Popcorn at the movies

　　It wasn't until the early twentieth century that po pcorn became a universal American snack. This was due l argely to Cloid H. Smith, an Iowa farm boy who formed t he American Popcorn Company in 1914 and began selling h is Jolly Time brand shortly after. Gradually, home popp ing became a national fad.

　　The introduction of popcorn in movie theaters did n ot happen until a decade and a half later. Theater mana gers in the 1920s usually barred popcorn from the premi ses ( 经营场所 ), because their patrons were distracted by the crunching. They relented only in the 1930s, after h aving been hounded for years by vendors selling under t heir marquees. The managers changed their minds because they needed cash during the Depression and sought it fr om lobby concessions. This is not as plausible as it se ems, for the movie industry actually thrived in those y ears, as the American public's need for escapist entert ainment helped to fuel Hollywood's Golden Age. A more l ikely explanation is that with the introduction of soun d in the late 1920s, theatergoers were no longer distra cted by the crunching and could use popcorn as they had long used chewing gum - as a means of registering, and defusing, dramatic tension.