His Double Life (DVD)

World-famous artist Priam Farrell (Roland Young) is a dead ringer for his devoted valet, Henry Leek. When Leek suddenly takes ill and dies, a mix-up leads to Farrell being mistaken for his departed servant. Failing to convince anyone of his true identity, Farrell resigns himself to the loss of his former life, until he's spotted in a hotel by lovely Alice Hunter (Lillian Gish). Despite his denials, Alice is sure that he is Henry Leek, the man she had been romantically corresponding with through a matrimonial bureau. Unable to dissuade her, Farrell falls for the charming woman and settles into a happy new life with her under his assumed name. When Leek's widow and surviving children suddenly show up, Farrell must put all his creative energy into reclaiming his old identity while still holding onto the best parts of the new one.

Director Arthur Hopkins was fortunate to have the brilliant actress, Lillian Gish, playing the romantic lead. Gish, best known for her work with D.W. Griffith, was the only actor from the early days of silent cinema to receive the American Film Institute's Lifetime Achievement Award. Roland Young, another actor of the silent era, made his screen debut in 1922, playing Doctor Watson opposite John Barrymore in Sherlock Holmes. He is best remembered for the title role in the 1937 comedy film, Topper, which earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor.

• comedy