Nickelodeon (movie theater)

A Nickelodeon (AE: nickel = five-cent coin, Greek odeion = indoor theater) was in the United States around 1905 seats on a show room where an admission fee of usually a nickel the first movies were shown.

The first " nickelodeon " was the Penny Arcade in Los Angeles, which was opened in 1896 by Thomas Tally. Later Nickelodeon's often found in shopping areas, often in former shop premises. Therefore, their German alternative designation "Download Movies" is derived.

The film program of Nickelodeon's most changed twice a week. Several (at that time very short ) films of different genres were shown one after the other: tragedies, comedies, adventure films and early documentaries. A demonstration lasted about an hour. The films were silent films, accompanied by a musician on the piano or accordion.

After each film, the roll of film had to be changed. During the break there was resulting in some Nickelodeon's musical interludes, in which the audience by using on-screen lyrics, so-called song slides, was invited to sing along (see Vaudeville ). The musical instruction took over most of a member of the owner family. Jack L. Warner, who later became chairman of Warner Brothers, had this task in the Nickelodeon his family in Pittsburg, California.

The Nickelodeon existed only a decade or so. When the movies were longer, also increased rental fees and ticket prices. The cinema had to elaborate and attractive, which is why many Nickelodeon abandoned the operation or have been converted into real cinema halls.

The TV channel Nickelodeon moved by this early form of cinema his name.