Scholarship on Exhibition

When first embarking on a study of early film exhibition, the entire process seems quite dreary. Even with a narrowly defined focus—a specific Oregon city and during a specific time frame—it can be difficult to even know where to begin. One of the biggest challenges about studying the history of film theaters is the scarcity of primary sources to determine where theaters were even located.

Located in Albany, Oregon, the Globe Theatre was a movie theatre that operated during the early 20th century. A popular attraction, it maintained a prominent presence throughout various issues of the Albany Daily Democrat. An example of its popularity is shown in an article which highlights the theatre’s ability to attract a variety of well-known films as well as background information regarding the theatre’s manager.

The early 1900's era of filmmaking was under the firm grasp of the National Board of Censorship, an organization formed to prevent the showings of indecent or suggestive content in movies. This became quite a hot topic among viewers at the time. Some Americans preferred a restriction on what they considered to be inappropriate while others favored a more risqué style. This debate did not go unnoticed in Portland, Oregon and in fact seemed to emphasize the same national issues. Listed below are four separate segments from two Portland Newspapers between years of 1910 and 1922.