Le Jeune Docteur Kildare

Just after graduating from medical school, young Dr. James Kildare decides to get a job at a large New York hospital instead of joining his father's rural practice. In New York, he meets the famous Dr. Leonard Gillespie, who becomes his mentor. Kildare finds himself in serious trouble when he rescues a suicidal woman who turns out to be the heiress with a powerful family.

It Might Come as a Surprise to Very Young Fans of TV's "House" or Pay TV's "The Knick" that Medical Dramas with High Personality Doctors were Around and Popular Even in the Thirties. This was a Long Running Series of B-Movies from MGM and this was The Origin Story. Lew Ayers Plays Kildare with a Great Voice and a Sombre Pretty Face and Not Much Else but He is Acceptable and lets Lionel Barrymore's Sarcasms and Put Downs Steal the Show. Nat Pendleton is the Comedic Companion, an Ambulance Driver. Spicing Up Things is a Detective Like Inquiry out of the Hospital and a Psychiatric Case that is Pure Bunkum. Overall Worth a Watch for this is the Initial Entry and if You Like it there are Many More to Follow. Average as These Things Go, but it was a Very Popular Series. Note...Richard Chamberlain brought the Character to TV in the early Sixties and competed with Vince Edwards as Dr. Ben Casey on a rival Network.

Enjoyable film except for the fact that Lew Ayres, our young Dr. Kildare, resorts to being a sleuth to help determine why a young heiress attempted suicide. The film should have stuck with Kildare's encounters with the irascible, contentious, cantankerous Lionel Barrymore. The latter acted the same way years later in "It's A Wonderful Life," Knowing that he wants more out of medicine, Kildare decides to leave his father's country practice and work at a N.Y. hospital. There he shows determination and foresight, which of course is caught by the ever-nasty Gillespie. (Barrymore) We see the idea of wealthy people getting better hospital treatment and the bureaucratic side of any hospital. Nothing much has changed.

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