Between Two Women

The Dr. Kildare series was used as a training ground for its young stars. Here, with Lew Ayres banished, Van Johnson is the juvenile doctor getting advice from the irascible Dr. Gillespie (Lionel Barrymore).

Here, Ruth Edley (Marilyn Maxwell) continues her hot pursuit of Dr. Adams (Johnson), and in his medical life, he becomes involved in the case of a beautiful singer (Gloria DeHaven) who is unable to eat (it's not anorexia).

Another subplot is that Sally (Marie Blake), the switchboard operator, becomes ill with Bright's Disease, which is often mentioned in films. It's actually nephritis, or kidney stones. OUCH.

Okay episode, with Keye Luke as another doctor and the usual cast of Alma Kruger et al. in place. The series didn't continue much longer, but Lew Ayres did play Dr. Kildare again on the radio. And we boomers remember the TV series, which shot Richard Chamberlain to stardom.

I usually really enjoy the Dr. Kildare and Dr. Gillespie movies, but this installment of the series was pretty stinky. With Lew Ayres working as a medic in WWII, he was replaced by Dr. Red Adams, played by Van Johnson. But all the drama went with him, and these few movies in the mid-40s were light and comical. Lew's steady girl, Nurse Mary Lamont (Laraine Day), also left the cast. Van's steady girl was Marilyn Maxwell, and in this movie the running gag is that he doesn't want to kiss her. In one scene, she has to buy 100,000 war bonds at a fundraiser to gain a kiss. Keenan Wynn is the emcee of the fundraiser, and at least everything he says is very funny.

The side plot involves Gloria DeHaven, a nightclub singer, suffering from starvation, and one of the hospital phone operators, Marie Blake, getting misdiagnosed. When Van finally corrects his mistake, you know what he tells her? "If you'd told us about the pain earlier, it would have been a lot easier." Great bedside manner: blame the patient. Lionel Barrymore isn't given anything to do but make jokes with the nurses. It really doesn't feel like a Dr. Kildare movie, so if you like the regular series, you're going to be disappointed.

The penultimate entry in MGM's Dr. Gillespie series focuses more on Van Johnson's Dr. Red Adams than Lionel Barrymore's Dr. Gillespie. I initially thought the title was misleading since Van Johnson isn't torn between two women in this. But then I realized it actually referred to the Gloria DeHaven character's big mystery. Gloria's pretty and sings a great version of "I'm in the Mood for Love." Marilyn Maxwell's been chasing Van for the last two movies and now she's trying a new tactic. I always found Van Johnson's sex appeal somewhat questionable but MGM was working overtime in this series pumping him up as a heartthrob. He even gets to show what a virile he-man he is by tackling a hoodlum. This marks the final Gillespie movie for both Johnson and Maxwell. In addition to the romantic drama, Marie Blake's Sally has collapsed and needs emergency surgery performed by -- you guessed it -- Van.

Blake has been with the series since the first Kildare movie. It's nice she gets a bigger story this time. Also appearing are Lionel Barrymore (of course), Keye Luke, Nell Craig, and Alma Kruger. Early amusing role for Keenan Wynn. All are very enjoyable but, like I said, this is a showcase for Johnson. A little more time with Barrymore and Luke would have been nice. Still, it's a light and pleasant movie. One other thing -- in Young Dr. Kildare, Monty Wooley played an eminent psychiatrist named Dr. Lane Porteus. Here, a Dr. Lane Porteus is referenced but he's an eminent surgeon, not a shrink. A rare slip-up for a series with otherwise great continuity for its time.

Van Johnson moves up to top billing in the remnants of the Dr. Kildare series, but don't let that fool you: Lionel Barrymore continues to own every scene he's in and most of those he's not in. This is the next to last in the series, although how they sold it is up in the air: there's nothing to indicate it in the title, and a potential competing doctor is knocked off in the opening dialogue, although Keye Luke shows up as does series regular Alma Kruger as Nurse Molly Bird.

Meanwhile, the fun in this series is looking at the talent on display before it became well known. Van Johnson is pursued by society girl Marilyn Maxwell, made up like Ava Gardner, and cures chanteuse Gloria de Haven by a quick psychoanalytic session before she became a bad girl in the movies. So much for miracle cures. Keenan Wynn shows up as a nightclub mc and that about covers the fun in this movie.

Between Two Women is exactly where Dr. Van Johnson finds himself. Lionel Barrymore gives him some nightclub tickets and tells him to spend the night off. But Johnson who is a doctor 24/7 spots something wrong with singer Gloria DeHaven and his rich society girlfriend Marilyn Maxwell gets in my opinion rather pouty over it. She can't quite convince herself that to Johnson she's an unusual and intriguing case. Especially after she collapses in her dressing room. I thought Maxwell's attitude was really unreasonable and the story really isn't convincing. At least that part of it.

As it turns out DeHaven's problems are all in her mind. But I'll let you see the film to find out what they are.

What's very real is the popular Blair General Hospital switchboard operator Marie Blake collapsing and getting checked in. Everyone has a deep and abiding concern for her from hospital head Walter Kingsford to head nurse Alma Kruger on down. Blake who was Jeanette MacDonald's real life sister has some very touching scenes with Johnson. This one hits close to home to the Blair General Hospital family.

The story of Blake is far better written and told than the one with DeHaven making Between Two Women a rather unbalanced film. Still those who like those Blair General Hospital films should be pleased.