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 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.^[1] 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, Andy is boundlessly enthusiastic and full of (sometimes questionable) ideas. Andy also loves to adopt the newest gadgets, generally to Dortmunder's disgust. Because Andy has brought Dortmunder many eventually unsuccessful jobs, Dortmunder has been known to call Andy a jinx. Dortmunder has also taken exception to Andy 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.

1 Novels
2 Shorter Works
3 Films
4 Trivia
5 References

[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)

[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

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.
Jimmy the Kid (1982) stars Gary Coleman as Jimmy and Paul Le Mat as "John," the Dortmunder character.
Why Me? (1990) stars Christopher Lambert as Dortmunder, who was renamed "Gus Cardinale" for the film.
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, who was renamed "Kevin Caffery" for the film. The film also stars Danny DeVito.

[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.