Camp. The Zodiacs letters were frequently camp, but also sardonic, dry and distinctly masculine. This is feminine in soft emotive kind of way. Very different.
As for this advert, it’s decorations could be best described as generic and highly forgettable. There is nothing remotely striking about this poster, it’s the kind of decoration that’s added out of necessity. It’s so plain and forgettable it’s hard to imagine anyone could remember it well enough to copy it, you’d just about need it in front of you.
Stars have got to be most common decorative element imaginable, as ubiquitous as love hearts and glitter. And a swoosh comes in a close 4th. What was the Zodiac commenting on? Bad graphic design?
I don’t think for minute that this is anything more than coincidence. I mean if the Zodiac is making a reference why make one so breathtakingly obscure and generic? The fact that this poster was ever discovered is only because there’s probably millions of occurrence of this kind of motif. It combines profoundly common elements.
Are we to suppose someone was meant to recognize this and think "Oh my, that’s that profoundly unremarkable poster for the film I went and saw… my god… he must have followed me". It’s just not even… I mean it’s a coincidence. Unless there’s something very particular about that film, or something else more special about the stars and swoosh motif, I just can’t see it any other way.
It’s still kind of fun chasing down these leads. And I suppose you never know, no stone unturned so to speak. So you know I’m impressed with the dedication.
You obviously did not read the words written about the second feature? I don’t have time to argue my point , believe what ever you want, we will agree to disagree.
I don’t happen to believe in a lot of coincidences being just a coincidence,I am a my cup is half full person ,it is never half empty.
I found that there was a Sat 23rd in 1980. Need help finding other years for that date.
1963
https://www.timeanddate.com/calendar/?y … &country=1
1974
Here are all the Sat Feb 23rds from 1900 to today:
02-23-2019, 02-23-2013, 02-23-2008, 02-23-2002, 02-23-1991, 02-23-1985, 02-23-1980, 02-23-1974, 02-23-1963, 02-23-1957, 02-23-1952, 02-23-1946, 02-23-1935, 02-23-1929, 02-23-1924, 02-23-1918, 02-23-1907, 02-23-1901
Yeah I get it. I’m always optimistic. If I found it, I’d post it, because you never know.
The only way I could see it as an angle would be if the Zodiac created the advert. As a reference it is just so obscure.
Thank you Doranchak nice to hear from you! The 2008 date could be a good date for me to look in the SF Chron for that add?
I have to say that the handwriting is close and it wouldn’t surprise me if Rick Marshall put that add together? ( Not that I believe Marshall was Zodiac) I remember in the Fincher movie how the person playing Graysmith saw one of Marshall’s posters and thought how close the writing was to Zodiac’s, very funny scene LOL.
I have no doubt that Zodiac saw the Fincher movie and perhaps went to the theater that showed the old Charlie Chaplin silent movies. Saw the add in the paper and liked the wording about "trouble" and how some had it coming.
Of course that is if I am correct in thinking the long letter was Zodiac taunting Graysmith and adding the three stars with the same curvy line underneath them, like on that poster, as one of his many hidden messages.
Its hard to get into the way Zodiac was thinking, I am always looking for a way to do that.
Sandy, the ad is at this website saying that Rick Marshall drew it for the Avenue Theater in San Francisco.
http://www.chasingthefrog.com/reelfaces … ckpstr.jpg
The Avenue Theater began showing silent films, like the ones pictured in the ad, in the 60’s. They closed their doors in 1984.
http://www.sfweekly.com/news/feature/ne … r-returns/
Yeah I get it. I’m always optimistic. If I found it, I’d post it, because you never know.
The only way I could see it as an angle would be if the Zodiac created the advert. As a reference it is just so obscure.
Exactly, I like putting everything I find out on the table. You just never know if it is a part of the Zodiac puzzle or not, it can’t hurt the case it could help who knows?
My thought is the message about "some had it coming" was the point of leading to that poster. If that was one of Marshall’s posters, who is to say Zodiac didn’t hunt for all of his posters until he found the one with that message? Marshall was a suspect , Zodiac may have wanted to direct the detectives towards Marshall?
I think Zodiac tried to frame several people for his crimes, including Art Allen and William J Grant.
