Character Relationship Map: Flodder Does Manhattan!

Characters

• Johnny Flodder (played by Huub Stapel) — protagonist

  Patriarch of the chaotic Flodder family, known for antisocial behavior and causing trouble wherever he goes.

• Ma Flodder (played by Nelly Frijda) — supporting

  Matriarch of the Flodder family, frequently clashes with neighbors and engages in romantic entanglements.

• Larry Rosenbaum (played by Jon Polito) — supporting

  American nightclub owner who rescues the Flodders and offers them employment in New York.

• Jacques "Sjakie" van Kooten (played by Lou Landré) — supporting

  Social worker assigned to guide the Flodders, constantly struggling with their chaotic behavior.

• Kees Flodder (played by René van 't Hof) — supporting

  Teenage daughter of the chaotic Flodder family, caught in a cultural exchange mix-up in New York.

• Geoffrey (played by Lonny Price) — supporting

  Young American man in Manhattan who becomes infatuated with Kees Flodder.

• Dorothy Rosenbaum (played by Amanda Redington) — supporting

  Larry Rosenbaum's wife, assists in redecorating the nightclub with the Flodders.

• President (played by Dan Frazer) — supporting

  Official figure encountered by the Flodders during their cultural exchange program.

• Club guest (played by Vincent Pastore) — supporting

  Patron of the shady nightclub owned by Larry Rosenbaum in Manhattan.

• Homeless Person (played by Roger Robinson) — minor

  Demented homeless individual who helps Sjakie escape and shares a shelter with him.

Canonical Relationships

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

• President → Kees Flodder (Power Intervening Authority) — He uses his authority to oppose Kees's involvement with his son.

  The President visits the nightclub incognito and tries to talk Kees out of her relationship with Geoffrey.

• Johnny Flodder → Dorothy Rosenbaum (Romantic Sexual Affair) — Their affair directly triggers Larry's violent reaction.

  Larry catches Dorothy and Johnny having sex in the nightclub stockroom.

• Johnny Flodder → Geoffrey (Power Gatekeeper) — Johnny exploits his control over access to Kees for money.

  Johnny allows Geoffrey to take Kees out only after Geoffrey pays him five thousand dollars.

• Geoffrey → Kees Flodder (Romantic Suitor) — Geoffrey pursues Kees despite her lack of enthusiasm.

  At the Roosevelt Foundation reception, Geoffrey immediately becomes infatuated with Kees and later asks to take her out.

• Larry Rosenbaum → Kees Flodder (Professional Employer) — Kees contributes to Larry's nightclub entertainment.

  Larry offers the Flodders employment, and the nightclub reopens with Kees performing a striptease.

• Larry Rosenbaum → Ma Flodder (Professional Employer) — Ma becomes part of the nightclub's chaotic new operation.

  Larry offers the Flodders work, and the family later helps redecorate and reopen his nightclub.

• Larry Rosenbaum → Johnny Flodder (Professional Employer) — Larry employs Johnny and the family in the nightclub operation.

  After the Flodders rescue Larry from muggers, he takes them to his nightclub and proposes that they work for him.

• Jacques "Sjakie" van Kooten → Ma Flodder (Professional Assigned Social Worker) — His professional duty places him in repeated trouble with Ma's family.

  Sjakie accompanies the Flodders to the United States to guide their integration.

• Jacques "Sjakie" van Kooten → Johnny Flodder (Professional Assigned Social Worker) — Sjakie is professionally responsible for supervising Johnny and the family.

  Sjakie is sent with the Flodders as the social worker guiding their social integration.

• Larry Rosenbaum → Dorothy Rosenbaum (Family Husband) — Their marriage becomes a source of jealousy and violent conflict.

  The plot identifies Dorothy as Larry Rosenbaum's wife, and Larry catches her having sex with Johnny.

• President → Geoffrey (Family Father) — The President is Geoffrey's father and intervenes to protect his son from the scandal.

  The plot reveals that Geoffrey's father is the President of the United States.

Story Dynamics

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

• Club guest → Kees Flodder (Unknown Target Of Theft) — Club guests unknowingly become targets of Kees's gasoline scheme.

  Son Kees secretly steals gasoline from the cars of nightclub guests and stores it in a rooftop water tank.

• Jacques "Sjakie" van Kooten → Homeless Person (Alliance Survival Companion) — They form a temporary alliance while both are isolated in New York.

  The homeless person helps Sjakie escape from the street, takes him to a shelter, and later shares his imprisonment.

Story Analysis

A chaotic family exchange turns into a chain of social disasters, romantic scandals, and an explosive diplomatic escape.

Plot Progression

1. The Unwanted Exchange — The city council sends the troublesome Flodders to New York as part of a cultural exchange. Sjakie accompanies them, but an identity mix-up separates him from the family almost immediately.
2. Stranded In Manhattan — The Flodders enjoy accidental access to elite New York society before being expelled from the Plaza Hotel. They survive in Central Park while Sjakie endures a series of humiliations and an arrest.
3. The Nightclub Opportunity — The family rescues Larry Rosenbaum and receives work at his nightclub. Their Dutch-themed makeover succeeds, while Sjakie is hospitalized after finally locating the family.
4. Scandals And Schemes — Kees steals gasoline for an impractical profit scheme, and Geoffrey pursues her. The family is chased by muggers, while the President learns that his son is involved with the Flodders.
5. The Explosive Departure — The President visits the nightclub as Larry discovers Johnny's affair with Dorothy. A gasoline-fueled fire launches a water tank into the Statue of Liberty, forcing a diplomatic settlement and the fam...