Your Daily Dose of Dillinger
By Karl Klockars in Arts & Entertainment on Jun 18, 2009 7:30PM
With the countdown clock getting very near to the nationwide release of the Chicago-centric summer blockbuster "Public Enemies," the Chicago media landscape has been diligently tracking down Dillinger info en masse. Earlier this week, the morbid habit of collecting blood back in the 20's is given a modern day connection in Mark Brown's column on Tuesday. Charley Johnson of the City News Bureau recieved a square of bloodstained newsprint from a reporter who was on the scene at Dillinger's slaying. Charley pasted that piece of bloodied paper into his diary, and then passed the book onto his son, who grew up to be WLS news anchor Jim Johnson.
Today we learn that if one would want to purchase the firearm that caused the bloody death of Dillinger, that gun can be yours for the low, low starting price of just a few thousand bucks - but at an auction coming in July, the price could go much, much higher. The Sun-Times has the story:
A Colt Army Special revolver used by East Chicago, Ind., police Capt. Timothy A. O'Neil to fatally shoot John Dillinger could be yours for what auctioneers say may be much more than their conservative $8,000 to $12,000 estimate. The .38-caliber, 5-inch-barrel gun and its holster will be auctioned at noon July 28 -- six days after the 75th anniversary of Dillinger's fatal shooting -- at Chicago's Leslie Hindman Auctioneers, 1338 W. Lake.
The gun will certainly go for just a fraction of what "Public Enemies" brought to Chicago - WBBM 780 reports that the Illinois Film Office announced that PE brough $47 million to the area over the course of shooting the film in Illinois, Wisconsin and Indiana.
If you're interested in getting an up-close and personal look at some red carpet action, it premieres tonight at the AMC River East theater. Johnny Depp, Christian Bale and Michael Mann are reported to be planning on attending tonight's showing - if you can't catch sight of the stars filing into the theater tonight, maybe you can catch Capn' Sparrow at the Green Mill, Chicago Music Exchange or the Art Institute.
"The Many Faces of John Dillinger" via the FBI's "Famous Cases" page.