Christian Bale Portrays South Carolina Native Melvin Purvis in New Movie: Public Enemies

Timmonsville, South Carolina is the birthplace of Melvin Purvis, the federal agent acclaimed for leading manhunts that brought about the capture of well- publicized fugitives Pretty Boy Floyd and Baby Face Nelson.

Melvin Purvis Chases John Dillinger

South Carolina native Melvin Purvis is best known, however, for his chase of the elusive John Dillinger, Public Enemy Number One. This high profile manhunt ended in a gunfight in Chicago on July 22, 1934, for which Purvis was originally given high praise.

Reports indicate that J. Edgar Hoover, another a middle-class Southerner, was unhappy with the popularity Purvis received from the John Dillinger case. Hoover didn't consider it appropriate for an FBI agent to be singled out for his individual accomplishments. In a recent PBS special Hoover is quoted as saying: "no one employee of this Division can be responsible for the successful termination of any one case... Through cooperative efforts a case is broken."

Public Enemies, the 2009 Feature Film

Michael Mann's release of the Depression era feature film Public Enemies, slated to open this week, will bring the John Dillinger case back to life. Starring Johnny Depp as John Dillinger and Christian Bale as Melvin Purvis, the film depicts Purvis' determined pursuit of Dillinger, whom many thought of as a type of Robin Hood. In fact, Dillinger is considered one of the most colorful and celebrated criminals in history due in part to the major impact he had on the Federal Bureau of Investigation as well as his overall "celebrity" during the Depression era.

The upcoming feature film Public Enemies is based on the 2004 book "Public Enemies: America's Greatest Crime Wave and the Birth of the FBI" by Bryan Burrough.

Melvin Purvis' son, Alston Purvis of Florence, South Carolina does not completely agree with Bryan Burrough's depiction of his father. He does, however, credit Christian Bale with delivering an excellent interpretation of Melvin Purvis. Bale and Alston Purvis worked together, with Purvis reading his father's lines from the "Public Enemies" script aloud so Bale could get the accent and voice inflections correct.

Melvin Purvis, Tragic End to a Celebrated Agent

Sadly, no amount of good acting can change Melvin Purvis' final days. In the end, South Carolina's Melvin Purvis came to a tragic end. His family strongly asserts that his troubled finale was brought about by J. Edgar Hoover's public denouncement of Purvis.

Purvis' son Alston Purvis, now chief of the graphic arts department at Boston University, wrote "The Vendetta: Special Agent Melvin Purvis, John Dillinger, and Hoover's FBI in the Age of Gangsters" (Public Affairs). In his book Alston Purvis details how J. Edgar Hoover grew increasingly resentful of Purvis' popularity and ultimately attempted to ruin his reputation. The book recounts how Hoover went as far as blacklisting Purvis and ensuring that Purvis was eliminated from the list of the federal bureau's most celebrated cases.

Purvis resigned from the FBI in 1935. In 1960, at the age of 56, he died from a single gunshot wound fired from a gun given to him by a fellow FBI agent. He was at his home in Florence, South Carolina

The FBI originally considered the shooting a suicide but later determined the incident was an accident, and that Purvis shot himself while trying to extract a jammed bullet from the pistol.

The Charleston Post and Courier quotes Melvin Purvis' nephew Cal Purvis as saying "My parents (the late Guy and Margaret Purvis) talked about his story quite a bit because Melvin went from the pinnacle to really a very low point. Hoover ruined his life."

He goes on to say "My family, friends and I will be very interested to see how Melvin is portrayed in this movie. My hope is that he will be shown as an American hero, which is exactly what he was. Melvin had his faults and certainly made some egregious mistakes, but to come from his little town in South Carolina and have this kind of success was remarkable."

Melvin Purvis in Movies

Melvin Purvis was famously referred to as the "ace G-man." The media appreciated his self-effacing manner and, despite his best efforts at maintaining a low profile, the public came to know him as "The Man Who Got Dillinger." Many fine actors have portrayed Melvin Purvis, including:

1973 - Ben Johnson played Purvis in the film Dillinger
1974 - Dale Robertson, in the TV movie G-Man
1975 - Dale Robertson again, in the TV movie The Kansas City Massacre
1991 - Will Patton in the TV movie Dillinger
2009 - Christian Bale in the upcoming feature film Public Enemies

Sources:
Charleston Post and Courier
PBS
South Carolina Now