The Man Behind the Curtain

The legacy of Joe Yuchasz and the Elk Rapids Cinema

By Art Bukowski | Jan. 20, 2024

Dustin Heger knew that Joe Yuchasz wasn’t making a lot of money.

In fact, there were times when Heger wondered how Yuchasz could even keep things going at the beloved cinema he owned and ran in the heart of downtown Elk Rapids. It was always a popular venue, but even the hottest spots in town have lean times.

These lean times became more and more commonplace over the years as public attention drifted to other forms of entertainment in our fast-paced, modern world. Seeing a movie in a small-town, single-screen theater isn’t as high on the list as it once was.

“There’d be nights when there were only two people would show up to the movie, and I knew he was losing money by paying me that night, even by having the lights on,” says Heger, who worked for Yuchasz for five of his teenage years.

But what Heger will never, ever forget is the constant smile and relentlessly upbeat attitude of a man who found—and lived—his passion of educating, entertaining, and inspiring others.

“Through all of it, no matter what, Joe always acted like he was the richest man in the world because of the happiness he got out of it,” Heger says. “The thing I ultimately learned working with Joe is that if you don’t chase something that makes you happy, that you will enjoy to the fullest, what’s the point? Happiness is the most valuable currency there is.”

Yuchasz died at age 82 in January of 2023. He owned and operated the Elk Rapids Cinema (opened in 1940 as the Elk Rapids State Theater) for almost exactly 50 years, showing countless movies, documentaries, and other features over the decades.

And while people in the Elk Rapids community certainly appreciated these films, they appreciated the man twice as much. Ask anyone about the cinema, and the conversation always turns to Joe and the very real impact he had on people of all ages.

Mr. Fix It

Yuchasz’ family moved to Kewadin from Detroit in 1946. From his youngest years, Yuchasz and his siblings gravitated to those bright marquee lights on River Street.

“When Joe and I were children, the TV station in Cadillac hadn’t even been built yet. Everyone in Elk Rapids went to the movies all the time. It changed three times a week, and as long as the movies were suitable for family viewing, we were there,” says his sister, Catherine Allegrina. “We grew up with it. It was reading or movies for entertainment.”

A man with an innate and insatiable curiosity, Yuchasz graduated from Elk Rapids High School before obtaining a communications degree from the University of Notre Dame and then studying education at Michigan State University. During this time he also served two years’ active duty in the United States Navy.

After Yuchasz had worked several years as a high school teacher in Elk Rapids and Bellaire, along with running a music store and T-shirt shop, the theater came calling. More specifically, it was Howard Coddington, the theater’s second owner, who called.

“My brother was one of those unusual people who didn’t look for his professions; they looked for him,” Allegrina says. “Mr. Coddington came to him and said, ‘Joe, I want you to buy my theater.’ Joe said he didn’t even have the money for a down payment, so Mr. Coddington lent it to him.”

That was in 1973. Yuchasz then began decades of being the cinema’s very hands-on owner. From popping and serving the popcorn to spooling the projectors and everything in between, if it needed to be done, Yuchasz did it.

“There’s no remote-control manager in this,” he told the Traverse City Record-Eagle in 2008. “You’re the secretary, treasurer, janitor and the emergency repairman.”

Emergency repairman became an all-too-real hat that Yuchasz wore down the stretch. But he dove into any necessary fix with a curiosity and vigor that made even potentially daunting tasks seem like a chance for adventure.

“One of our father’s favorite sayings was, ‘if it can be made by man, it can be fixed by man,’” Allegrina recalls. “And my brother took that saying to heart.”

It wasn’t just the fixes. As time and money allowed, Yuchasz slowly upgraded the theater. Over the years, he added plush seats, upgraded the sound system, installed a state-of-the-art digital projector, and, not long before he passed, a new popcorn machine. He also had blueprints drawn up for an addition to the theater that included housing.

“He was always very creative, and he was always looking forward,” Allegrina says. “He was never going to live long enough to do all the things he wanted to do there.”

