T.P. Finnegan came to Dallas, Texas from St. Louis, Missouri in 1908 to take over as manager of the Majestic Theater from B.S. Muckenfuss. In November 1908, Finnegan was arrested for violating Texas law for operating a theater on Sunday. He was arrested again in December 1908 for the same charge and fined $200 because of the repeat offenses. Eventually, after appeal, Finnegan was acquitted of three of the charges and paid a $20 fine for the fourth.
Finnegan in 1913 left the Majestic Theater to open his own movie theater, the Hippodrome. The Hippodrome, on Elm Street at Murphy, was the finest movie theater during its time. It could seat 1200, used a similar cooling system as the Adolphus Hotel and claimed to have the largest organ of any other theater in the United States. Finnegan called it the "finest west of the Mississippi." Two years later he helped construct a movie theater in Waco, also known as the Hippodrome. He later left the entertainment business for contracting.
From the guide to the T. P. Finnegan Collection MA60-1., 1908-1937, (Texas/Dallas History & Archives, Dallas Public Library)
