Herbert was often caricatured in Warners' Looney Tunes shorts of the 1930s/40s, such as "Speaking of the Weather" (1937) and "The Hardship of Miles Standish" (1940). One of the minor characters in the Terrytoons short "The Talking Magpies" (1946) is also a recognizably Hugh Herbertesque bird. In 1939 Herbert signed with Universal Pictures, where, as at Warners, he played supporting roles in major films and leading roles in minor ones. One of his best-received performances from this period is in the Olsen and Johnson comedy "Hellzapoppin"' (1941), in which he played a nutty detective.