El secreto del Dr. Kildare

Dr. Gillespie's health worsens and the work on a project with Dr. Kildare is taking its toll. In order to get him to take a rest, Dr. Kildare persuades the hospital to assign him to look after an heiress who believes she is dying.

Fourth of the ten films in the series and the third in which Lew Ayres plays Dr. Kildare. Quite entertaining but fans of the series will know what to expect and, as usual, Lionel Barrymore steals the show as Dr. Gillespie. Helen Gilbert plays the heiress.

The third movie in the wonderful Dr. Kildare series from MGM finds Jimmy Kildare (Lew Ayres) trying to help a rich man's daughter who's having some kind of psychological problems that have led to a case of hysterical blindness. Meanwhile, Kildare must also deal with both his father (Samuel S. Hinds) and mentor, Dr. Gillespie (Lionel Barrymore), having illnesses. Gillespie's still fighting his cancer and refusing to rest. Kildare, Sr. is visiting a heart specialist without telling Jimmy.

Ayres and Barrymore are both great. Barrymore's Gillespie gives some tough love to an alcoholic with one of my favorite outbursts of his ("If you drink, it's your own fault and you can't blame your poor ancestors!"). The cast of regulars, including Laraine Day and Nat Pendleton, are terrific. None of them hit a bad note. Pretty Helen Gilbert is the girl with hysterical blindness. She does fine. Lionel Atwill is somewhat wasted as her father. I kept expecting to find out her condition was caused by some mad science experiment of his but, alas, no such luck. Sara Haden and Grant Mitchell also appear in small roles.

It's not the strongest entry in the series but it is enjoyable. One interesting tidbit is that Gillespie refers to hospital head Dr. Carew (Walter Kingsford) as the best doctor in the hospital. Carew is usually displayed in the series as more of a bureaucrat than a competent doctor, let alone 'the best.' It was a nice touch for them to add a layer to the character, even if it's little more than lip service.

"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.

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.

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.