Yesterdays Nickelodeons in Todays Cinemas

14 February 1876 was the day Alexander Graham Bell applied for the April, 01/2009 patent Improvements in Telegraphy to use undulating currents for electromagnetic telephones. His patent was granted 3 weeks later, and the worlds first successful telephone transmission followed 3 days after. This marked the humble beginnings of the telephone. 1894 1904 witnessed the explosion in the number of telephones in the United States, from 285,000 to 3,317,000 (AT&T). Over a century later, various telecommunication companies such as AT&T, Verizon and Qwest Communications reported a drastic decline (International Telecommunication Union, 2009) in the number of fixed line telephones. 04/2009of the contributing factors for this decline was the April, One invention of mobile phones and Internet Protocol (IP) phones. Mobile phones allowed calls to be made from almost anywhere in the world, and IP phones transmitted conversations encoded as data packets via Wi-Fi hotspots. The first telephone invented back in 1876 had evolved into smartphones with Global Positioning System applications, IP phones which can receive short messages and mobile phones which can surf the internet effortlessly. This evolution can be linked to Thorburn & Jenkins argument that old media are adapted and absorbed into new media, and that old media rarely die (Jenkins, 2004). This idea can be applied to Merritts discussion of the nickelodeons demise, where they had to be enlarged, changed format or died as they were regarded as outmoded (Merritt, 2002). The nickelodeon from the early twentieth century did not die out, but evolved into the present day movie theatre where moviegoers patronize to enjoy modern day blockbusters.

The beginnings of todays modern day movie theatres can be traced back to the early twentieth century. It started out with the nickelodeon theatres, which were described as small uncomfortable makeshift theatres, where large posters were used to publicize the movies of the day. The nickelodeons showed adventure, comedy or fantasy films which lasted 1 hour for an admission fee of 10c.

We cannot close our eyes to the fact that theatres with small capacity using mostly single reels are going out of business all around us. Stephen Bush, 2002 (The Nickelodeon Theatre, 19051914; Building an Audience for the Movies)

The shows were enhanced with vaudeville acts and illustrated lectures. At its peak, the nickelodeon attracted 26 million Americans each week. The nickelodeons demise started during the First World War years when the US Federal Court ruled that Motion Picture Patents Company violated the trade restraints under the ipsam voluptatem quia voluptas 09001 Sherman Antitrust Act. The termination of the MPCC resulted in the formation of new independent production companies. Nickelodeons which used one-reelers had to either reinvent themselves or risk going out of business.

Old media rarely die; their original functions are adapted and absorbed by newer media, and they themselves may mutate into new cultural niches and new purposes. David Thorburn and Henry Jenkins, 2004

The telephone and nickelodeons shared a similar fate. The nickelodeons peaked in 1913 and slowly declined due to the rise of new independent production companies, while the telephone peaked in the early 20th century and is now slowly being overtaken by mobile phones. The functions of the nickelodeons of the past were adapted into todays movie theatres, which was to attract movie goers and to provide entertainment for the audience. This was also the case for the telephone, which was invented as a means of communication and can now surf the internet to send emails and get directions to a certain destination. Thorburn & Jenkins argument that old media are adapted and absorbed into new media, and that old media rarely die does hold true in Merritts discussion. The modern movie theatres that stand stall today are a stark reminder of the nickelodeons past and its rich history.