"Nickleodeons"

[Richard Moody]

>     As we all know, a "Nickleodeon" is a theater which
> costs a nickle to get into, such as the early movie
> houses of the 1890's-1900's era. Sometimes these
> theaters used an automatic, coin-operated piano to
> provide accompaniment  to the silent films.
>For this reason the term
> "Nickleodeon piano" became "common usage".
>     It is very doubtful, though, that any company used
> this term to describe itself "back in the day'.
>    "Coinola" was as close as it got, methinks.
>     Thump

The  automatic musical instrument used to accompany silent movies
sometimes was the common player piano and for delux theaters
perhaps a huge contraption called the Photo Player.  This consited
of three units, the center being a player piano with two tracker
bars, and the side units housing organ pipes, percusion
instruments and  sound effects which were activated by pulling on
chords hanging down infront of the tracker bars where the
player/operator sat.  An ahouga horn, horse hoves, bird whistle,
and others which I can't remember but must have included a gun
shot, (a sharp rap on the soundboard) and perhaps a cow moo.
    That a silent film would have been accompanied by a nickel
operated "nickelodeon" I would be surprised unless on a one time
basis.
    There are  player piano rolls that were made for the movies.
They bear such titles as "Desert scene"  "chase"  "dark and stormy
night"
"haunted house"  "lovers".   These are not exact titles only
similar to what I have seen once or twice and read about.
    There are several books on automatic musical instruments by
Bowers for one, that are in a lot of public libraries, or for
purchase.
     I was told or read that some movies came out with their own
series of rolls to be played on a photo player.  The  two tracker
bars were needed so   one roll could be rewound while another was
playing.
---rm