This is a photograph of a man who might be a Hollywood actor, right? Nice gentle flicker of a smile, eyes a bit wary. Not wary enough, as it turned out. This is John Dillinger, infamous bank robber and killer of the 1920's and 30's. He led the FBI on a merry chase for a long time but they caught up with him coming out of the Biograph Theatre in Chicago and shot him down on the sidewalk. Johnny was 31 years and one month old when it happened . . . 77 years ago today.
Another Johnny D portrayed Dillinger in the movie, Public Enemy. That's Johnny Depp above with the same gentle smile but eyes that seem to bore through you.
Remember our old colleague Bob Hoover-
ReplyDeletewho covered Dillinger and his gang. He had fried chicken with some of the family when John had made one of his famous breaks. Dillinger did not show up, but Bob said the chicken was good.
I was looking through lots of videos of Dillinger today and trying to spot Bob but couldn't say I saw him.
ReplyDeleteDepp was entertaining in the movie. Sort of a low key bad guy.
ReplyDeleteOne of the gangsters names I had in mind when we moved to the States... :-)
ReplyDeleteMy father met Pretty Boy Floyd as a youngster in Antlers, OK. He never forgot it.
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