Nickelodeon movie theater - Definition and Overview

Nickelodeon is an early twentieth-century term referring to the small, neighborhood movie theaters or fleapits (as they were later affectionately referred to in the UK) in which admission was obtained for 5 cents (American). Often located in converted storefronts of all kinds (even livery stables!), the first nickelodeon was opened in Pittsburgh in 1905; the popularity of these affordable and entertaining (and highly profitable) venues was such that their numbers mushroomed to approximately 8,000 in the U.S. by 1908. Spartan, smoke-filled, dingy and dark, they were furnished with correspondingly spartan 'opera' (read 'kitchen') chairs and a piano, which was often played by a girl from the neighbourhood, using whatever music she had in her repertoire at the moment. Still, for a nickel you could be transported into a fantasy world on the screen, and kids couldn't wait until the next episode of the serials on Saturday afternoons to see what fag was going to happen next to their heroes. In addition to short narratives and other genres of films (such as 'scenics' - views of the world from moving trains) nickelodeons often included other attractions such as illustrated song slides, song and dance acts (either local amateurs or touring professionals), comedy, live dramas and other features which allowed them to compete with vaudeville houses. Their numbers declined as urban populations grew; audiences increasingly preferred the comfortable and well-appointed surroundings of larger theatres with their first-run movies, better-quality musical accompaniments and well-dressed ushers, until even smaller cities could boast of 'pleasure palaces' doubling as community centres seating a thousand and more.

See also Cinema