Character Relationship Map: Ruby

Characters

• Jack Ruby (played by Danny Aiello) — protagonist

  The protagonist who runs the struggling Carousel Club in Dallas. He rescues Sheryl Ann, gets drawn into mob and government conspiracies, travels to Cuba to rescue Santos Alicante, returns to Dallas, t...

• Candy Cane (played by Sherilyn Fenn) — supporting

  Originally Sheryl Ann DuJean, a desperate woman rescued by Ruby. She adopts the stage name Candy Cane and becomes a highly skilled burlesque dancer that revitalizes the Carousel Club. She travels to C...

• Ferrie (played by Tobin Bell) — supporting

  An old contact and associate involved in the conspiracy. He helps Ruby obtain fake identity papers for Santos Alicante in New Orleans. Later, he travels to Las Vegas, sits at President Kennedy's table...

• Proby (played by Richard C. Sarafian) — supporting

  Ruby's boss who advises him to abandon his investigation into the suspected CIA and mob conspiracy after Candy Cane returns unexpectedly from Las Vegas.

• Louie Vitali (played by Joe Cortese) — supporting

  A corrupt mob associate who recruits Ruby for a secret assignment in Cuba involving the imprisoned Santos Alicante. Vitali secretly intends for Ruby to assassinate Santos with a disguised pistol-camer...

• Santos Alicante (played by Marc Lawrence) — supporting

  An elderly Cuban exile mobster imprisoned since the 1959 Revolution. Ruby kills his intended assassin and bribes guards to free him. Santos escapes to New Orleans, obtains new identity papers, and lat...

• Maxwell (played by Arliss Howard) — supporting

  A mysterious government operative, suspected to be CIA, who pressures Ruby to spy on Santos and his associates. He provides a tape recorder and hints at a larger assassination plot. He later converses...

• Sam Giancana (played by Carmine Caridi) — supporting

  A prominent mobster involved in the conspiracy. He discusses a plan to smuggle explosive cigars to Fidel Castro with Ruby in Las Vegas. Later in Dallas, he informs Ruby that the Castro plan has been c...

Canonical Relationships

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

• Jack Ruby → Proby (Professional Boss And Subordinate) — Proby exercises workplace authority over Ruby and attempts to restrain his investigation.

  Proby is identified as Ruby's boss and advises him to abandon his investigation into the suspected CIA and mob conspiracy.

• Jack Ruby → Sam Giancana (Professional Conspiracy Associates) — Giancana's criminal plans draw Ruby deeper into the conspiracy.

  Ruby records Giancana and other mobsters discussing an explosive-cigar plan, then meets Giancana in Dallas about a larger operation.

• Jack Ruby → Maxwell (Power Coerced Informant And Handler) — Maxwell attempts to control Ruby through secret instructions and intimidation.

  Maxwell pressures Ruby to inform on Santos, supplies a tape recorder, and later hints at a larger assassination target.

• Jack Ruby → Ferrie (Professional Criminal Associates) — Ferrie provides logistical assistance within Ruby's criminal network.

  Ferrie is Ruby's old contact who helps obtain new identity papers for Santos in New Orleans.

• Jack Ruby → Louie Vitali (Professional Former Associates) — Their prior criminal association brings Ruby into the Cuban operation.

  Vitali is identified as Ruby's old mob associate and recruits him for a secret assignment in Cuba.

Story Dynamics

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

• Santos Alicante → Sam Giancana (Alliance Mob Collaborators) — Both are connected to the mob's anti-Castro conspiracy.

  Santos is present at the Las Vegas gala where mobsters discuss smuggling explosive cigars, and Giancana later discusses the expanded operation.

• Sam Giancana → Maxwell (Alliance Conspiracy Partners) — Their private communication links organized crime with the suspected government operation.

  After telling Ruby that the original Castro plan is canceled because something bigger has emerged, Giancana speaks privately with Maxwell.

• Jack Ruby → Santos Alicante (Alliance Rescue Allies) — Ruby directly saves Santos from imprisonment and assassination.

  Ruby refuses to assassinate Santos, bribes guards to free him, and escapes Cuba with Santos and Candy.

• Jack Ruby → Candy Cane (Social Rescuer And Dependent) — Ruby protects Candy Cane and gives her a chance to rebuild her life and career.

  Ruby finds Sheryl Ann desperate in a diner, offers her food and shelter, and lets her live above the Carousel Club. She later becomes Candy Cane.

Story Analysis

A nightclub owner becomes trapped between organized crime, suspected government manipulation, and his desperate attempt to expose a deadly conspiracy.

Plot Progression

1. A Club on the Brink — Ruby struggles to keep the Carousel Club alive while participating in criminal deliveries. He rescues Sheryl Ann and gives her a new opportunity as Candy Cane.
2. The Cuban Betrayal — Vitali recruits Ruby for a secret Cuban mission involving the imprisoned Santos. Ruby discovers the hidden assassination order and chooses to save Santos instead.
3. Networks of Influence — Candy revitalizes the club while Ruby becomes entangled with government and mob surveillance. Maxwell's demands transform Ruby from participant into reluctant informant.
4. The Larger Operation — In Las Vegas, Ruby records an anti-Castro plot and senses that a greater conspiracy is forming. Candy rejects an exploitative opportunity and Ruby prepares for danger.
5. A Voice Denied — A presidential assassination triggers Ruby's decisive attack during a police transfer. Imprisoned and watched, Ruby dies without being allowed to testify.