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Public Enemy #1

S14E10 Feb 17, 2002 Runtime TBD

Public Enemy #1 still

John Dillinger may have been "Public Enemy No. 1" in 1933 and '34, but Americans didn't reflexively hate him, and this hour explores reasons why as it chronicles his 14-month bank-robbing spree. Dillinger "represents a rebellious impulse that many people in the Great Depression had good reason to feel," says Tom Doherty, one of the historians interviewed. Morever, "he was a charming guy," says another, Claire Potter. The hour also features a grandnephew of Dillinger and Alston Purvis, the son of Melvin Purvis, the G-Man who finally caught up with the Public Enemy.

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Episode details

Episode: S14E10

Aired: Feb 17, 2002

Runtime: Runtime TBD

Guest stars: