Herbert’s Operettas and Songs in Silent Film Accompaniment
About Herbert’s Music in Film by Sebastian Ocando (video) (Notes)
A Guide to The Fortune Teller by Erin Fowler
A Guide to Naughty Marietta by Riley Bryan
About Babes in Toyland by Jada Smith
Victor Herbert’s operetta Babes In Toyland has had a significant impact on early cinema, notably appearing in cue sheets for silent films like Edward Sloman’s drama We Americans and Mervyn LeRoy’s comedy Naughty Baby.
Various songs from Herbert’s operetta were use in lighthearted moments in these films. Cue 35, “School Room,” for We Americans is “I Can’t Do The Sum” which humorously addresses the challenges of math during a school scene. The song evokes the sing-song melodies of childhood, with a bouncy eighth note rhythm for lyrics like “You can think and think and think till your brains are numb/I don’t care what teacher says, I can’t do the sum.”
“Floretta,” cue 23 from Naughty Baby, has lyrics that describe a mystic who looks into the future, seeing that another character will become “…a wealthy Broadway playboy.” Additionally, Herbert’s song “Streets of New York” from The Red Mill was incorporated into both cue sheets and is intended to evoke the lively atmosphere of New York City.
Aidan Knighton identifies music from “The Ony Girl” as having been used in accompaniments for silent film. Listen here.