The Movie Man who changed our moviegoing habits!!

A recent anniversary went pretty much unnoticed except by some of us who recall, vividly, what happened 46 years ago in Concord.

The summer of 1967 was notable for a lot of reasons but one of the most important was the arrival of Barry Steelman in Concord with the opening of Cinema 93 on Loudon Road, as part of what was known as King’s Shopping Center. Today Rocky’s (Ace) Hardware and TJ Maxx occupy much of the plaza.

With its opening, Cinema 93 was the first new indoor movie theatre in open in Concord since the 1934 opening of the Concord Theatre on South Main Street.  Cinema 93 helped to change, forever, the moviegoing habits of people in Concord.

Interestingly, the same week Cinema 93 opened its doors, I began what would be a 27 year association with the Concord Theatre.I was a student at Brady and had found what I felt was the perfect job for the summer and for evenings during the school year.

Cinema 93 was shiny, sleek and modern, a complete change from the two theatres that occupied downtown Concord, with wider, more comfortable seating and a sound system that enabled you to clearly hear every word spoken.

The first movie I saw there during that warm summer was “The Taming of the Shrew” starring Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton. It was only the first of hundreds of movies I would enjoy there during the next thirty plus years.

Barry’s father, Arthur, handled crowd control among other things and was an imposing gentleman who bore a resemblance to the “Master of Suspense,” Alfred Hitchcock, and he clearly enjoyed being a part of the theatre. As a regular, he got to know me slightly and was always warm and friendly and very honest when I’d ask his opinion of the current attraction.

Barry clearly loved running Cinema 93 and had an almost child-like delight in talking about the films shown. It was obvious that he loved all things film related and was a veritable font of knowledge about motion pictures in general.

When he opened up his video business, later transferring it to a location on Pleasant Street that had once housed The Star Theatre, he helped provided hundreds of area residents with thousands of hours of viewing pleasure.

Cinema 93 didn’t just play the popular pictures, guaranteed to draw a crowd. Frequently they played “art” films, foreign films, classic revivals and movies you might never have heard of. Barry took risks in booking films that sometimes challenged the viewer and helped them to expand their viewing habits and in the process built a loyal and devoted audience who eagerly looked forward to each schedule of upcoming pictures.

Sure you could see such popular audience pleasers such as “The Graduate”, “On Golden Pond”, “Star Wars” and “Dances with Wolves” but you also had an opportunity to experience anything from “My Dinner with Andre” to “La Cage Aux Folles” to “Room with a View” and marvel at the work of foreign directors whose names you could barely pronounce.

I truly believe we wouldn’t have a Red River Theatre had Barry Steelman not helped to raise audience awareness of film as an art form.

Fortunately for Concord, Barry Steelman remains an important part of our community, whether bringing his expertise to Red River Theatre or sharing his knowledge by teaching classes as part of the OLLI Program at Granite State College.

Next time you see him give him a nod, a smile or a thank you for helping to make the silver screen in Concord shine just a bit brighter.