John Dillinger was Public Enemy #1 in 1930s Chicago. The FBI has called Dillinger one of the most dangerous criminals of all time. Johnny Depp and Christian Bale are starring in a movie by Michael Mann, called Public Enemies will be released in July, 2009.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation, FBI, is commemorating its 100th anniversary or crime fighting. As part of their commemoration they are profiling some of their biggest cases and criminals. According to the Press Room on the FBI website, John Dillinger was one of the most dangerous criminals of all time.
John Dillinger Public Enemy #1
John Dillinger was a Chicago gangster who was killed in front of the Biograph Theatre in Chicago on July 22, 1934. Dillinger was killed while pulling a gun on Bureau agents. A new era of crime fighting started. The FBI was dealing with the major gangster problem of the day and was implementing new authorities.
Dillinger was named one of the biggest criminals of all time because of the importance of the era and the impact he had on FBI growth
Dillinger was a type of media celebrity in the Depression era. He came to be seen an ant-hero who came to symbolize the criminal of the day. His was among the colorful gangsters of the era, including Al Capone, Baby Face Nelson and Machine Gun Kelly.
Public Enemy Number One, Dillinger was a gangster that ran with a gang of vicious criminals whose crime spree includes bank robbers and jailbreaks. At least one law enforcement officer was killed during their spree.
Biograph Theater
Dillinger was found after a tip to Melvin Purvis, Special Agent in Charge of the Chicago FBI Office.
Dillinger had been betrayed by a friend of his girlfriend, Polly Hamilton. The woman, who called herself Anna Sage, hoped that cooperation with the authorities would earn reward money and prevent her from being deported to Romania. Sage told Purvis that Dillinger planned to take the two women to a movie at the Biograph or the Marbro.
Stakeouts were arranged at both theaters. At 8:30 pm on that Sunday, Sage called Purvis to tell him they were going to the Biograph. Dillinger and the two women went into the Biograph to see a Clark Gable movie.
FBI Agents waited outside the Biograph. When the gangster walked out with the two women two hours later, Purvis lit a cigar, signaling his men to move in. As the agents moved in Dillinger realized that was happening and reached for his pistol. FBI agents fired and Dillinger was hit. He staggered and fell.
The public has continued to be fascinated with the gangster, even over 70 years later. The movie Public Enemies, directed by Michael Mann has recreated 1930’s era ‘Chicago. Public Enemies stars Johnny Depp as Dillinger and Christian Bale as Purvis. The movie will be released in July, 2009.
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