Nickelodeons were America's first movie
theaters, and were also known as the Bijou Dream, the
Tivoli, or the Edison. All of them showed moving
pictures and most of them charged five-cents admission
(hence the name Nickel-odeon).
On November 26, 1905,
John Harris and Harry Davis of Pittsburgh opened the
first theater (with 96 folding chairs) to show The
Great Train Robbery. Most of the films were no
more than 12 minutes in length. The stars were Florence
Lawrence, John Bunny, Mary Pickford, and Arthur Johnson.
Nickelodeon programs
usually consisted of five different films -- a drama, a
comedy, an adventure, a novelty and maybe even a
documentary -- with a combined running time of about an
hour. Since the films were silent, accompanying music
was provided by a piano or accordion.
Nickelodeons lasted less
than 10 years. When studios began making feature-length
films, larger, more ornate theaters were built, complete
with balconies, carpeting and even proscenium arches.
One by one, the nickelodeons either went out of
businesses or were renovated to accommodate larger, more
sophisticated crowds.
Today the original
Nickelodeons are almost forgotten and replaced by the
much better known (especially among kids) Nick-At-Nite
Nickelodeon. |
![[WM-FIELD: Product_Name]](gif/nickelodeon-creativity150.gif)
