An ‘impresario’ is a person who organizes and finances concerts, plays and operas. Art intermediaries are important. They make the availability of art performances much more accessible for the public. A good impresario knows well the audience and their needs.

Mr Harry Odell, a Jewish man, was born in 1896. He came to live in Hong Kong in 1921 and died in 1975 at the age of 79.

It was said that his real name was ‘Harry Obadofsky’. He was the son of Russian Jewish parents. He was educated at St. Francis Xavier’s College, in Shanghai. He ran away from home at 16 and supported himself as a tap dancer in Japan, before emigrating to the USA. In 1921, Obadofsky arrived in Hong Kong and changed his surname to Odell for the reason of marrying a girl Sophie Weill whose family owned the prestigious jewellery business Sennet Freres in Hong Kong. He fought in the defence of Hong Kong in 1941 and was made a prisoner of war by the Japanese.

Mr Odell loved art and culture. By persuading international acclaimed artists such as Xavier Cugat and Issace Stern to perform here in the colony in those years, he was the first impresario in the history of Hong Kong. He tirelessly lobbied the colonial government to build a permanent place for art performances. As a result, the first such venue, Hong Kong City Hall, was completed in 1962(information provided by Judy Green from ‘The Dictionary of Hong Kong Biography’).

Mr Odell built his own concert theatre and film cinema known as the ‘Empire Theatre璇宮戲院’ in 1952.  It was located in the North Point area along King’s Road and in those years, North Point was regarded as a remote place. Business was bad and it closed in 1957, and re-opened in 1959 as the ‘State Theatre皇都戲院’ following the purchase by a rich Chinese businessman and extensive renovations. The State Theatre sadly closed in 1997.

Concerns were raised in 2015 that the heritage building might be demolished. In 2020, a big property developer in Hong Kong New World Development acquired the ownership right of the Theatre and put forward good proposals related to the conservation of State Theatre. The Theatre is being repaired and will be opened soon for the third time.

The above is not just a story of history. It is a love story of how Harry Odell loved Hong Kong and how we loved this art hero. His life is one big touching story with hundreds of little touching stories within it.

2 film directors, Dora Choi & Haider Kikabhoy, made an evocative documentary movie about the noble story of Harry Odell and it is called To Be Continued 尚未完場.  This piece of impressive work looks back on the history of the State Theatre (formerly the Empire Theatre) and the great life of Harry Odell. A film critic wrote this: “Kikabhoy and Choi created a film that is not just educational; it is also upbeat, amusing and heart felt at the same time.”

Apart from visiting Odell’s grave in Happy Valley and gazing at Odell’s former residence Old Alberose in Pokfulam, you must watch this heart-warming good film To Be Continued!

Maurice Lee

To Be Continued Trailer  https://youtu.be/U6GICy7Nmpc   Acknowledgement – 尚未完場

Hong Kong City Hall  https://youtu.be/fg97X8gfsrA  Acknowledgement – Online Museum

State Theatre  https://youtu.be/S7D0U8DgEyo   Acknowledgement – Bloomberg Television

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