Casa View Drive-In
5299 Gus Thomasson Road,
Dallas,
TX
75150
5299 Gus Thomasson Road,
Dallas,
TX
75150
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Motion Picture Exhibitor, July 20, 1966: “I. B. Adelman reopened the Casa View D-I. The theatre has been closed for some time and was remodeled for the reopening. The reopening of the Casa View raises to three the number of movie houses operated (in Dallas) by Adelman. The other two are the Delman and the South Loop D-I.”
Owner info from the July 3, 1954 issue of Billboard: “White Rock Terrace Drive-In has been opened at Dallas by Robert Hartgrove and Joan Holt. The drive-in has a 600-car capacity.”
My first job was there back in 1969 or 1970
Looking at the advertisements, the White Rock Drive In began its advertisements and its listings begin on June 5, 1954 with “The Long, Long Trailer” and “Arena.” The listings are continuous until November 1956. Ads and listings stop. On April 4, 1958 advertisements begin for the Casa View Drive-In continuing year-round all the way until the end of the season in 1970. A guess would be that the White Rock only lasted three seasons. After a year off or of doing alternate programming, it resumed operations as the Casa View.
glasspolish, you are so right about direction – east is right and west is left!
You’re right Matt54. The Drive-In was on the curve at the intersection of Gus Thomasson, Maylee, and Mandalay -just north of Motley. BTW, it’s east of Casa View.
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 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.
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.
Dallas Area drive in theater ad from 1963.
Building is Larry G. Smith Elementary School.. 5299 Gus Thomasson Rd.