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Saturday, July 18, 2009
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Rural Brainerd man's former car fit right into 'Public Enemies' script They drove around in '34 Cadillac pretending they were outlaws BY SARA GARDNER Staff Intern John Dillinger was infamous for his bank robberies, his escapes and his expensive taste in cars.
In the recent blockbuster "Public Enemies," starring Johnny Depp as the "Jackrabbit" himself, hundreds of vintage vehicles line the streets, but one in particular has a special attachment to the Brainerd lakes area.
Lyle Deuel, 84, of rural Brainerd has always had a passion for cars, and when he found a paper clipping in 1995 of an ad for a completely restored 1934 Cadillac LaSalle, he jumped at the chance to buy it.
"I called two or three times, and finally they picked up," recalled Deuel. "I had to have it."
The LaSalle, manufactured by General Motors, was identical to his first car that he had at the age of 17 when living in North Dakota in 1942, so it held a lot of significance for Deuel.
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Lyle Deuel, 84, of rural Brainerd, continues to work as a mechanic in his shop at his home. He was once the owner of a 1934 Cadillac LaSalle that was featured in the Johnny Depp movie "Public Enemies." Brainerd Dispatch/Sara Gardner
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In 1995, Lyle and his wife, Helen, traveled to Michigan to purchase the car. "It was pretty," both husband and wife remembered. "Sometimes when we'd drive around in it we would pretend like we were outlaws," chuckled Helen.
But after sitting stagnant for a few years, the Deuels decided that it would be best if they parted ways with their treasured LaSalle.
"My oldest son put a few pictures of it up on the Internet, and we sold it," remarked Deuel.
"I just thought, who in their right mind would buy a car that they haven't seen in person?" said Deuel. "But they told us they were buying it for a movie."
That movie ended up being Johnny Depp's latest endeavor, the story of John Dillinger, dubbed "Public Enemies."
The 1934 LaSalle fits in chronologically with the movie, as 1934 was the year that John Dillinger was shot and killed outside a Chicago movie theater.
Deuel made sure that he saw his prized car when it made its debut on the big screen, and though there were plenty of other beautiful vintage cars in the film, Deuel said he only had eyes for "his Sally."
The scene with Deuel's LaSalle finally appears when Dillinger (Depp) is escaping from another bank robbery and he hops into the same car that is so familiar to Lyle Deuel.
"The movie was all right, but I just wanted to see my car," said Deuel.
SARA GARDNER may be reached at sara.gardner@brainerddispatch.com.
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