Lorimar Television
 |
|
| Entertainment | |
| Industry | Television and film production |
| Fate | folded into Warner Bros. Television |
| Successor | Warner Bros. Television |
| Founded | February 1, 1969 |
| Defunct | 1993 |
| Headquarters | Los Angeles, CA, USA |
|
Key people
|
Irwin Molasky, Merv Adelson and Lee Rich (founders) |
| Parent | Time Warner |
Lorimar, later known as Lorimar Television and Lorimar Distribution, was an American production company that was later a subsidiary of Warner Bros., active from 1969 until 1993. It was founded by Irwin Molasky, Merv Adelson, and Lee Rich, who named the company by combining their initials - LR, IM, and MA. Inspired by Adelson's ex-wife, Lori, an O was added as was a final R (apparently inspired by Palomar Airport in San Diego, California) and the doubled M was reduced to a single letter to make a more palatable name - Lorimar.
The company was founded on $185,000 loan Merv Adelson gave to Lee Rich. Prior to Lorimar, Rich had an established reputation; first as an advertising executive at Benton & Bowles, then as a television producer, co-producing (with Walter Mirisch) successful series such as The Rat Patrol.
Lorimar initially started producing made-for-TV movies for the ABC Movie of the Week. Rich bought the script to an adaptation of Earl Hamner Jr.'s novel The Homecoming and subsequently sold the rights to CBS. The Homecoming: A Christmas Story, airing during the 1971 holiday season, was a ratings success, and served as the pilot for Lorimar's first major hit production, The Waltons, premiering in 1972. Throughout the 1970s, Lorimar produced several other shows, as well, including Eight is Enough; of these, the most popular by far was Dallas. In 1980, Lorimar purchased the bankrupt Allied Artists Pictures Corporation.
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