Grodin Dazzles Crowd at Sarah Lawrence College

Over a vast career spanning more than half a century, Charles Grodin has amassed a diverse array of hats for acclaimed acting roles, Emmy award-winning writing, New York Times bestselling publications and poignant talk show chops.

In person, Grodin is as clever and animated as the accountant he plays in Midnight Run, the film screened during The Picture House's "An Evening with Charles Grodin" on Thursday.

The 75 year-old Renaissance man showcased his philanthropic ventures during a 60-minute long Q&A session. For this role, he sported a rather modest baseball cap.

The series' latest incarnation was held at the Sarah Lawrence College's Heimbold Visual Arts Building in lieu of the Picture House's theater in Pelham, whose ongoing renovations are slated to continue through January 2011.

Patrons helped themselves to wine and cheese before the screening and Q&A. Grodin's responses ranged from anecdotes about co-star Robert DeNiro and risking hypothermia for a stunt to personal relationships he has developed with prison inmates he believes have been unjustly sentenced.

"[The United States] contains 5% of the world's population," said Grodin. "However, we possess about 25% of the world's prison population."

Grodin expertly assuaged some of the night's more sentimental moments, usually by employing the same phrase following each of his responses: "What was the question again?"

Like Grodin, the Picture House staff also boasts a varied assortment of headwear. Their inventive approach to the promotion and preservation of cinematic arts includes high school film writing and filmmaking workshops, a documentary series set to begin in the spring, an independent film program "Reel Insiders" and a future series spearheaded by New York Times writer Karen James intended to spotlight pressing feminine themes in film.

Thursday night's event was the third installment in the theater's "An Evening With…" series that has already hosted Gabriel Byrne and Susan Sarandon.

The process of revamping the Picture House's image began in 2006 when Jennifer Christman was named Executive Director just after the building narrowly escaped demolition to make way for a retail bank.

Christman assures that while she does not regard commercial establishments with contempt, southern Westchester has been overly saturated with retail banks and pharmacies.

"How many retail banks and Duane Reade's do these towns need?" she asked rhetorically.

The effort to save the Picture House galvanized residents of many southern Westchester communities, who supported Christman and her new staff during the transition from a volunteer led establishment to a professional organization with expansive goals.

"[The staff] wanted to expand the theater into a state-of-the-art film center that doubles as a film education center," said Christman. "Residents of southern Westchester usually travel south to Manhattan to receive that kind of service."

Christman noted there is no shortage of multiplexes in the County that cater to large-scale Hollywood productions. While these kinds of features sustained the Picture House financially for decades, the staff's new vision also includes shrinking maximum capacity to fewer than 400 in an effort to upgrade existing seats and increase legroom and plans to convert their former offices into a multipurpose space reserved for classes and various niche film programs.

And the beaming smiles and riotous laughter of spectators on Thursday signifies the Picture House is inching closer to its ambitious goals.