Merian C. Cooper It is far too simplistic to make the jump from the phrase "man is the most dangerous animal of all" from the 408 cipher to "The Most Dangerous Game" short story by Richard Connell (1924) and/or the film version by RKO Radio Pictures (1932). The phrase "man is the most dangerous animal of all" stands alone in its own right as an utterance by Merian C. Cooper, a filmmaker, actor and producer, recognized as an authority on jungle life. The overwhelming majority of his films gracing our screens were produced in the first half of the 20th century, including King Kong (1933), in which he was both director and producer during its making throughout 1932. This project ran alongside the release of "The Most Dangerous Game" (1932), to which he was the associate producer.
Upon release of "The Most Dangerous Game" he declared that "man is the most dangerous animal of all", because the movie featured a madman who switched from hunting animals to hunting humans on a remote island. This was the origin phrase used by the Zodiac Killer when he mailed the first part of the 408 cryptogram to the Vallejo Times-Herald on July 31st 1969. Therefore, the loose translation from "The Most Dangerous Game" to "The Most Dangerous Animal" was in fact correct, because of the below quotation by Merian C. Cooper about the movie in the newspapers. It stated "Merian C. Cooper, a recognized authority on jungle life declares man is the most dangerous animal of all".
Upon release of "The Most Dangerous Game" he declared that "man is the most dangerous animal of all", because the movie featured a madman who switched from hunting animals to hunting humans on a remote island. This was the origin phrase used by the Zodiac Killer when he mailed the first part of the 408 cryptogram to the Vallejo Times-Herald on July 31st 1969. Therefore, the loose translation from "The Most Dangerous Game" to "The Most Dangerous Animal" was in fact correct, because of the below quotation by Merian C. Cooper about the movie in the newspapers. It stated "Merian C. Cooper, a recognized authority on jungle life declares man is the most dangerous animal of all".
A young Zodiac fascinated by movies would have had ample opportunities to watch adventure films such as Rango, The Most Dangerous Game and King Kong during his formative years. However, this word-for-word mimicking of "man is the most dangerous animal of all" in his 408 cipher - one would have thought - likely came from something more contemporary which reminded him of its origins.
Recently it was shown that the 1963 movie "Rampage" had all those ingredients, including the phrases "The woman who was the most dangerous game of all" (man is the most dangerous animal of all), "go on the rampage" (go on a kill rampage), "a dozen men" (a dozen people) and the crosshairs over the movie title during the opening credits of the movie. The book "Rampage" by Alan Caillou, the movie poster and original Warner Brothers press book cover, along with the newspapers, contained numerous references to these phrases. It was also ironic that the phrase "man is the most dangerous animal of all" would be placed by the Zodiac Killer within a code, when statewide, the "Rampage" movie would be advertised in the newspapers under the wording "They lived, loved and fought by the code of the jungle" [1] and "His code was to snare everything" [2].. The movie "Rampage" was broadcast on US television on July 20th 1969 (Channel 2), 11 days before the July 31st 1969 letters were mailed by the Zodiac Killer - with the movie advertised in the San Francisco Examiner, Sacramento Bee, Oakland Tribune, Berkeley Gazette and Santa Cruz Sentinel, to name just a few. To read the full story click here.
Recently it was shown that the 1963 movie "Rampage" had all those ingredients, including the phrases "The woman who was the most dangerous game of all" (man is the most dangerous animal of all), "go on the rampage" (go on a kill rampage), "a dozen men" (a dozen people) and the crosshairs over the movie title during the opening credits of the movie. The book "Rampage" by Alan Caillou, the movie poster and original Warner Brothers press book cover, along with the newspapers, contained numerous references to these phrases. It was also ironic that the phrase "man is the most dangerous animal of all" would be placed by the Zodiac Killer within a code, when statewide, the "Rampage" movie would be advertised in the newspapers under the wording "They lived, loved and fought by the code of the jungle" [1] and "His code was to snare everything" [2].. The movie "Rampage" was broadcast on US television on July 20th 1969 (Channel 2), 11 days before the July 31st 1969 letters were mailed by the Zodiac Killer - with the movie advertised in the San Francisco Examiner, Sacramento Bee, Oakland Tribune, Berkeley Gazette and Santa Cruz Sentinel, to name just a few. To read the full story click here.
The original phraseology of "man is the most dangerous animal of all" was born from the movie "The Most Dangerous Game" through Merian C. Cooper in 1932, but the additional phrases mentioned above (including the crosshairs and code) used by the Zodiac Killer on July 31st 1969, may have been inspired by the more contemporary movie "Rampage" (1963). It seems that both may have played a role in the theatrics of the Zodiac Killer.
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