When the Zodiac Killer composed his "Exorcist" letter on January 29th 1974, he was likely comparing the "satirical comedy" of "The Mikado" stage play with "The Exorcist" movie by writing "I saw + think "The Exorcist" was the best saterical comidy that I have ever seen". But did he create a "spoonerism" by switching the "i" and "e" from "satirical comedy" to play a practical joke on the audience? More accurately described as a "kniferism", he wrote "saterical comidy". A kniferism is a type of spoonerism that involves switching the vowels between words or syllables to change the meaning. By writing "signed, yours truley" and then choosing the Tit-Willow verse from "The Mikado" which contained "My name is", was the Zodiac Killer suggesting that his name could be found within the verse?
The Zodiac Killer may have noticed that "The Exorcist" movie was directed by William Friedkin, based on a novel by William Peter Blatty, and that William Shwenck Gilbert was responsible for the libretto of "The Mikado" (text of the musical work). Was this why he chose "Tit-Willow" because it contained "Will" within its text, effectively giving us "William" four times within one communication? The Zodiac Killer chose the introduction of "best saterical comidy" based upon "The Exorcist" movie winning four awards at the Golden Globe ceremony at the Beverly Hilton hotel in Beverly Hills, California on January 26th 1974, for "Best Film", "Best Director", "Best Supporting Actress" and "Best Screenplay". Therefore, it was just coincidental that the novelist William Peter Blatty and director William Friedkin had the same forename as William Shwenck Gilbert, because he featured "The Mikado" on July 26th 1970, when he gave us more verses from the stage play. This wasn't something he could have manufactured, but it was something he could have noticed, thereby inspiring him to apply a type of "spoonerism" and altering "best satirical comedy" to "best saterical comidy" in his introduction. This may have been deliberate, because this "spoonerism" gave us our fifth William.
The Zodiac Killer may have noticed that "The Exorcist" movie was directed by William Friedkin, based on a novel by William Peter Blatty, and that William Shwenck Gilbert was responsible for the libretto of "The Mikado" (text of the musical work). Was this why he chose "Tit-Willow" because it contained "Will" within its text, effectively giving us "William" four times within one communication? The Zodiac Killer chose the introduction of "best saterical comidy" based upon "The Exorcist" movie winning four awards at the Golden Globe ceremony at the Beverly Hilton hotel in Beverly Hills, California on January 26th 1974, for "Best Film", "Best Director", "Best Supporting Actress" and "Best Screenplay". Therefore, it was just coincidental that the novelist William Peter Blatty and director William Friedkin had the same forename as William Shwenck Gilbert, because he featured "The Mikado" on July 26th 1970, when he gave us more verses from the stage play. This wasn't something he could have manufactured, but it was something he could have noticed, thereby inspiring him to apply a type of "spoonerism" and altering "best satirical comedy" to "best saterical comidy" in his introduction. This may have been deliberate, because this "spoonerism" gave us our fifth William.
William Archibald Spooner (July 22nd 1844 to August 29th 1930) was a British clergyman and long-serving Oxford don. He was most notable for his absent-mindedness, and for supposedly mixing up the syllables in a spoken phrase, with unintentionally comic effect. Such phrases became known as spoonerisms, and are often used humorously. Many spoonerisms have been invented and attributed to Spooner. William Spooner was well liked and respected, described as "an albino, small, with a pink face, poor eyesight, and a head too large for his body". It was said that "his reputation was that of a genial, kindly, hospitable man". In the opinion of Roy Harrod, Spooner exceeded all the heads of Oxford and Cambridge colleges he had known "having regard to his scholarship, devotion to duty, and wisdom". Wikipedia.
It would have been apt for the Zodiac Killer to use a "comedic spoonerism" when writing the "best saterical comidy". It may have been one big game for the Zodiac Killer, who seemingly liked taunting his pursuers with a plethora of cryptic puzzles.
It would have been apt for the Zodiac Killer to use a "comedic spoonerism" when writing the "best saterical comidy". It may have been one big game for the Zodiac Killer, who seemingly liked taunting his pursuers with a plethora of cryptic puzzles.
