Nickelodeon is an early type of theater where people could pay only five-cent for admission. Its audience consisted of rich urban workers who could not afford to go to theatres for entertainment, thus they found Nickelodeon to be a place to socialize, and in the movies, ideas to share the changes between the old country and the new home. Nickelodeon succeeded largely because its nickel admission enabled working class men and women to discover the wonders of the motion picture machines[1]. The nickel is a powerfully signifying object in and of itself, a coin imbued with cultural as well as economic value, particularly during the late nineteenth century and the beginning of the twentieth century. It’s argued that, the nickel’s capital was much bigger than its monetary value, basically because of its limited economic power. Thus, people were made to believe that they were being offered for something more interesting at lower price. Therefore, as a result of its entrance fee and its name, Nickeldeon was taken to be representing the idea of popularity price amusement which is historically associated with the New England entrepreneur whose revolutionary developments assisted significantly expand the American audience for popular commercial entertainment.
The early debate about the popularity of the nickelodeon reveals a lot about the social status of the movies. Moving pictures was more advanced in European countries than in the United States. The establishment of nickelodeon played a very sophisticated role in entertainment industry because it motivated the other movie producers and it also led to the demand of more and improved movies. This led to the establishment of new motion pictures studios and theater and helped in the development of film as a mass entertainment medium. However, the increasing popularity of nickelodeon, led to its end because it was later replaced by other bigger, custom built movie studios and theaters. Thus, as a result, it became a term for a coin operated musical juke box. Nickelodeon popularity thus, played a big part in the social status of movies through increasing their popularity for better and more modified movies in entertainment industry than it was before.
The introduction of movies brought in intense debate concerning its character. For instance, many people were interested in knowing whether the movies as a new way of entertainment will affect the society positively or negatively. They were concerned in knowing whether they should like it and take it in[2]. Therefore, the movies were intended to create humor, entertainment, educate people, and improve on the social position of people. The nickelodeon movie was friendly to the poor, they were educative and amusing, thus with few cents a person was admitted to the house.However, there was an argument against the nickelodeons because they seemed to corrupt the minds of the young children. In addition, pickpockets got a chance since the lights were put off when the machine was being moved.
The early debate on Nickelodeon popularity on social status of movies reveals that, had it not been for nickelodeons popularity, most of the American movie industries would not have succeeded and be outstanding as they are in the current days. Also, they would be having limited markets for their entertainment thus lowering their technical perfection attainment to contribute amusement worldwide. Therefore, through the popularity of nickelodeon, the movie theaters began to create motion pictures which became the leading character in the American re-establishment as they brought out the culmination of the democratizing affects in the place of city entertainment.
During hard times, nickelodeon was favored because of its affordability over the drama clubs, and other entertainment houses. This means that at time when people could not afford tickets to join theater or vaudeville, they were in better position to muster a nickel for the movies.Thus, when many studios were experiencing recession; nickelodeon was in a boom because it attracted almost every class of those who used to visit theaters[3]. People enjoyed the entertainment of machinery amusement; this shows that movies had replaced other theatrical actions in almost one thousand, four hundred theater houses. Therefore, the early debate on nickelodeon popularity reveals that, it improved the social status of the movies by putting in on a higher rank over other entertainments as it was more educative at the same time amusing.
Through the early debate on the nickelodeon popularity, the social status of movie is revealed. There were structural changes which were created by the local specificities, and other invisible characters in the local film business had in the formation and evolution of movie exhibition and its resulting culture. The popularity of the nickelodeon movies led to structural changes in entertainment industry. For instance, the motion movies were more profitable and this caused the theater dramas that had been closed down to start showing movies. As a result, more movie companies were aggressively established with aim of improving peoples live through the program selected for show casing. Thus the local government was advised to put some strict measures for the production of drama as it promoted immorality.
The people who were adherent to the new activity included the movie producers. Nickelodeon popularity led to increased number of movie houses opening up in various parts of the state particularly located at entertainment streets. Since nickelodeon was associated to cheap and affordable movie house by anyone who needs to be entertained, it made it easier for other movie makers who followed after it to succeed.Thus, movie producers in entertainment industry were the adherents of the new activity. Other group of people who were adherent to the new activity included the women and shoppers, because of low cost and convenient location developed by the nickelodeons, the women were able to access it.
The drama and the film makers were the most threatened by the new development because they were never recognized after the establishment of the nickelodeon. They received little description in the media, making the nickelodeon to be the representative of all movie exhibitions in community discourse. The film industry was forced to reduce its exhibition status so that it can fit into the cheap houses and less admission prices due to the nickelodeon description. The drama theaters were threatened by this development and thus, being forced to change from drama to showing movie.
What this tells us about the turn of the century in America is that, the new movies created new concern among the behavior reformers. They are concerned with the moral nature of the community and particularly children because they are assumed to be the endangered creatures. Nickelodeon being cheap and affordable by anyone, it is feared that young children attending movies would be affected negatively. For instance, there will be delinquency among boys and sexual immorality among girls[4]. The craziness for this cheap movie show in America is an indication that the country is being wasted away. The movie makers recruit large groups of people as actors and spread them around the world.
In conclusion, nickelodeon audiences have been historically classified as the urban immigrants’ employee who got interested in the nickelodeon and find that area to be social area. It was among the few entertainment activity that was cheap and easily afforded by the low class immigrant workers. They understood the movie more because it films were produced silently thus did not require language interpretation. Therefore, its popularity led to the increase in entertainment because of the increased demand of better and improved movies.