Sandy, the ad is at this website saying that Rick Marshall drew it for the Avenue Theater in San Francisco.
http://www.chasingthefrog.com/reelfaces … ckpstr.jpg
The Avenue Theater began showing silent films, like the ones pictured in the ad, in the 60’s. They closed their doors in 1984.
Oh wow Seagull that saved me a lot of work! I met a person on the 27th who said he went to a theater in SF to watch old movies, I will have to ask him if it was that one or if another popped up in SF? I know that there is one in Orinda that still shows old movies like that. Again thank you so much for your help.
If only the person who gave me the copy of that poster, would have copied the header that shows it was a Rick Marshall poster, it would have saved a lot of time hunting?
Still I am glad she shared what she found. I will let her know what has been posted about her find, she will be happy.
Thanks again to everyone who pitched in their time on this interesting poster.
Sandy, you might want to contact the Niles Film Museum in Fremont. They are the museum for silent films in the Bay Area. They will probably know exactly where and when "The Property Man" was shown. Also, that ad may have appeared in an underground newspaper or a newspaper that targeted silent film aficionados. It didn’t necessarily appear in one of the mainstream newspapers. The Niles Film Museum can probably help you with that, too.
There is a contact link at the website.
If you want to view "The Property Man" it’s up at YouTube. Maybe you can decide if someone really did "have it coming" and it’s simply a tag line in the ad.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ChZXjS_LC2o
Will do as soon as I can , that will be fun to look into . Niles is where a couple were shot in a car yrs ago.
The guy I mentioned who lives in SF and went to a place to watch old movies, I remember him saying it was a old house not a theater. He brought that conversation up. because someone made a joke once, about showing a never before Zodiac movie there. I will ask him if he would like to go with me , being he likes the old movies.
Again thanks Seagull!
My thought is the message about "some had it coming" was the point of leading to that poster. If that was one of Marshall’s posters, who is to say Zodiac didn’t hunt for all of his posters until he found the one with that message? Marshall was a suspect , Zodiac may have wanted to direct the detectives towards Marshall?
I think Zodiac tried to frame several people for his crimes, including Art Allen and William J Grant.
hmmm I suppose if it truly is a Rick Marshall poster then it would have to be intentional.
Listen to me back-flipping.
It still seems incredibly obscure though.
My thought is the message about "some had it coming" was the point of leading to that poster. If that was one of Marshall’s posters, who is to say Zodiac didn’t hunt for all of his posters until he found the one with that message? Marshall was a suspect , Zodiac may have wanted to direct the detectives towards Marshall?
I think Zodiac tried to frame several people for his crimes, including Art Allen and William J Grant.hmmm I suppose if it truly is a Rick Marshall poster then it would have to be intentional.
Listen to me back-flipping.
It still seems incredibly obscure though.
It is truly a Rick Marshall poster, Seagull proved it on page 10 of this thread. The 3 stars on that poster are a perfect match to the 3 page letter sent by someone who knew a lot about Graysmith back when he was investigating Zodiac. I do not believe this is just some coincidence. People are going to believe what they believe , that’s fine. I do not believe Deb P wrote that letter, being her father who she said was Zodiac was already dead , what would be her point? I personally think that Zodiac wrote that letter to prove to Graysmith that Art Allen was not the Zodiac, or any other suspect who was in jail or dead, that he was still alive in 2010. He also wanted to let Graysmith know he was safe. I hope that Zodiac hasn’t died yet and when he is caught , will tell us more about what he did and where. Vallejo PD will be who solves the case and soon I hope!
Rick Marshall? Your’re kidding? I mean I’m willing to believe it… it’s just such an oblique reference, why take the risk of it not being understood?
I suppose… It’s all just too much. Why is it this case as so many "to good to be true" moments? Is it all just rumor and myth? I can’t believe some of the things that I read. Things that just seem so intuitively unlikely and far fetched and then I dig into them and find there’s some actual evidence and I think "this is just to crazy".
Rick Marshall though… that changes things.
I had a look at the link. Who is the source for this claim? I’m sorry if it’s been discussed before. But right now all we have is a poster with a blurb above it claiming it’s by Rick Marshall. I’m reasonable, I don’t expect the kind of perfect chain of custody some people expect, but I’d at least like to know who the supposed source is?
*edit – I’ve just noticed Tom has the same image on his sight, unlike some people I’m willing to make a reasonable assumption of authenticity given how long Tom’s been doing this for, but I’d sure like to know more.
