The real Gotham by Gaslight Batman

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Lou Szabo
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The real Gotham by Gaslight Batman

Post by Lou Szabo »

My brother sent this over
1870 Batman in Gotham, persecuting criminals by gaslight

https://infosearch.quora.com/What-is-th ... ype=answer

Did you know that Batman existed in real life?

no, I'm not crazy, Batman is based on Bill Smith, originally from Suffolk (England) emigrated to New York in 1870 , he worked in a butcher shop by day, but at night he was in charge of persecuting the criminals of Gotham City... New York (the custom hahaha), Smith became Batman after they broke into the butcher shop constantly, and believe it or not there is also a Robin in this story.

Municipal records show that Mr. Smith was first charged in 1878 with catching and beating a shoplifter who had run out of the store with a leg of mutton over his shoulder.

Excerpts from a diary, written by an associate known only as Robin in 1892, reveal:
1B57BFC8-6CE8-415E-AA9A-3DE3021940E7.jpeg
“Everyone locally has heard of this Batman. He walks the streets at night and gangsters, thieves, drunken bums keep their distance"

I am now more than certain that the creators of Batman based his character on Mr. Smith.
Some days you just can't get rid of a ... SHARK!
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AndyFish
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Re: The real Gotham by Gaslight Batman

Post by AndyFish »

I'm not buying it, Lou. Kane's earliest design according to (among others) editor Vin Sullivan was a bird man, and the mid to late 1930s had much less access to information than we do now-- assuming this Bill Smith thing isn't just some hoax like the rumored Orson Welles Batman film, Kane and Finger only went as far as their local newsstand and the movie palace for their inspiration-- having lived in the same neighborhood in New York City that Kane kept his studio I can tell you that you get very insulated in about an eight block radius.

The 1926 and 1931 film versions of THE BAT play along with pulps, specifically THE SHADOW, was where they would eventually find their inspiration.

Image
(The 1931 film THE BAT WHISPERS)

Image
(The 1926 version)

Bill Finger always did extensive research but it was almost always current pop culture, magazine articles, etc, rather than scholarly research.

The Bill Smith thing has been all over the internet but it doesn't pass the smell test to me.
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Lou Szabo
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Re: The real Gotham by Gaslight Batman

Post by Lou Szabo »

Andy,
To clarify, I put in the quote from the author so you didn't need to click on the link. With no electronic media, I doubt Bob and Bill never even heard of this guy either.
Some days you just can't get rid of a ... SHARK!
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SprangFan
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Re: The real Gotham by Gaslight Batman

Post by SprangFan »

I'm not convinced Bob Kane read history books any more than he did art instruction books.

Photoshop is awesome, though.
"You were right again, Batman. We might have been killed."
"Or worse. Let's go..."
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AndyFish
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Re: The real Gotham by Gaslight Batman

Post by AndyFish »

Further clarification-- I know you were just the Ted Baxter for the story, Lou, my comment being addressed to you simply is in answer to your post.
Sprang- it has to be photoshop, and I've found an instance where the same cowl is on a woman's head, but there are so many posts out there from a variety of sources that this "hoax" comes across as legit. It's the old don't believe everything you see on the internet thing. And agree 1000% on Kane going to the lowest possible hanging fruit for inspiration-- the two block walk to his local newsstand to see what other people were doing.

It makes for interesting reading, and I'm glad you posted it in the first place, Lou. Does anyone else remember the Orson Welles Batman Movie hoax from years ago?
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SprangFan
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Re: The real Gotham by Gaslight Batman

Post by SprangFan »

I was quite fond of the Welles hoax, and wished it was real.

This one's amusing, I guess, and somebody did a great job on that mask. But even if there was anything to it, why would a vigilante sit for a portrait in his mask?

Then again, the link doesn't actually claim this is a photo of "Bill Smith." That's just implied by its inclusion with the article. It could be a case of "...and here's an actual photo of him" or it could just as easily be, "...and here's an artist's conception of what he might have looked like" or even "...and since he went by the 'Batman' label, here's a humorous stab at imagining his crime-fighting outfit."

Anyway it's good for a chuckle, but I'd put it in the same file as that ridiculous comic story where Kane claimed to have a male model pose in a Batman costume sewn by Kane's mother so he'd know how to draw it (which makes no sense no matter how you slice it) or the story I once heard him tell on NPR's "Fresh Air," where he claimed Batman's swashbuckling approach to crimefighting was inspired by the time Kane himself as a teenager fought off a neighborhood gang in a lumber yard by swinging around on a rope and using whatever boards and tools he found lying around.

In the spirit of Batman's long association with fibbers and charlatans, I welcome this Quora entry as one of the more fun and creative continuations of a proud tradition.
"You were right again, Batman. We might have been killed."
"Or worse. Let's go..."
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AndyFish
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Re: The real Gotham by Gaslight Batman

Post by AndyFish »

Or the idea that Vicki Vale was modeled on Marilyn Monroe who Kane alleged the two hung out for some time during the filming stint of one of the serials. The "life drawings" he did of her at the beach are hilariously NOT from life. Anyone whose taken even a single life drawing class recognizes legit model sketches. These are in Kane's (or more likely Moldoff's) regular stiff style and are clearly done from out of his head.

Those and your schoolyard battle story are included in BATMAN AND ME (1989) Eclipse Books) which has so much laugh out loud material and claims in it. If you ever get the chance to talk to the guy who actually wrote it, Tom Andrae, he's got some amazing stories about the things he cut that Kane wanted to include but was even more impossible to believe.

I do think the bearded Batman is a hilarious concept though.
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Larry A.
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Re: The real Gotham by Gaslight Batman

Post by Larry A. »

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: Hey, at least You'll know how I look with the Cowl on as of right now. Those beards are a BEAR to get a cowl over!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:
Larry
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SprangFan
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Re: The real Gotham by Gaslight Batman

Post by SprangFan »

Yeah, this guy's Kryptonite is noodle soup.
"You were right again, Batman. We might have been killed."
"Or worse. Let's go..."
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