The Splendid and the Vile
by Erik Larson
Contents
Chapter 77: Saturday Night
Overview
As Mary Churchill prepares for a glittering Saturday night in London, the chapter contrasts wartime social life with the ever-present threat of German air attack. It also widens the lens to show Nazi brutality after the Lofoten raid, as Goebbels endorses savage reprisals in Norway and harsher repression elsewhere. Meanwhile, Wendell Willkie’s support gives Lend-Lease new momentum, bringing Britain closer to vital American aid and deeper Anglo-American entanglement.
Summary
On Saturday, March 8, Mary Churchill looks forward to escaping the restrictions of home by going into London with Clementine Churchill for Queen Charlotte’s Annual Birthday Dinner Dance. Mary and her friends then plan to continue the night at the Café de Paris. The evening is expected to be clear and beautiful, but the same weather that favors a glamorous social night also favors German bombers, so London’s gun and searchlight crews prepare for a likely raid.
At the Café de Paris in Piccadilly, owner Martin Poulsen expects an especially large Saturday crowd because guests from the debutante ball are likely to arrive after the dance. The club, famous for jazz and nightlife, has booked the popular bandleader and dancer Kenrick "Snakehips" Johnson to close the night. Poulsen takes pride in the club’s supposedly safe underground location and remains characteristically optimistic about the war, even boasting that the Blitz will soon end and that he has ordered huge quantities of champagne and even planned neon lights for the club.
That optimism proves stronger than caution. By 8:15 p.m., the club is already busy when the air-raid sirens begin, but no one reacts and the music continues. Snakehips is expected to arrive for his first number at 9:30 p.m., underscoring how Londoners keep pursuing pleasure and normality even while danger hangs directly over the city.
Elsewhere that same night, Joseph Goebbels records in his diary that the British raid on Norway’s Lofoten Islands was more damaging than first believed. He approvingly notes Josef Terboven’s harsh reprisals against Norwegians accused of helping the British, including burned farms and hostages, and he also endorses brutal anti-Jewish punishment and reports mass death sentences in Amsterdam. The diary entry shows the Nazi regime responding to resistance with escalating terror.
In Washington, the political outlook for the Lend-Lease Bill improves sharply when Wendell Willkie publicly backs it, retreating from his earlier campaign attacks. With Senate passage now looking likely and less vulnerable to weakening amendments, Roosevelt prepares to send another emissary to London. The chapter ends by signaling that this new envoy will soon matter personally to Mary Churchill and Pamela.
Who Appears
- Mary ChurchillChurchill’s daughter; eagerly plans a rare Saturday night out at the debutante ball and Café de Paris.
- Martin PoulsenOptimistic owner of the Café de Paris, confident the Blitz will soon end despite the danger.
- Joseph GoebbelsNazi propaganda minister; records Lofoten losses and approves brutal reprisals and anti-Jewish terror.
- Kenrick "Snakehips" JohnsonPopular bandleader and dancer booked to headline the Café de Paris late that night.
- Wendell WillkieRoosevelt’s former rival whose public backing strengthens the Lend-Lease Bill in the Senate.
- Franklin RooseveltU.S. president; prepares to send another emissary to London as Lend-Lease prospects improve.
- Josef TerbovenReich commissar for Norway; carries out harsh punishment against islanders after the British raid.
- Clementine ChurchillMary’s mother; accompanies Mary into London for the evening’s social event.