http://www.rhinelanderdailynews.com/articl...news/news01.prtDepp movie to be filmed in Northwoodsby Michael Skubal - Daily News Staff - mskubal@rhinelanderdailynews.com“Public Enemies,” the John Dillinger film directed by Michael Mann and starring Johnny Depp, is a go. It will start filming in Wisconsin in April.
Ruth Gardner owns and runs Voss's Birchwood Lodge in Manitowish Waters with her son, Chris, and his wife, Vanessa. Ruth's mother, Audrey, was a sister to Nan, the wife of Emil Wanatka. Emil Wanatka owned Little Bohemia Lodge at the time of the Dillinger episode.
“I just know they are scheduled to begin shooting in April,” said Gardner. “One of the people with the film company, the set designer, called me. They're supposed to come up and go through our cabins to select furniture and other stuff. They want to re-create what Little Bohemia looked like, especially upstairs. I'm probably one of the last people around that knows what it looked like.”
Most people know the story. For about a year, from May of 1933 to the spring of 1934, John Dillinger and his gang robbed several banks without being caught. They also stole machine guns, rifles, revolvers, ammunition and bullet proof vests from two police armories in Auburn and Peru, Ind. Gang members shot and killed police officers in Chicago and East Chicago, Indiana. Dillinger was famous and the FBI and J. Edgar Hoover was watching.
Awaiting trial in Crown Point, Ind., for the killing of the East Chicago policeman, Dillinger escaped in the sheriff's car and drove to Illinois. Taking the sheriff's car across state lines proved to be his undoing. It was his first federal offense and put the FBI on the case. Hoover went after Dillinger.
In March of 1934, Dillinger and his gang got into a shoot-out at the Lincoln Court Apartments in St. Paul, Minnesota. On April 3, 1934, Dillinger and Homer Van Meter robbed a police station in Warsaw, Indiana, taking guns and bulletproof vests. It was on to Northern Wisconsin.
According to the book Tales of the Northwoods by Mark Miazga, “Shortly after Dillinger's arrival at the Little Bohemia resort in Manitowish Waters north of Rhinelander, the FBI received a tip that John Dillinger and his gang were staying there. The tip came from a phone booth in Rhinelander. Mrs. Nan Wanatka, wife of Little Bohemia's owner and proprietor, Emil Wanatka, had become nervous during the Dillinger gang's stay at Little Bohemia. She told her brother-in-law Henry Voss of her concern.”
Voss made the trip to Rhinelander to call the FBI in Chicago. Agent Melvin Purvis talked to Voss. April 22 saw four airplanes full of agents leave St. Paul and Chicago for Rhinelander. Miazga's book goes on, “Rhinelander became the focal point for the FBI as they quickly gathered automobiles, armaments and the assistance of local law enforcement officers. Local automobile owners rented automobiles to FBI agents for a surprise raid on Dillinger and his gang in Manitowish Waters.”
Though nobody said the quarry was John Dillinger, locals made the connection. Five cars left for Little Bohemia. The FBI, Justice Department agents and Melvin Purvis, the special agent in charge of the FBI's Chicago office joined forces for a surprise raid on Little Bohemia. In his book Miazga says, “In the dark, agents accidentally fired on three innocent visitors to the resort, killing Eugene Boisneau, a visitor to the lodge who worked for the Civilian Conservation Corps. Alerted by gunfire, Dillinger and his gang slipped out of a second story window and shot their way out of the trap.”
After the shoot-out at, Dillinger and his gang escaped in three automobiles from the waterside of Little Bohemia. Baby Face Nelson, who had been with them, went his own way.”
One of the cars rented by FBI agents belonged to Rhinelander resident Isidore “Izzy” Tuchalski.
FBI agent Melvin Purvis drove the Ford coupe to Koerner's Resort cornering Baby Face Nelson. Nelson opened up with a machine gun, killing one, while wounding two others. Injured, Nelson managed to steal the Tuchalski car, finally abandoning it on the road to Boulder Junction. It was riddled with bulletholes.
Gardner related a number of stories about Little Bohemia and the characters involved.
“My Mom lived with Emil and Nan Wanatka,” said Gardner. “By the time I knew them, they were divorced. Emil's favorite line was ‘God Bless America.' He had all sorts of jobs. He was a bantamweight prize fighter and a butcher.
“My Uncle Louie ran two stills in the Northwoods, made bootleg for Racine and part of Chicago. My Aunt Nan would deliver booze to Racine with the stuff under the floorboards.
“Emil wanted Dillinger and his gang to leave just before the shoot-out. My Aunt Nan had slipped a note into my grandmother's cigarette pack telling them who the visitors were. They went to Rhinelander and called the FBI. Emil and Nan were hiding in the walk-in freezer when the shootout was going on.”
Gardner said she is willing to trade the use of her furniture for a photo with Johnny Depp. As for as the Film “Public Enemies,” Gardner is expecting a call in March to set up a time to go through the furniture in her cabins.
There was always a rumor of a stash of money left by Dillinger at Little Bohemia. Gardner would only say, “Nobody ever found the money, but Emil lived awfully well for a resort owner.”
Look for Johnny Depp in the Northwoods late this spring.