Thomas Lincoln Tally

Thomas Lincoln Tally (1861 – November 24, 1945) on or near April 16, 1902 opened his Electric Theater in Los Angeles, the first movie theatre in that city and the first movie theater known to have been built from the ground up in a separate building. With James Dixon Williams he founded First National Pictures. [cite news |first= |last= |authorlink= |coauthors= |title=Celebrating July 2 -- What If...; 10 Days That Changed History |url= |quote=Then, in spring 1902, Thomas L. Tally opened his Electric Theater in Los Angeles, a radical new venture devoted to movies and other high-tech devices of the era, like audio recordings. "Tally was the first person to offer a modern multimedia entertainment experience to the American public," says the film historian Marc Wanamaker. Before long, his successful movie palace produced imitators nationally, which would become known as "nickelodeons." America's love affair with the moving image -- from the silver screen to YouTube -- would endure after all. |publisher=New York Times |date=July 2, 2006 |accessdate=2007-08-21 ] [cite news |first= |last= |authorlink= |coauthors= |title=First Film House is Victim of Time. Used Clothing Store Stands on Its Unmarked Site. |url= |quote=Los Angeles, April 17, 1962 One of the historic sites of the movie industry has been obliterated by time, squalor and indifference. |publisher=New York Times |date=April 17, 1962, Tuesday |accessdate=2007-08-21 ] He was the first to show a color movie in 1912, and he was the first to sign Charlie Chaplin and Mary Pickford to a movie contract. cite news |first= |last= |authorlink= |coauthors= |title=Thomas L. Tally, Film Pioneer, Dies. Producer First Signed Mary Pickford, Chaplin. A Founder of First National Pictures. |url= |quote= |publisher=New York Times |date=November 25, 1945, Sunday |accessdate=2007-08-21 ]

Lawsuits

*Tally v. Ganahl, 151 California Supreme Court 418 (1907)

References