The early cinema projections and lowbrow theatrical productions were inextricably linked with other variety performances: acrobatic and juggling acts, boxing and wrestling matches, strongmen and magic shows, and traveling exhibitions. Such shows could also be seen in circuses and amusement parks when they visited Łódź.

Jewish audiences and performers were no strangers to such entertainment. The most celebrated homegrown entertainer was the strongman Zishe Breitbart, who was born in Stryków near Łódź and who rose to international fame. Known as “the King of Iron,” in Poland, Breitbart was also called “Samson from Łódź.” When directed at his heavily Jewish audiences in Poland, Breitbart’s feats of superhuman strength were often staged as scenes representing ancient Jewish heroes.

Exhibitions of curiosities also attracted Jewish audiences. These presentations took the form of dime museums, animal collections, flea circuses, and freak and geek shows. Itinerant entertainers drew in audiences eager to experience the supernatural or to get a taste of faraway, exotic worlds. Unscrupulous impresarios did not hesitate to put human deformities on display while promoting them as marvels of nature. New technological inventions—such as moving pictures—were often embedded in these spectacles that purportedly showcased natural and supernatural phenomena.