Sage 4 Drive-In
530 S. 24th Street W,
Billings,
MT
59102
530 S. 24th Street W,
Billings,
MT
59102
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A 1981 aerial shows the original Sage Drive-In demolished. There is no screen, no projection booth, nor any indication that it was ever expanded into a four-screen drive-in.
However, about a half-mile to the south of the original drive-in is a four-screen drive-in on the same side of the road. It’s address is approximately 1092 S 24th St W, Billings, Montana. Enterprise Avenue is where the entrance to the four-screen drive-in was located.
It’s pretty clear that the Sage 4 was a NEW drive-in. The original Sage Drive-In was probably closed sometime in the 1970s.
Looks like the parch marks are all gone now, no trace of the drive-in remaining.
It was last known as “Sage 4 Drive-In”. What’s unique about it is that the theater was eventually renamed “Sage 4 Drive-In” while the three other screens were still under construction in early-August 1978. The theater then fully became a four-screen drive-in on September 1, 1978.
Sage Drive-In was the only Drive-in in Billings that Featured a Children’s Playground and a Miniature Scale Train that went through the Base of the Screen out to 24th Street West and Back.The Playground also had a Shetland Pony Ride,A Small Ferris Wheel, also a Horseshoe Pit.Probably the Most Popular Drive-in of the 1st 3 Drive-in’s in Billings as Families with Children Loved this Place. Sage featured Bingo games over your Speaker and you honked your Horn and could win Future Tickets and Snack bar items. Real Estate Values in the 70’s and the Invention of the VCR/BETA Machines were most Responsible for the Demise of Many Drive-ins across the Country. Montana being a State where you basically could only Run your Drive-in 6 months out of the Year wasn’t the most Profitable for Drive-In Owners. Sage Now Long Gone and you would never ever know a Drive-in existed on 24th West that was Between The Country Kitchen Cafe Building and Barnes and Noble Book Store. The Screen being Located where the Petro Lewis Building resided. Lots of Good Memories For People that Went to this Gone but Not Forgotten GREAT DRIVE-IN …
ROI Call Solutions sits on most of the property. You can still see the parch marks from some of the ramps just to the north of the building.
A nice description by Wilfred P. Smith, writing in Motion Picture Herald, June 11, 1955: “On a trip to Montana I was particularly impressed by the approaches and exits of the Sage drive-in at Billings. Along beautiful macadam drives were 8x8-ft. luminous paintings based on famous paintings of western scenes. They were spectacular. One painting was of a coyote howling in the night, silhouetted by a bright new moon; another depicted a cowboy on a bucking bronco. Paintings were used here in lieu of shrubs and trees because of the short season for plants.”
Boxoffice, March 20, 1954: “High winds recently hit the Sage Drive-In here, ripping off board siding on the front of the 60-foot screen structure, collapsing the marquee and wrecking neon light signs. Manager Allen Klindt said workmen were remodeling the steel-framed structure when the wind struck. He estimated damage at between $5,000 and $6,000.”
Final night of operation was September 10, 1983 with “An Officer & A Gentleman”, “Cheech & Chong Still Smokin'”, “Trading Places”, “Breathless”, “Fast Times At Ridgemont High” and “First Blood”.
4 screens opening on September 1st, 1978 and closed at the end of the 1983 season. The 1978 grand opening ad can be found in the photo section. It was operated by Carisch Theatres, Inc.
This opened on August 18th, 1950. Grand opening ad in the photo section and below.
Sage Drive In opening · Fri, Aug 18, 1950 – 24 · The Billings Gazette (Billings, Montana) · Newspapers.com