Why Lillian Gish didn't truly prosper in the talkies as much as she did in the silent era is a tough question. She wasn't classically beautiful, but she was pretty in a "cute" sort of way. She had an adaptable acting style (over exaggerated for the silent pictures, more subdued for the talkies). She had a pleasant voice, a bit on the soft side, but able to project. She had all the chops to succeed in the new artistic format. And His Double Life (1933), released some eighteen years after her most famous role in The Birth of a Nation (1915), proves that Gish had capability in comedic roles in humorous situations as well.
His Double Life has Roland Young playing the part of a famous, reclusive artist named Priam Farrel. He abhors social situations and the wealth generated by his expensive painting has allowed him to travel around privately, with only his butler and his girlfriend knowing his true identity. Even his relatives don't know what he looks like, for he has been in seclusion since he was quite young. Farrel's girlfriend proposes marriage and volunteers him to go "out into the world" with her without his consent. Freaked out, Farrel and his butler flee to London where he can continue his work anonymously. When Farrel's butler catches pneumonia and dies, the doctor assumes the butler is Farrel because he is laying in his master's bed.
The true Farrel never bothers to correct the doctor, seeing taking on the new identity of his butler as a great opportunity to start over. Even attending his own funeral.
The butler has been involved in a dating service prior to his death, so here enters Lillian Gish, who meets the impostor at a pre-arranged date. The hit it off and courtship moves quickly.
Soon they are married.
When they experience money problems, Farrel can't keep himself from painting to earn some extra money. The paintings are seen by Farrel's old art dealer, and suspicions arise as to whether it was truly the artist who had died before...
clip from His Double Life
http://cinematicthoughts.blogspot.com/2012/07/his-double-life-1933-lillian-gish.html
