Introduction

Chapters in this book

1. Frontmatter i
2. Contents v
3. Foreword vii
4. Acknowledgments ix
5. Introduction xiii
6. One. Staged Origins 1
7. Two. The Nickelodeons 9
8. Three. Bigger and Better 29
9. Four. The Majestics 43
10. Five. The Main Three: The Metropolitan, the Kirby, and Loew’s State 65
11. Six. The Later 1920s: You Ain’t Heard Nothing Yet! 85
12. Seven. Will Horwitz, Philanthropist 101
13. Eight. The Neighborhood Theatre, 1934–1949 117
14. Nine. Hoblitzelle’s Interstate 151
15. Ten. Jim Crow and the Ethnic Theatre 177
16. Eleven. The Fifties: The Incredible 3-D Wide-Screen Technicolor Stereophonic-Sound Ballyhoo Parade 195
17. Twelve. The Drive-in: A View from the Car Seat 203
18. Thirteen. The Sixties: The Times, They Are A-Changin’ 229
19. Fourteen. The X-Houses 241
20. Fifteen. From Multicinema to Multiplex: Safety in Numbers 251
21. Sixteen. Let Them Eat Candy: The Concession Stand 265
22. Seventeen. Beyond the Fringe: Midnight Movies and the Alternative Cinema 273
23. Eighteen. Rediscovery in the Age of the Megaplex 285
24. Nineteen. Perspectives: An Afterword 295
25. Notes 299
26. Bibliography 317
27. Index 321