Baubles, Bangles, & Beads Baubles, Bangles, & Beads "Baubles, Bangles & Beads" is a popular song from the 1953 musical "Kismet", credited to Robert Wright and George Forrest. Like all the music in that show, the melody was based on works by Alexander Borodin, in this case the second theme of the second movement of his "String Quartet in D." The "Kismet" setting maintains the original's 3/4 waltz rhythm; pop music settings change the rhythm to a moderate four-beat accompaniment. Jazz musicians are especially drawn to the song's beguiling melody and advanced harmonic structure. The familiar AA'BA+Coda structure of the song is energized by
Kismet (1944 film) Kismet (1944 film) Kismet is a 1944 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer film in Technicolor starring Ronald Colman, Marlene Dietrich, Joy Page, and Florence Bates. James Craig played the young Caliph of Baghdad, and Edward Arnold was the treacherous Grand Vizier. It was directed by William Dieterle, but was not a success at the box office. Dieterle had directed Marlene two decades prior in the German silent film "Man by the Wayside", which was both the first role in which Dietrich was cast competitively and Dieterle's directorial debut. The film is based on the play of the same name by Edward Knoblock, which was