The first of many official and unofficial screen versions of Richard Connell's The Most Dangerous Game was put together by producer
Willis O'Brien and directors Ernest B. Schoedsack and
Irving Pichel in 1932.
Leslie Banks stars as loony Russian count Zaroff, a renowned big-game hunter who tires of stalking animals and begins hunting down the "most dangerous game"-human beings. Luring unwary victims to his remote island, Zaroff wines and dines them, gives them a few hours' head start to run into the jungle, then hunts them down with rifle and bow and arrow. As his grisly trophy room demonstrates, Zaroff hasn't missed yet. Shipwreck survivors
Joel McCrea and
Fay Wray are Zaroff's latest quarry. "First the hunt, then the revels!" declares Zaroff, casting a lecherous eye towards the wide-eyed Ms. Wray. The original Connell story had no heroine, but who wants to watch Joel McCrea lose most of his clothing while scurrying through the jungle. The Most Dangerous Game was filmed on RKO's standing
King Kong sets during a lull in the production of that classic film, utilizing most of the
Kong personnel (actors Fay Wray,
Robert Armstrong,
Noble Johnson,
Steve Clemente and Dutch Hendrian; producer O'Brien; director Schoedsack; composer
Max Steiner). While the plot has been reshaped and recycled many times since 1932, RKO's only official remake of
Most Dangerous Game was 1945's
A Game of Death. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide