Media Critics

A police report by New York City authorities stated that “the conditions found to exist are such as to attach to cheap and impermanent places of amusement, to wit: poor sanitation, dangerous overcrowding, and inadequate protection from fire or panic. Despite the foul smells, poor ventilation, and frequent breakdowns in projection, investigators found overflow crowds in a majority of theaters.” According to Czitron. Some complained of the foul smells in the theaters that the manager would try to cover up with deodorizers and rowdy atmosphere which was actually everyday living conditions for the audience. “The darkness of the theater , argued some doctors and social workers, caused eye strain and related disorders: “Intense ocular and cerebral weariness, a sort of dazed ‘good-for-nothing’ feeling, lack of energy, or appetite, etc,” as one physician put it.” Czitrom.

This quote from Early Motion Pictures, written by Daniel Czitrom , shows that even though the nickelodeons were a great and fun place to be, some felt that they were a danger to the community. They even came up to thinking that they can cause health probelms because of the theaters darkness. Even though these theaters were overcrowded, loud and smelled of a foul odor, this was how its audience lived their everyday lives in there tenament apartments. To the immgrants there was actually no problem at all.