During the first decade and a half of the twentieth century, movies were fast becoming a diversion for the masses. However, the popular venues for watching movies, from the thousand-seat movie palaces (see entry under 1910s—Film and Theater in volume 1) built during the 1910s and 1920s to the present-day multiplex theaters, had not yet come into being. So motion pictures were projected in nickelodeons—small storefronts that were converted into makeshift theaters. The term "nickelodeon" derived from two words: "nickel," their usual admission price; and "odeon," the Greek word for theater.

Before the development of large movie houses, motion pictures were shown in small storefronts converted into makeshift theaters known as nickelodeons. Corbis Corporation. Reproduced by permission.

Nickelodeons played a key role not only in the exhibition of early motion pictures but also because they were one of the first forms of affordable entertainment for the masses...