Acknowledgments

1. Introduction

2. Dollar Theaters, Concert Saloons, and Dime Museums

3. "Something for Everybody" at the Vaudeville Theater

4. "The Best Smelling Crowd in the World"

5. The "Indecent" Others

6. The City as Playground: The World's Fair Midways

7. "The Summer Show"

8. The National Game

9. "Laughter and Liberty Galore": Early Twentieth-Century Dance Halls, Ballrooms, and Cabarets

10. Talking and Singing Machines, Parlors, and Peep Shows

11. "The Surest Immediate Money-Maker Ever Known"

12. The First Picture Shows

13. "The Pernicious 'Moving Picture' Abomination"

14. Combination Shows, Stars, and Features

15. Waving the Flag

16. Palaces for the People

17. Decline and Fall

List of Abbreviations

Notes

Index

David Nasaw is Professor of History and American Studies at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York.