Vaudeville, act two: NickelodeonsThe entertainment sector is already booming with traveling circuses, Wild West shows, burlesque and vaudeville, for n To name just a few, it seemed Americans already had plenty to choose from. However, in the early 20th century, with the invention of the first motion picture cameras, such as Thomas Edison's kinetograph, this seemed to be just the beginning of the entertainment industry; new means of entertainment had to be created. Americans wanted entertainment that was cheap and readily available.1 They wanted something big, as evidenced by the rapid decline in popularity of the kinetoscope, a new home television also invented by Edison.2 Americans seemed to prefer to sit back and watch the show. with everyone. Vaudeville, an inexpensive variety show featuring various performers, was what Americans seemed to be looking for. However, as technologies improved, people became interested in the next big thing, paving the way for nickelodeons, which showed the first films. Nickelodeon theaters continued to build on the vaudeville model to create even more convenience for film distribution and exhibition, which attracted consumers to nickelodeons rather than vaudeville theaters and to importance of the film industry. Vaudeville first introduced cinema to the working class at large, thus allowing cinema to1 Charles W. Stein, American Vaudeville as Seen by Its Contemporaries (New York: Knopf, 1984) 3-4.2 Charles Musser, Before the Nickelodeon: Edwin S. Porter and the Edison Manufacturing Company (Berkeley: U of California, 1991) 56.exploded in popularity and the introduction of movie theaters specifically dedicated to cinema. First, in the middle of the circuses, the wild nature... middle of paper ......nt.html>. “Guide to Film Catalogs – The Edison Papers.” Guide to Film Catalogs - The Edison Papers. Np, February 20, 2012. Web. April 19, 2014. .Kraut, Alan M. The masses grouped together: the immigrant in American society, 1880-1921. Arlington Heights, IL: Harlan Davidson, 1982. Print. Musser, Charles. Before Nickelodeon: Edwin S. Porter and the Edison Manufacturing Company. Berkeley: University of California, 1991. Print. Sandler, Kevin S. Reading the Rabbit: Explorations in Warner Bros. Animation. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers UP, 1998. Print. Stein, Charles W. American Vaudeville as seen by its contemporaries. New York: Knopf, 1984. Print. “Vaudeville Theater Shows (1900s). » Deadly journey. Np, March 2011. Web. April 19. 2014. .