Southend U3A

Writing for Fun

The Man Who Broke The Bank At Monte Carlo - Gwenda Syratt

September 2014

This song was written by Fred Gilbert in 1892 and made famous by singer and comedian Charles Coborn.

It is uncertain how many of the poverty stricken working class population of England in 1892 with large families living in slums and fearing an outbreak of cholera, typhus and smallpox would have heard of Monte Carlo, the capital of Monaco or be able to find it on a map. But it is certain many privileged aristocrats and street beggars alike would have experienced the thrill, exhilaration and often desperate despair of gambling.

There were aristocrats who described themselves as professional gamblers knowing no other way to increase their wealth; they often failed with this career and would sell family treasures to maintain their life styles whereas the working classes had many skills to help them survive.

Is it possible to break a bank? Yes! Two famous gentlemen broke the bank of Monte Carlo and both were English. One, an engineer named Joseph Jaggar, who used his engineering skills to exploit the slight imperfections of a roulette wheel and the other was Charles Wells who was described by an MP as the greatest swindler living.

He defrauded gullible investors in England and used their money to win considerable sums playing roulette at the Monte Carlo Casino, Monaco.

'To break the bank' is not quite as impressive as it sounds; it means to win every chip on the table.

This song refers to Charles Wells.

Charles Wells lived a life of financial highs and lows. He served 8 years in an English prison for fraud, enjoyed freedom for awhile then a further 3 years. He emigrated to France where a financial scam earned him another 5 year sentence. He died in poverty in Paris in 1922 aged 81yrs.

Fred Gilbert the song writer sold the song for £10.

The song remained popular from the 1890's until the late 1940's and is still referenced in popular culture today. It has been used in many films. Some may remember Lawrence of Arabia (Peter O'Toole) singing this song while riding on his camel across the desert.

Whilst Charles Wells paid the price for his exploits Charles Coborn reaped a nice reward for them.

Coborn estimated that he had sung the song 250,000 times in the course of his career and could sing it in 14 languages. He had a long working life appearing in the film Variety Jubilee at the age of 91yrs. He died at the age of 93yrs and is buried with his wife in Brompton Cemetery, London.

Although the country is known for the Monte Carlo casino it brings in only 5% of the country's income, tourism is the main source of income. It is interesting that citizens of Monaco are not allowed to gamble or visit the casinos.

Monaco is the second smallest country in the world and the width of the country can be walked in approximately 56 minutes.

At least once a month Monaco has an event. There are balls, concerts, sporting events, an international marathon and the Grand Prix.

Mention Monaco and the name Grace Kelly immediately comes to mind. But that's another story to be saved for another day!