Batman predecessors in pulp fiction, comic strips, newspaper headlines, and autobiographical details referring to Kane himself. As an aristocratic hero with a double identity, Batman had predecessors in the Scarlet Pimpernel (created by Baroness Emmuska Orczy, 1903) and Zorro (created by Johnston McCulley, 1919). Like them, Batman performed his heroic deeds in secret, averted suspicion by playing aloof in public, and marked his work with a signature symbol. Kane noted the influence of the films "The Mark of Zorro" (1920) and "The Bat Whispers" (1930) in the creation of the character's iconography. Finger, drawing inspiration from pulp heroes like Doc Savage,
He Cooked His Goose character. The other two where he takes the lead role are "Woman Haters" and "Three Loan Wolves". "He Cooked His Goose" was filmed on January 7-9, 1952 when Christmas trees were available, but not released until July. When Belle answers the door for Shemp, the Christmas tree she was hanging earlier with Moe is missing. Former stooge Curly Howard died on January 18, 1952, approximately two weeks after "He Cooked His Goose" was filmed. Over the course of their 24 years at Columbia Pictures, the Stooges would occasionally be cast as separate characters. This course of action always worked against