Main Cast: Bette Davis, Bette Davis, Glenn Ford, Dane Clark, Walter Brennan, Charlie Ruggles
Release Year: 1946
Country: US
Run Time: 107 minutes
Plot
In this romantic melodrama, Bette Davis plays twin sisters for the first time (she would do so again in 1964's Dead Ringer). Kate Bosworth (Davis) is a sincere, demure girl and talented artist. Her twin sister Pat (also Davis) is a flamboyant, man-hungry manipulator. Orphans, the girls' guardian is their cousin, Freddie Lindley (Charles Ruggles), with whom Kate elects to spend a summer on Martha's Vineyard. There, she meets Bill Emerson (Glenn Ford), a handsome engineer spending a summer vacation as a lighthouse inspector. Kate falls deeply in love with Bill, but when Pat shows up, he goes for the more exciting sister, eventually marrying her. Devastated, Kate throws herself into her art, but she becomes discouraged under the tutelage of an abusive master, Karnock (Dane Clark). A sailing accident gives Kate the chance to take her sister's place -- but can she fool Bill into believing that this sweet, innocent woman is his philandering, scheming wife? A Stolen Life (1946), a remake of an earlier picture by the same name that had been produced by Paramount only seven years earlier starring Elisabeth Bergner in the twins role, was nominated for a Best Special Effects Oscar. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
Robert M. Haas - Art Director, Orry-Kelly - Costume Designer, Curtis Bernhardt - Director, Rudi Fehr - Editor, Max Steiner - Composer (Music Score), Leo F. Forbstein - Musical Direction/Supervision, Ernest Haller - Cinematographer, Sol Polito - Cinematographer, Bette Davis - Producer, Fred MacLean - Set Designer, Roy Davidson - Special Effects, William McGann - Special Effects, Richard Van Enger - Special Effects, Russell Collings - Special Effects, Nathan Levinson - Sound Special Effects, Catherine Turney - Screenwriter, Margaret Buell Wilder - Screenwriter, Karel J. Benes - Book Author
Kate Bosworth (played by Davis) is an artist who misses her boat to an island off New England, where she intends to meet her sister and uncle. She persuades Bill Emerson (played by Ford) to take her home in his boat, and they both fall in love. However, Kate's twin sister Patricia (also played by Davis) decides to fall in love with Bill also, and she succeeds in stealing him away.
Refusing to be happy for Patricia, Kate instead focuses on her work. Bill eventually goes to Chile, allowing Kate to spend some time with her sister. They go sailing, and Patricia is washed overboard and drowns. Kate is washed ashore, and, when she regains consciousness, she is mistaken for Patricia. Being told that Bill is about to return from Chile, Kate decides to assume her late sister's identity.
