Vignettes of Poughkeepsie: Roosevelt Cinemas, Friday, January 27, 4:07 p.m.
The Roosevelt Cinemas theater in Hyde Park has been providing the chills and thrills of the movies to patrons of the Hudson Valley for just over 25 years. Along with its sister theater Lycecum Cinemas in Red Hook, this eight screen, privately-owned theater offers significantly lower ticket and concession prices than any major theater chain. Almost directly across the street from the entrance to the FDR Presidential Library Museum, this theater is a marriage of geographic history and cinematic tradition.
On this late Friday afternoon, it is clear what kind of impact the theater has on the surrounding community. In the span of five or so minutes, guests of all ages walk through the door. A pair of elderly women walk through the glass doors with the exact change for admission ready in their hands; they know the drill, and this certainly isn’t their first Roosevelt Cinemas experience. A young boy excitedly glides in towards the cashier, with his father trying to keep pace; this could very well be his first experience at the movies. They’re followed by a larger group, a few of which seem to be suffering from some sort of mental disability. As they come out, one of the managers comes out to strike up a brief conversation; they seem to be regular customers.
Going to see a movie at the Roosevelt is much more than just a quick way to waste two hours for these residents. For many, it’s a more important experience, a celebration of small business and big movies. The pre-show entertainment consists almost solely of advertisements for privately-owned businesses, projected up on a not-too-big but not-too-small screen. Every time I visit this theater, I’m reminded of this unique blend of the Hudson Valley. This is a melting pot of big and small, and this theater represents that mixture within its walls.
