Dr. Kildare - Das Geheimnis

Lionel Barrymore ("Dr. Gillespie") and Lew Ayres ("Dr. Kildare") are teacher and pupil in this competent medical drama. The former is working himself too hard trying to get to the root causes - and therefore to develop a treatment for - pneumonia. The latter is working with the daughter of one of America's wealthiest men (Lionel Atwill) who seems to be suffering from a sort of psychological illness derived from some incident from her past. Barrymore is great as the curmudgeonly, wheelchair-bound physician and he has some fun set-piece skirmishes with head nurse "Molly" (Alma Kruger); otherwise it is only really remarkable as an obvious precursor to not only the "Dr. Kildare" television series' but to episodic medical programming in general.

The very watchable Dr. Kildare series is a refreshing and smart reality check for the matinee crowd, then as now, and has wisely been noted by others as a precursor to the modern medical TV dramas. But the one thing that spoils these otherwise well balanced (drama/wit/intellect) and well paced stories is the Conover character played by George Reed in this forced black stereotype "Amos and Andy" patronizing manner, instead of in the normal, everyday, regular guy way of talking, like the rest of the cast. Even the "Irish" bartender bit got over played racially in the series. You have to tell yourself this is the product of the times, but were all movie directors 'that' insensitive in the 1930's? Oh well, it is what it is, but it could have been much, much better without the negative racial portrayals.

Dr. Kildare (Lew Ayres) assists wheelchair-bound dying Dr. Gillespie (Lionel Barrymore) in a fight to cure pneumonia. Wall Street tycoon Paul Messenger wants his daughter Nancy checked as she presents personality issues. With Gillespie sidelined due to exhaustion, Kildare poses as a family friend to investigate Nancy.

I don't know anything about this series or these characters to my detriment. This is preceded by two movies in the series and two more stories before MGM. I missed the connection between student and mentor. I get the idea from the movie but not the feeling. Lionel is a lion. Lew Ayres pales in comparison. If it's done today, this would be TV show material. This is fine for pre-TV to have a movie series such as this.

In 1939's "The Secret of Dr. Kildare," the young doctor is faced with a tough decision. Dr. Gillespie's cancer has exacerbated, and he cannot continue his lab experiments as he once did. Of course, he's refusing to stop. So Kildare quits, knowing Gillespie can't do the work without him. He takes over instead the care of a young woman, Nancy Messenger (Helen Gilbert), who has some emotional issues. Her father (Lionel Atwill) isn't sure what to do about her, so Kildare gains her confidence and tries to get to the bottom of her problems. Meanwhile, Kildare's parents (Samuel S. Hinds and Emma Dunn) come to visit. It turns out that the senior Dr. K has a potentially terminal heart problem and has come to New York for a second opinion. This, too, is a Secret of Dr. Kildare - because he doesn't tell his son.

What made this series a great success was the interrelationships of the characters. Lionel Barrymore is a great Dr. Gillespie, and his relationship with Kildare, with his head nurse, Molly Byrd (Alma Kruger) and Dr. Carew (Walter Kingsford) are lively ones of affection cut with bellowing. Laraine Day is Mary Lamont, who's in love with Kildare, but things haven't really heated up between them yet. She, too, has her moments with Gillespie. At one point while recuperating from a weak spell, he asks her to order him a steak, baked potato and apple pie. Lamont never changes expression, picking up the phone to get him gruel and weak tea.

Though the plot line involving Nancy Messenger is oversimplified and not terribly realistic, this is nevertheless a good episode in the Kildare series. Some trivia - Helen Gilbert, who plays Nancy, in real life was married for one year to gangster Johnny Stompanato, Lana Turner's boyfriend who was killed by her daughter Cheryl.

"The Secret of Dr. Kildare" shines as a multi-threaded gem, typical of the Kildare series. And this time the master may teach his pupil, but the pupil has a lesson of his own to give the great Dr. Gillespie. Three main twists populate this inviting plot, all of which come together in a heart warming conclusion, in true Dr. Kildare fashion. The first centers on the mysterious symptoms of a wealthy young female patient. The second involves the progression of the cantankerous Dr. Gillespie's illness. And the third focuses on the sudden, terminal diagnosis of Dr. Stephen Kildare. Our poor young doctor certainly has his hands full in this well paced and droll mystery. And while Dr. Kildare may be keeping lots of secrets in this one, he is certainly not the only one.

The interwoven plot lines keep the viewer entertained with anticipation and concern; however, Lionel Barrymore's outstanding performance as the cranky, brilliant, and always lovable Dr. Gillespie really steals the show. Lew Ayres offers a convincing and commendable job as the altruistic protege, while Laraine Day provides a lovely and supportive co-star, shining in a particularly touching bedside scene with Barrymore. But it cannot be said too often that this film gains so much from _all_ of the characters involved -- from Kildare's amiable parents, to the inexorable Head Nurse Byrd and the doctors' ever copacetic assistant, Conover. The conclusion ties the story lines together with typical charming optimism, but then if you aren't watching these films as part of the doctor's feel-good prescription, then you might be missing the point.