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Distributed for Athabasca University Press

Reel Time

Movie Exhibitors and Movie Audiences in Prairie Canada, 1896 to 1986

Distributed for Athabasca University Press

Reel Time

Movie Exhibitors and Movie Audiences in Prairie Canada, 1896 to 1986

In this authoritative work, Seiler and Seiler argue that the establishment and development of moviegoing and movie exhibition in Prairie Canada is best understood in the context of changing late-nineteenth-century and early-twentieth-century social, economic, and technological developments. From the first entrepreneurs who attempted to lure customers into movie exhibition halls, to the digital revolution and its impact on moviegoing, Reel Time highlights the pivotal role of amusement venues in shaping the leisure activities of working- and middle-class people across North America.

384 pages | © 2012


Table of Contents

List of Illustrations / ix

Acknowledgements / xiii

Introduction / 3

Pioneers / 17

Introducing Cinema to Prairie Canada: Movie Exhibition, 1896 to 1904 / 43

Movie Exhibition During the Nickelodeon Era, 1905 to 1913 / 73

Reforms and Regulations: Movie Censorship in the Prairie West / 115

Grand Entertainment: Movie Exhibition During the Picture Palace Era, 1914 to 1932 / 147

Famous Players Canadian Corporation Limited / 177

The Struggle for Control: Odeon Theatres (Canada) Limited / 215

Consolidation / 247

Conclusion: From Peephole Parlor to Multiplex and Beyond / 263

Notes / 303

Index / 359

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