Casa View Drive-In
5299 Gus Thomasson Road,
Dallas,
TX
75228
5299 Gus Thomasson Road,
Dallas,
TX
75228
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This drive-in opened in 1954 as the White Rock Drive-In; name changed to Casa View in 1961. An educated guess would be that, by the late 50’s, the neighborhood & shopping center that grew up around St. Pius X Parish (est. 1954) had taken on an identity quite separate and apart from the general White Rock area.
The last time I remember visiting this drive-in was in 1970, to see a double feature of “Giant” (which had just had a national reissue in badly faded WarnerColor prints) and “Return of the Seven.” Long night.
We lost some of the comments when we switched over to the new format – one of them being that the Casa View originally opened in (IIRC) 1954 as the White Rock Drive-In. Still called White Rock as late as 1959. Exactly when name changed, I don’t know but from the time my family first started attending (ca. 1961), it was already the Casa View.
Street view is wrong. This theatre was not located at the intersection of Gus Thomasson and Ferguson, as that would have put it smack in the middle of one of Casa View Shopping Center’s huge parking lots; it was actually located farther west on Gus Thomasson, at its intersection with Maylee Blvd. It occupied the present site of Larry Smith Elementary School.
Chuck, Historical Aerials 1958 view confirms the 4617 address as correct for the Samuell Blvd D/I – no trace in 1958 view at 4200.
Don, as I stated earlier, East Pike makes sense as original name for Samuell Blvd. due to designation of that part of Samuell Blvd. as U.S. Highway 80 coming into Dallas from the east back in those days. Many of the streets in that part of town must have run different back in those days – for example, the original address of the nearby Lone Star D/I is listed in early materials as “near Military Pkwy and Forney Road.” No mention of Lawnview Ave., which is exactly where the Lone Star sat, at 4600.
The address that the book gives for the East Pike Drive-In is 4200 Samuel Boulevard, Dallas, TX. I think this address is about 5 blocks from the address listed on the Samuel Boulevard Drive-In
Me too matt and there was the Kaufman Pike Drive In at 175 & Jim Miller Rd in Dallas.
Oh, it feels like we’re on to something…funtime!
Matt, In the book it states that the Samuel Blvd. Drive-In opened as the East Pike Drive-In. It doesn’t say when it changed names. But it does give a different address than what is listed in the header on the page for the Samuel Boulevard Drive-In.
I am not sure, my niece got it for me as a Christmas present since she knows my love for the theatre research. She was on vacation in San Antonia and found it at a second hand book store.
BTW Chuck –
Is that book still available?
The 1972 view on Historic Aerials looks like it’s already fallen on hard times. Last I remember attending a show there was in 1970 to see a double feature of “Giant” and “Return of the Seven.” “Return” opened the bill with “Giant” following – long night. I don’t remember the place being in bad shape, though, so maybe they just shut ‘er down one night and walked away.
Thanks, Chuck – I never called it the House View – that was tlsloews' joke (I think) – but since I’ve got your attention, can you skip on over to the Dallas listing for the Samuell Boulevard Drive-In and check out Bob Jensen’s contention that it was once called the East Pike? Never heard that one, either, and he did not reply to my response as to when the SB was called that. Might make sense, though, because IIRC Samuell Blvd was, in former times, the main E-W hwy (HWY 80) as it ran through that part of Dallas.
Matt, what I did find in the book “The Old Movie Theatres of Texas” this drive opened as the White Rock Drive-In in 1954, in the early-1960’s the name changed to the Casa View Drive-In. We know that it was the Casa View in 1963 from the newspaper ad that Don Lewis posted. I can find nothing in the book about it every being named the House View Drive-In or anything on the internet with it being called by that name.
Good deal, SiliconSam – then, we ought to add an aka to this drive-in. Funny, never in all the years I spent in Dallas did I hear it referred to as the White Rock Drive-In. Here is a link to that 1959 Mapsco page (listing is on the lower right):
View link
Looking through the area with Historic Aerials, I can’t find another DI on Gus Thomasson, so that is likely the only one there.
If I can track down my 1962 Dallas Mapsco, I’ll see what it says. It is getting pretty fragile, but one day I need to sit down and scan it into my Mac.
My family moved to Dallas when I was four, in 1958 – the fact that I always remember this drive-in being called the Casa View notwithstanding, could it have started out life as the White Rock Drive-In?
Reason for my question is a page from a 1959 Dallas Mapsco that lists no Casa View, but does list a White Rock D/I on Gus Thomasson Rd. – no street number, though. – This is the only D/I I ever knew about on Gus Thomasson.
I’m hoping maybe someone like Chuck 1231 or SiliconSam can chime in on this one.
Used to visit friends who lived on San Paula – we’d sneak over the back fence and catch a free show.
A.K.A House View Drive-in.
PLEASE CHANGE ADDRESS TO:
5299 gus thomaSson road.
The screen stood at least between 1956 & 1972.
Dallas Area drive in theater ad from 1963.
Building is Larry G. Smith Elementary School.. 5299 Gus Thomasson Rd.
Street name needs to be changed to Gus Thomasson.
Drive In was located right where the large building is now in the center of the link.
View link
And a 1972 aerial view:
http://www.historicaerials.com/?poi=11224