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,
When Alexander Takes His Ragtime Band to France When Alexander Takes His Ragtime Band to France "When Alexander Takes His Ragtime Band to France" is a World War I era song written by Alfred Bryan, Cliff Hess, and Edgar Leslie in 1918. The song was performed by Marion Harris and released as a single by Victor Records in June 1918. Albert Barbelle provided the cover illustration for the sheet music, which features a drawing of a marching band. Belle Baker is featured in the photograph inset. Marion Harris' performance of "When Alexander Takes His Ragtime Band to France" reached number four on the US song charts in 1918.