In the 1920s, he turned to acting, first in British films and then on stage, with considerable success in both. He starred in two silent films directed by Alfred Hitchcock, "" and "Downhill" (both 1927). On stage, he played the title character in the first London production of "Liliom" (1926). Novello briefly went to Hollywood, but he soon returned to Britain, where he had more successes, especially on stage, appearing in his own lavish West End productions of musicals. The best known of these were "Glamorous Night" (1935) and "The Dancing Years" (1939).