Character Relationship Map: Man Hunt

Characters

• Captain Alan Thorndike (played by Walter Pidgeon) — protagonist

  A renowned British big-game hunter and the central protagonist. He stalks Adolf Hitler, survives torture and an attempted killing, escapes across Germany and Britain, and is hunted by German agents an...

• Jerry Stokes (played by Joan Bennett) — protagonist

  A young London woman who shelters Captain Alan Thorndike after he is mistakenly exposed as a fugitive. She lends him money, helps him reach Lord Gerald Risborough, and refuses to betray him when threa...

• Major Quive-Smith (played by George Sanders) — supporting

  A German major and devoted hunter who interrogates Captain Alan Thorndike after the attempted attack on Adolf Hitler. He tortures Thorndike, arranges his apparent suicide, and later pursues him to Bri...

• Mr. Jones (played by John Carradine) — supporting

  A German agent who boards a London-bound freighter using Captain Alan Thorndike's passport and impersonates him. He helps the German network identify Thorndike in London and later fights him in an Und...

• Vaner (played by Roddy McDowall) — supporting

  A British cabin boy aboard the ship carrying Captain Alan Thorndike toward London. He helps Thorndike hide after Thorndike abandons his stolen rowing boat and swims to the vessel. His assistance brief...

• Adolf Hitler (played by Carl Ekberg) — minor

  The Nazi leader whom Captain Alan Thorndike secretly stalks near the Berghof. Thorndike first aims an unloaded rifle at him as a sporting challenge, then later admits that he subconsciously intended a...

• Postmistress (played by Eily Malyon) — minor

  The local postmistress at Lyme Regis who becomes suspicious when Captain Alan Thorndike attempts to collect a letter while hiding nearby. Her alarm forces him to seize the letter and retreat to his ca...

Canonical Relationships

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

• Mr. Jones → Adolf Hitler (Professional Agent Of The Regime) — Jones serves the German operation protecting Hitler from Thorndike.

  Mr. Jones is placed on the freighter as a German agent and is sent to London to impersonate Thorndike and support the pursuit of the suspected Hitler...

• Captain Alan Thorndike → Jerry Stokes (Romantic Partners) — Their affection develops while Jerry protects Thorndike from the manhunt.

  Jerry hides Thorndike in her apartment, lends him money, and falls in love with him. Thorndike gives her a replacement hatpin and describes them both...

Story Dynamics

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

• Vaner → Mr. Jones (Conflict Opposing Escape Interests) — Their roles place Vaner and Jones on opposite sides of the escape operation.

  Vaner helps Thorndike hide aboard the ship, while Mr. Jones is placed on the London-bound vessel as a German agent searching for Thorndike.

• Major Quive-Smith → Adolf Hitler (Alliance Defender Of The Target) — Quive-Smith acts to suppress the threat surrounding Hitler.

  Quive-Smith treats Thorndike's approach to Hitler as a serious threat, demands a confession describing him as a British assassin, and continues the hu...

• Major Quive-Smith → Jerry Stokes (Conflict Persecutor And Protected Ally) — Quive-Smith weaponizes Jerry's fate and information against Thorndike.

  Quive-Smith tells Thorndike that Jerry was thrown from a window because she would not betray him, and says the Germans used the address Thorndike wrot...

• Captain Alan Thorndike → Postmistress (Social Suspicious Stranger) — Their brief encounter exposes Thorndike's hiding place to danger.

  The postmistress becomes alarmed when Thorndike attempts to collect the letter at Lyme Regis, forcing him to seize it and retreat to his cave.

• Captain Alan Thorndike → Mr. Jones (Conflict Fugitive And Pursuer) — Jones helps sustain the false-identity pursuit against Thorndike.

  Mr. Jones boards the London-bound freighter using Thorndike's passport and later struggles with Thorndike in the London Underground.

• Captain Alan Thorndike → Vaner (Alliance Rescuer And Escapee) — Vaner provides crucial assistance during Thorndike's escape from Germany.

  Vaner helps Thorndike hide aboard the ship after Thorndike swims from the abandoned rowing boat.

• Captain Alan Thorndike → Major Quive-Smith (Conflict Arch Enemies) — Their escalating pursuit culminates in a lethal confrontation at the cave.

  Quive-Smith interrogates and tortures Thorndike, later hunts him in London, and finally traps him inside a cave.

• Captain Alan Thorndike → Adolf Hitler (Conflict Attempted Assassin And Target) — Thorndike's concealed intention to kill Hitler drives the central political conflict.

  Thorndike stalks Hitler near the Berghof, first firing an unloaded rifle and later loading a live round. At the end, he joins the Royal Air Force inte...

Story Analysis

A hunter's flight from political persecution becomes a renewed wartime mission against Hitler.

Plot Progression

1. The Berghof Stalk — Thorndike approaches Hitler's residence and is captured after a rifle struggle. Quive-Smith tries to force a confession and arrange a secret execution.
2. Escape Across the Sea — Thorndike survives the cliff fall, escapes through a port, and reaches a ship with Vaner's help. Mr. Jones then uses Thorndike's passport to continue the pursuit.
3. Shelter and Affection — Jerry shelters Thorndike in London while he seeks help and considers hiding in Africa. Their relationship becomes intimate even as political protection proves unreliable.
4. The False Identity Hunt — Quive-Smith resumes the hunt, and Thorndike's struggle with Jones causes a dead body to be identified as Thorndike. The resulting manhunt drives him toward Lyme Regis.
5. The Cave Reckoning — Quive-Smith traps Thorndike in a cave and uses Jerry's beret to claim that she is dead. Thorndike admits his true motive, improvises a bow, and kills Quive-Smith.
6. Warborne Return — After recovering from his wound, Thorndike joins the Royal Air Force. He parachutes over Germany with his rifle and resumes the pursuit of Hitler.