High-Class Moving Pictures

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Focusing on Lyman H. Howe's career, this work delves into the world of itinerant showmen who showcased motion pictures across America in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It highlights their cultural alliances with city elites and churchgoers, as well as their shift towards "high-class" topics to attract audiences wary of nickelodeons. The book illustrates how these exhibitors crafted sophisticated programs that conveyed significant ideological messages, paralleling the music of John Philip Sousa, while addressing themes like war and colonialism.