Stuart Ullman is a minor character in the The Shining novel, its film adaptation, and its miniseries adaptation. He is the manager at a Surf-Sand Resort and at the Overlook Hotel until its different fates between the versions.
Biography[]
The Shining (book)[]
Personality & Appearance[]
In the book, Stuart Ullman is a snobby and rather rude man, described as plump, prissy, and short (standing at 5'5 feet tall) . All the staff seem to hate him, which he doesn't care about.
Background[]
Main Events[]
When Ullman interviews Jack for the job as the winter caretaker, he specifically brings up Jack’s history with alcoholism and the fact that he was fired from his last job as a means to embarrass him, and he tells Jack he wouldn’t hire him if not for Al Shockley’s insistence. They then talk about the hotels past and how to manage the place.
On Closing Day, the lobby is a flurry of activity as people check out and staff carry luggage and get ready to leave. Mr. Ullman is not pleased to see Jack and Wendy so early, expecting them a bit later when the hotel was a bit calmer. He helps a pushy old woman, while Jack, Wendy and Danny admire the busy hotel and take a seat on one of the empty couches. After a tour of the kitchen and Danny's talk with Dick Hallorann, Stuart is counting the money from the guests with the desk clerk, while the chambermaids stand by the door waiting for their arrivals. Stuart calls the family over and gives them a grand tour, showing them the Presidential Suite and the family quarters. When he is ready to leave, he is not happy to see Bill Watson still in the lobby, but Bill doesn't care about this. Stuart is the last to leave the hotel and goes to the Boulderado Hotel for a night to get to his true location.
On November 7, Jack calls Stuart in the town on a pay phone (to get revenge) and tells Stuart about the scrapbook and that he is planning to write a book about the Overlook's dirty past, by which Stuart is angry, shocked, and surprised. After Jack hangs up on him, he tries to convince Al to get Jack out of the hotel, but isn't successful. After that, Stuart Ullman is only mentioned and referenced a few times, but is never seen or heard from again. What happened to him is unknown, but it is likely that leading up to Doctor Sleep, he died, but there is no proof of this.
The Shining (film)[]
Personality & Appearance[]
In the 1980 movie, Stuart Ullman is given a complete change from the novel. He is a polite, friendly man who is warm to Jack and his family.
Background[]
Main Events[]
When Jack Torrance arrives at the Overlook Hotel to interview for the open position of winter caretaker, Stuart tells him the hotel itself is built on the site of an Indian burial ground and becomes completely snowbound during the long winters. He then warns Jack about the isolation and the incident that happened in the hotel with the Grady family, to which Jack brushes off.
On Closing Day, Stuart and Bill Watson give Jack and Wendy a tour of the hotel and take them to their quarters. They meet Dick Hallorann in the Gold Ballroom and Stuart's secretary gives Danny back to his parents after finding him outside the hotel. Stuart and Bill continue on with the tour with Jack, while Dick gives Wendy and Danny a tour of the kitchen. After the tour of the kitchen commences, he, Jack and Bill meet Wendy, Danny and Dick in the kitchen and asks to borrow Wendy to take her to the basement. Dick takes Danny to get some ice cream and the tour commences. Wendy tells Stuart that she is amazed by the amount of activity on a closing day. Stuart says that some of the staff and guests left the day before, but the last day is always hectic and that soon enough, the Torrances will hardly believe anyone was ever in the hotel. He is not seen again after this.
The Shining (miniseries)[]
Personality & Appearance[]
Unlike the book and 1980 movie where Stuart is a frequent character, he plays an extremely minor role in the miniseries. Like the book, he is a rude and snobby man, but is tall and lean. He is also older.
Main Events[]
He seems to be more rude than in the book and criticizes Jack during the interview. After that, he is not seen again, but is mentioned a few times.
Appearences[]
Trivia[]
- By Doctor Sleep, he is likely deceased but it isn’t confirmed.
- Despite Ullman being referenced briefly in Doctor Sleep, he plays an important role in The Shining and would solely be the most important.
- Ullman’s role is very different in the film, than in the novel and the miniseries, since he is shown to be a more kind and friendly man. This makes him not a antagonist in the film.
- It is possible that Stuart Ullman was a ghost in the original version of the Kubrick film. In an alternate ending, which was only in cinemas for 2 days, before being taken by Kubrick and scrapped, Ullman visits Wendy and Danny at the hospital, where as he leaves, he rolls a ball to Danny, possibly the same ball that rolled to Danny before he entered Room 237. This creates the theory that Ullman was part of the hotel's plans and that he was a ghost all along. The ending is unavailable to be viewed and is presumed to be gone forever.
- In the miniseries, it is unusual as to why he wasn't at the hotel during Closing Day, as he plays a rather important and major role in that category.
| Characters | |
| Main | Jack Torrance • Wendy Torrance • Danny Torrance • Stuart Ullman • Dick Hallorann |
| Minor | Albert Shockley • Bill Watson • Delbert Grady • Doctor • Grady Twins • Horace M. Derwent • Jack's Mother • Lorraine Massey • Mark Torrance • Robert Townley Watson • Roger • Suzie • Tony • List of characters in The Shining (book) |
| Doctor Sleep | Abra Stone • Concetta Reynolds • Lucy Stone • Sandy Reynolds |
| Other | Andrew Pomeroy (Misery) |
| Category:Characters | |