Mr. Community

And while Yuchasz poured untold thousands of hours into the cinema, he also was deeply involved in the community at large. He served as Elk Rapids village president from 1985 until 2006 and was an active member of the Elk Rapids Rotary Club. He also was very involved at his church (often leading the charge with food for funeral dinners) and a willing donor to countless philanthropic causes.

“It was not just the theater—he shared himself,” Allegrina says. “We grew up being taught that you give to your family and your church and your community.”

Allegrina worked part-time at the theater with her brother, tending to the candy counter and doing some light bookkeeping and other odd jobs. It was another opportunity for the two already close siblings to bond.

“He was just the best big brother in the whole world,” she says. “I’ve been through some ups and downs in my life, and he was just always, always there for me. He always believed in me, and that was such a treasure.”

It was a delight for Allegrina to watch her brother interact with everyone who came to the cinema.

“One of Joe’s greatest gifts was that if you were talking to him, he was totally focused on you,” she says. “We always said goodbye to people who came to the movies. It wasn’t like at the mall, where you walk out and there’s nobody there and you just walk out the door. Sometimes he would stand there and talk and talk. We used to laugh, because every once in a while, after a matinee, you’d talk so long to people that you killed your lunch hour.”

And while Yuchasz never had kids of his own, it was nothing short of magic to watch him interact with children, Allegrina says.

“He paid attention, and he always treated children with the same respect that he gave to adults,” she says. “He never, ever talked down to them and gave them so much time and attention. He really understood how important that was to build a child up. It’s what kids need.”

The Next Generation

Heger, one of hundreds of young people who worked for Yuchasz, remembers their first encounter well.

“I was on my skateboard going down the street one day, and he literally yelled out the front door asking me to come speak with him,” says Heger, who was then 14. “He pretty much gave me a two-line interview and offered me my first job.”

Heger was expected to work hard, but on the other end of the bargain was a fiercely protective mentor and friend. On his second or third shift, Heger got caught in a tough spot with a customer who was impatient as he did math in his head.

“This guy started dogging me about how I should do this faster, and Joe overheard this from the concession stand. People always say the customer’s always right, and Joe completely valued his customers, but in this instant right here, he came up and laid into this guy and defended me,” Heger says. “From that moment, I just had endless respect for him. He values this business that he’s had his whole life, but making sure that the people who run it were taken care of was probably more important to him.”

Heger, 24, now lives and works in Los Angeles as a professional videographer and photographer. It’s a life path he credits to Yuchasz, who inspired him to chase a career in the visual arts.

“Joe employed a lot of young kids working with him there. He gave them moral lessons, which was just awesome. You worked for Joe and you listened to a lot of stories, a lot of history,” Michelle Carpenter, who manages the Harbor Antique Mall next door to the theater, told sister publication The Ticker. “Being a parent in this town or having kids grow up here, you were blessed if your son or daughter worked at that theater.”

The Next Chapter

After Yuchasz’ passing, the theater entered a state of limbo and was closed for several months. While the theater did reopen in time for Memorial Day, community members began to fear the local landmark would disappear, especially once the property was listed for sale in August.

But those fears were never realized. The cinema is now owned and run by the Chalfonte Foundation, a nonprofit based in Detroit that works to end child poverty and support the wellbeing of children. Mary Vasquez, Yuchasz’ niece who inherited the theater, now sits on the board of directors of the foundation’s new cinema and cultural division.

“We, the Chalfonte Foundation, just wanted to gush about how awesome Joe’s family has been and thank them for helping us as we transition into our new role as a cinema owner,” the foundation wrote on a social media post on the cinema’s official Facebook page.

The foundation is keeping Yuchasz’ legacy alive by maintaining theater operations for the community, with plans for a new roof, an FM radio station in the basement, and a future three-story addition to the building.

In the meantime, winter showtimes at Elk Rapids Cinema are 7pm on Thursdays and Fridays plus Saturdays and Sundays at 2pm and 7pm. Coming next is The Boys in the Boat, directed by George Clooney. Showings begin Friday, Jan. 26 at 7pm.