Antedating of "Movie"

[Benjamin Zimmer]

On Dec 1, 2007 10:38 PM, Shapiro, Fred <Fred.Shapiro at yale.edu> wrote:
>
> movie (OED3 1911 Aug.)
>
> 1911 _Philadelphia Inquirer_ 8 Jan. 5 (America's Historical Newspapers)  I had entertained the
> mistaken impression that the house was one of those "Movies" -- as the small boy chooses to
> call the picture show shops -- notwithstanding the enthusiasm displayed in the advance notices
> of its erection.

Great find, Fred. The early (legitimate) "movie" cites seem to be
clustering around Philadelphia. So far we've got:

1/8/11: Philadelphia Inquirer
3/24/11: Bucks County (Pa.) Gazette
8/1/11: Washington Post (from Philadelphia Inquirer)
8/18/11: Warren (Pa.) Evening Mirror

Other cites given here:
http://listserv.linguistlist.org/cgi-bin/wa?A2=ind0412E&L=ADS-L&P=R360


--Ben Zimmer

------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org