Art imitates life . . . the famed shootout at the Little Bohemia Lodge in Manitowish Waters, Wisconsin, in which John Dillinger narrowly escaped an FBI ambush on April 22, 1934, was recreated on its anniversary by the cast and crew of Michael Mann’s film PUBLIC ENEMIES, in the actual bullet-scarred setting in Wisconsin’s Northwoods. Johnny Depp and Stephen Graham, playing bank robbers John Dillinger and Baby Face Nelson, faced off against Christian Bale, playing FBI nemesis Melvin Purvis, on a closed set at Little Bo. Throngs of curious fans gathered around the highway, hoping to get a glimpse of the actors, or perhaps the ghost of the movie-loving Dillinger himself, but tight security kept onlookers off the 11-acre property at Little Star Lake.

Little Bohemia Lodge has been closed for several weeks as crews from Universal Studios worked on restoring the lodge to its 1930s appearance. According to lodge owner Dan Johns, the crews had to move the bar, stain the outer log walls back to their original dark tone, remove trees and build new gravel roads. PUBLIC ENEMIES publicist Dave Fulton explains that director Michael Mann is a stickler for historical accuracy. “The farther you go back (in history), the more unique it is to use the real places,” says Fulton. Little Bo is as real as it gets; the walls of the lodge still bear hundreds of bullet holes, souvenirs left behind by the FBI.

The Zone thanks Emma for posting many news stories about the filming at Manitowish Waters. You can read them on the News & Views forum. –Part-Time Poet