Harry E. Huffman

Harry E. Huffman (1883–1969) was an American movie theater owner and manager. Originally a pharmacist in Denver, Colorado, he began purchasing movie theaters after seeing a motion picture for the first time and foreseeing their potential cultural impact. In 1921, he purchased the movie theater next to his drugstore, and went on to own most of the major movie theaters in Denver at one time or another, His home, a two-story mansion that he named Shangri-La, was a replica of the fictional monastery seen in the 1937 film Lost Horizon. The home was a fixture on the city's social scene as Huffman and his wife hosted lavish parties there for prominent guests from the business and entertainment worlds.

Career

By 1933, Huffman owned seven theaters: the Bide-a-Wee, the Bluebird, the Aladdin, the America, the Colorado, the Rialto, and the Orpheum. In the early 1940s, Huffman's theaters participated in the sale of war bonds.

Memberships and affiliations In 1930, Huffman became a member of the board of directors of American National Bank. He later served as president of the Denver Aviation and Vacation Exposition, and was a founder of the Denver Convention and Visitors Bureau, serving as its president for 13 years.

During World War II, Huffman was a member of the Governor's Committee for Public Health. He was "specifically influential in educating the public on eye problems". He himself was affected with glaucoma.

Residence

In the mid-1930s, Huffman purchased a tract of land located outside the city on which to construct a private residence. He tapped Denver architect Raymond Harry Ervin to design a replica of the monastery seen in the 1937 film Lost Horizon. The Streamline Moderne mansion was called Shangri-La. The mansion became a fixture on Denver's social scene as Huffman and his wife Christine hosted lavish parties for prominent guests from the business and entertainment worlds.

Personal life Huffman considered the number 13 lucky. A 1947 Denver Post column noted that Huffman "was born on the 13th day of the month, became engaged on the 13th, contracted for purchases of several Denver cinemas on the 13th, and made his first loan, of $1,300, on the 13th. His car license begins with 13, his house is surrounded by 13 acres on country road 13, is complete with 13 rooms, and bears the number of 13 Leets Dale Drive".

Huffman died in 1969.