At the Music Hall: “The Man Who Broke the Bank at Monte Carlo,” 1892

Charles Coborn

As I walk along the Bois Boolong

With an independent air

You can hear the girls declare
"He must be a Millionaire."
You can hear them sigh and wish to die,
You can see them wink the other eye
At the man who broke the bank at Monte Carlo.

In the 1890’s, as the working class’ dreams of a better life were begining to seem more achievable, songs such as “The Man Who Broke the Bank at Monte Carlo” were rising in popularity. With its cheerful melody and upbeat lyrics about the favors of Dame Fortune, this song was a rousing anthem for all those who dreamed of bigger things.

Written in 1892 by Fred Gilbert, the song actually was inspired by the true case of Charles Wells who won over one million francs in Monte Carlo. Though Dame Fortune smiled on Mr. Wells—he also had a hand in his luck. He had used money for his bets that he’d swindled from other people. Still, the song is cheerful and hopeful. Singer Charles Coborn re-popularized the song in the 1930’s (while in his 80’s) during a period of great economic difficulty throughout which people dreamt of better things to come. Coborn famously performed the song in the film Say it With Flowers in 1934. The song also inspired the title of the 1935 film The Man Who Broke the Bank at Monte Carlo—a film which has nothing to do with the song, but features a performance of Gilbert’s lyrics.