money" (2005), a novella in the anthology Transgressions, edited by Ed McBain.
[edit]

Films

[edit]

Trivia

  • The IAV Dortmunder is shown to be the name of an Alliance Capital Cruiser on the television show Firefly. This is possibly a reference to the fact that the main cast consists of bumbling thieves and crooks, in the same vein as Dortmunder himself.



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