O Jovem Dr. Kildare

Lew Ayres is "Young Dr. Kildare" in this 1938 film that began the popular "Dr. Kildare" series. Later, "Dr. Kildare" would become a TV series and launch Richard Chamberlain.

Here we meet Dr. K and his parents (Samuel S. Hinds and Emma Dunn). Kildare's father is a country doctor, and James decides against partnering with him. He wants to intern at Blair General Hospital. As the film unfolds, he wonders if this was the wisest choice.

Kildare spends most of the movie in trouble up to his eyeballs, first with the attempted suicide of a society woman that he interferes in, and secondly with Dr. Leonard Gillespie (Lionel Barrymore), who's a real bear. Gillespie becomes a lot mellower as the years go on, but in this initial episode, watch out! Kildare spends most of the film on the verge of being suspended, and he just got there.

Though sometimes the series did approach correct medical treatment and terms, "Young Dr. Kildare" misses that boat with its suicide case. I guess no one had ever heard of anyone being emotionally disturbed - this poor young woman was almost institutionalized because the head psychiatrist in the hospital thinks she's a schizophrenic. Kildare challenges his notion and runs all over town trying to find out why she attempted suicide. The reason is pure 1930s Hollywood.

One reason these films are fun is that MGM used them as a training ground for some of its young stars - Van Johnson, Lana Turner, Ava Gardner and Margaret O'Brien, to name a few. In this film, Monty Wooley - not young, but still in the small part phase of his career - makes an appearance.

The "Dr. Kildare" series continued into the late 1940s, in 1942 becoming the "Dr. Gillespie" series with the same cast minus Lew Ayres, persona non grata at MGM for being a conscientious objector during World War II. Ayres did serve as a medic and chaplain on the front lines, but his principles garnered a lot of publicity and were not popular with the public, so the studio got rid of him. After World War II, he received an Oscar nomination for his role in "Johnny Belinda" and he worked until 1994, two years before his death. In 1950-51, he was Dr. Kildare on the radio. He nearly became a television Dr. K, but the network refused to honor his request for no cigarette sponsorship. When you have the courage to stand by your beliefs, as Ayres did, you soon find yourself out of a job.

One of the great series shown on TV in my youth was Dr. Kildare with the outstanding Lionel Barrymore as the wise Dr. Gillespie. Each film gave insight into human nature and the medical profession without sex or swearing. Just plain good stories.It is a shame all Dr. Kildare films are not available on VHS. I do not understand why not Dr. Kildare always had great acting and great advice. America needs films like these today

Well-scrubbed medical student from the sticks interns at a New York City hospital and quickly gets on the wrong side of the Chief of Staff, as well as crotchety veteran old Dr. Gillespie (who insults everyone from his wheelchair!). The character of Jimmy Kildare was first introduced in Paramount's "Interns Can't Take Money" from 1937, with Joel McCrea in the role; MGM took over from there, turning the rather ordinary medical scenario into a long-running movie series. Lew Ayres is calm and patient as Dr. Kildare, though his exceptionally sane demeanor comes off as rather maddening alongside the many hotheads who dot the supporting cast (most of whom overact shamelessly). Kildare doesn't even react after his superiors strip him of his duties--instead, he glows with quiet pride in the knowledge that he did his job properly. Lionel Barrymore gives the film a bit of spark and sass as Gillespie, and some of the dialogue is sharp and amusing, but the subplot about a suicidal heiress is ridiculously summed up and topped with an unconvincing bow. ** from ****

People, if they remember Dr. Kildare of the 30s and 40s at all, tend to think of this series of films. Most people don't know that there was a film before this series, Internes Can't Take Money, starring Joel McCrea and Barbara Stanwyck made over at Paramount in 1937.

This was the first of the Dr. Kildare series of movies which segued into the Dr. Gillespie series of films after Lew Ayres left to serve as a medic in WWII. Lew Ayres plays Dr. James Kildare, fresh out of medical school. His father, Dr. Stephen Kildare (Samuel S. Hinds), as well as his mother, (Emma Dunn) think that he is going to practice in their small town, and they've bought a plaque with his name on it and set up an office for him in their parlor. The girl next door - literally - seems ready to pick out her wedding dress.

But James has other ideas. He wants to practice medicine in a big hospital because he's not sure what specialty he is interested in, and has already accepted an internship at Blair Hospital in New York City. How this leaves James and the girl next door is left in limbo.

In New York Kildare meets the famed Dr. Gillespie (Lionel Barrymore) who seems to immediately dislike him, he gets blamed for negligence that caused the death of a famous politician that was not his fault, AND he has a clue as to why a wealthy family's grown daughter tried to commit suicide. The hospital wants him to say what he knows, but he feels what he was told by her was in confidence and faces being fired for insubordination because he stays mum, figuring he can figure out the mystery himself and maybe save the girl's mind and spare her any embarrassment. It's funny how the hospital, the girl's family, and the specialist all feel like they have a right to discuss confidential medical information about the grown woman, but never bother to discuss it with her. Kildare is decades ahead of his time, seemingly, in medical ethics.

Not many supporting cast members that were staples of the later films are brought in here, with the exception of the telephone operator and Nat Pendleton's orderly and their long running low key romance.

MGM does something unusual at the end. There is a small segment tacked on where Lionel Barrymore and Lew Ayres mention that this film is the first of a series that will be made.

The Kildare films are especially slick and entertaining for a set of B films- the very genesis of the med-centric programming that has ruled network TV for decades. In fact, if you compare this series with early 2000's TV series "Scrubs", there seem to be lots of comparisons and even direct character-to-character correlations between the two. And with the studio system at full throttle, MGM could throw their stable of talent in as individual "guest stars" in each entry. Barrymore is just terrific in these films as the irascible and somewhat omniscient Gillespie . I'd recommend them as a great time passer. And remember that the key to enjoying these films is to not play 21st century armchair physician here, just sit back and let the drama unfold.

Dr. James Kildare (Lew Ayres) returns home after graduation. Everybody expects him to join his father in his country doctor practice. He surprises them by announcing his internship at a large New York hospital. Cantankerous, famed, wheelchair-bound Dr. Leonard Gillespie (Lionel Barrymore) becomes his mentor. He gets into trouble with some high profile cases.

It's a medical drama which starts a franchise. It's not the first with Dr. Kildare, but this one is the one which starts the series. Lew Ayres is fine as the lead, but it's Barrymore who elevates. The medical stuff is not going to compare with modern TV shows. Barrymore is the one who compares favorably no matter what.