Behind the Curtain at the Nickelodeon: America’s First Movie Theatre
What a thing to behold it must have been, to witness the birth of the cinema industry in Pittsburgh, Pa., on June 19, 1905, and what an enterprising soul to sell 450 fifteen-minute views for a nickel to curious customers that day, and over 1,500 the next. The nation’s first stand-alone movie theater had set up the first commercial cinema enterprise offering patrons a look at “moving pictures” in a small storefront on Smithfield Street. Others were soon to follow John P. Harris and Harry Davis’ brainchild and the motion picture industry was born. The city made the site an official landmark and memorialized the first dedicated film theatre with a plaque. Although these types of theatres quickly sprung up all across the country, and were the primary theatres for film in the early 1900s, within a few years they would be replaced by larger, soon to be famous cinemas.
What Can You Buy with a Nickel?
While the name “Nickelodeon was first used in 1888 by Austin’s Nickelodeon in Boston, Massachusetts, the term was really popularized by John P. Harris and Harry Davis. Together, the pair opened up shop on Smithfield Street in the heart of Pittsburgh’s Golden Triangle in 1905. They called their now infamous theatre, Nickelodeon. Combining the Greek word for theatre θέατρο” (odeion), with the word “nickel” (the cost of admission) the name “Nickelodeon” was coined and used to describe small storefront theatres, showing only short films, all across the country.
Even though many of these types of theatres were short lived, they were instrumental to the birth of the movie theatre as we know it today. Before too long, nickelodeons sprung up in almost every neighborhood, allowing people of all social stations to enjoy the fascination of moving pictures. By 1907, nearly 2 million Americans had visited a nickelodeon.
Inside the Pittsburgh Nickelodeon and Beyond
Image: CinemaTreasures.org
It seems that Davis had stockpiled a large number of Lumiere “flicker films” since he began showing them at the Avenue Theatre in 1896. By 1907 Davis also started his own Film Exchange (and production company) in Pittsburgh. Eventually, there were several other regional film exchanges in Pittsburgh including the Pittsburgh Calcium Light & Film Company run by Richard Rowland and James B. Clark as well as the pre-studio Warner Bros. running the Duquesne Amusement Company
There has been a debate about the historical accuracy of many films listed as shown at this historic theatre. The dedication plaque lists the first film shown at the Nickelodeon as “The Baffled Burglar,” but this film wasn’t made until years later according to the American Film Institute. Some historians believe the first film was “The Great Train Robbery.” Because this picture had been released in 1903, most scholars doubt it would have attracted nearly 2,000 patrons during the first two days the famous theatre was opened, but it very well could have played at some point because of its popularity. Whatever the first film shown was, it was a smashing success, spawning an industry we still enjoy today.
Daily Business
By the time they opened their Nickelodeon, Harris & his brother-in-law, Harry Davis, were already experienced Pittsburgh showmen. Harris seemed to come up with the idea of taking moving pictures and showing them full-time in a theatre setting. Davis, who owned the vacant storefront on Smithfield Street, supplied the venue.
Clients quickly came pouring through the doors of the theatre each day, eager to catch the latest film at the affordable cost of just one nickel per showing. That coupled with availability, opening at 8 a.m. and serving customers until midnight, made their enterprise a phenomenon that captured the nation’s hearts.
During business hours, patrons could enjoy 15 to 20-minutes of short silent films; normally accompanied by a pianist playing appropriate music to match the mood of the film, helping build tension and round out the experience. For the first time, viewers enjoyed the spectacular display of flowers blooming under time-lapse photography. Exotic foreign lands like China were captured on film and allowed viewers to be transported across the globe in a matter of moments. Sometimes films showed the power of industry, while others treated audiences to classic slapstick comedy. With such a variety of subjects, achieving popularity was easy.
The flamboyant storefront was lit with bright lights, adorned with colorful posted and featured an ornate façade that captured the public’s attention on its way to becoming the hallmark of the business. Audiences came from all walks of life because of the affordable price.
The Nickelodeon: Boom to Bust
The popularity of Davis & Harris’s Nickelodeon quickly spread across the country. One estimate places 100 similar theatres in St. Louis and Chicago within just two years, with another 2,000 more dotted throughout the country. By 1908, there were an estimated 8,000 Nickelodeon theatres were established in America. The success of Davis and Harris’s Nickelodeon was short-lived, however, as the industry rapidly outgrew these small, crowded storefronts that often were standing room only.
Only five years after it opened, the first Nickelodeon was demolished in favor of the newer, larger, purpose-built cinemas that could accommodate bigger audiences for longer feature films. By 1915, the Nickelodeon trend had come to an end, but its impact can still be felt by moviegoers today.
It’s Davis & Harris’s spirit that inspired us to find our new home in Pittsburgh, Pa. It’s here that we will continue to be the guardians of the history of America’s greatest theatres and cinemas. However, we can’t do it alone. Support from cinema lovers, architects, historians and people like you are paramount to our success. Become a member today, and help us preserve the rich history of America’s greatest theatres.