02 Sep Nightlife in WWII Sweden
Tallulah Bankhead in Hitchcock’s “Livbåt” (Lifeboat)
Since I have been a Rotarian since 1992, I was delighted to find some excellent resources for what it was like in Sweden during the war in the Rotarian Magazine archives.
Fred B. Barton, American war correspondent in Sweden during the war, wrote about Sweden in the February 1946 issue. And American foreign correspondent Albin E. Johnson wrote, “What I Saw in Sweden” for the September 1944 issue.
After seeing the bombed and blacked-out cities of Berlin and London, Stockholm looked like a bright and beautiful paradise. The Swedes and internationals who walked the avenues were for the most part well dressed and appeared to be relatively prosperous when compared with the surrounding Nazi-occupied countries.
There was no shortage of fun things to do during the evenings, particularly in Stockholm. Concert Halls were popular with talent such as Rosita Serrano, the Chilean nightingale. The opera, the theater, all were well attended.
Going to the movies was one of Sweden’s most popular amusements. The newspapers printed full pages of movie ads every day, and most of them were right from Hollywood, with captions in Swedish. The Hitchcock movie “Lifeboat” was one example.
Albin E. Johnson wrote that the audience would cheer during the scene in “Casablanca” when the Frenchmen drown out the Germans with the Marseillaise. That caused protests from Berlin as being “un-neutral.” The American Legation might show a private film such as Charlie Chaplin’s “The Great Dictator” or “Five Graves to Cairo.”
I was surprised to read that in Germany and Finland dancing was forbidden because it was “frivolous.” Even in Sweden there were only a few spots that had dance orchestras, including the Grand Hotel and Cecil’s, and dancing ended promptly at 12 midnight.
It was hardly surprising that Germans liked to be there, even though as the war progressed the Swedish people were becoming more and more fond of their Allied guests.
I welcome comments from anyone who can add to this or who can recommend additional resources for me. THANKS, Pat
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