Calling Dr. Kildare

This Kildare film is a bit different from the others. Just the second in the series, Kildare is trying to find his footing in Blair hospital when he has a run in with Dr. Gillespie that could end their working relationship. But Kildare decides to stay at Blair and finish what he has started, so he begins working at one of the hospital's clinics. Somebody comes to the clinic at closing time and convinces Kildare to come with him, that somebody is very ill and can't get to the clinic. Kildare finds a guy in an abandoned building with a bullet wound. The guy's sister (Lana Turner as Rosalie) convinces Kildare that her brother has done nothing wrong and not to call the police but help her brother. Kildare relents on principle, and Rosalie's big saucer eyes and long legs can't hurt either. And then the next day he reads that a hood has been murdered and that the suspect is the guy he patched up the night before. Complications ensue.

This is where there is an implied changing of the guard as far as Kildare's love life. Remember Kildare had a "girl next door" pseudo fiancee in the first film, now there is this gun moll, and then there is the introduction of nurse Mary Lamont (Laraine Day) who looks like she could be in Kildare's future.

I liked all of the films in this series, but I think I liked this one the least because Kildare does not have a good head on his shoulders in the decisions he makes. Fortunately for him, he has friends who do. That is how it is noir like. You have a solid citizen in the person of Kildare who has temptation in the form of a good looking girl who throws some attention his way, and this causes him to go down the wrong path, all the while justifying his actions to himself. Though Eddie Muller would probably disagree with me completely on describing it as somewhat like a noir.

In this second installment of the Dr. Kildare movie series-the Joel McCrea movie wasn't in the linear series-Lew Ayres finds himself adjusting to life in the big city after deciding to take the internship under the stern Dr. Gillespie, played by Lionel Barrymore. In case you don't remember what happened in the first movie, never fear. The first five minutes get you all caught up, with Lew's parents lamenting that he chose to be a big city intern rather than a small town doctor.

I didn't see these movies in order, so I was already used to the regular cast by the time I saw Calling Dr. Kildare. Nat Pendleton is the friendly, none-too-bright ambulance driver, Marie Blake is the telephone operator, Frank Orth is the owner of the hospital cafeteria restaurant, and Alma Kruger is Lionel's right-hand nurse. In this one, Lew is portrayed as a complete idiot with terrible judgement. He's a new intern, yet risks his medical license and jail time by treating a teenage hoodlum with a bullet wound without reporting the incident because Lana Turner turns his head and asks him not to. It was really hard to have any respect for him while watching him make bad decision after bad decision. While Laraine Day makes her first appearance in the series as Nurse Mary Lamont, it's frustrating to see Lew paying more attention to guest star Lana Turner than to the new nurse.

One cute part of the movie is the other guest star: little Bobs Watson as one of Lionel's patients. The same year as On Borrowed Time, Bobs and Lionel are together again, and Bobs is given one of his signature crying scenes as he tries to walk across the room without the brace on his damaged leg. He comes back in the sixth movie, 1940's Dr. Kildare's Crisis to show everyone how his leg is progressing, so be sure to rent that one, too!

After winning a berth at Blair General Hospital as the assistant for Dr. Gillespie, Lew Ayres nearly blows it in this second Kildare feature Calling Dr. Kildare. In fact in real life his young career could and should have been over.

Lionel Barrymore as Gillespie sends Ayres out to a street clinic to get some hands on medical experience in which he is doing his best and learning his profession. But when an emergency outside call finds him patching up a gunshot wound in Don Barry it's the start of a real bad situation for Ayres.

While he tends Barry, Ayres sends the kid to call an ambulance as the law dictates in gunshot wounds, but the kid is waylaid by Lana Turner who arrives claiming to be Barry's brother. There's a manhunt out for him because he's accused of murdering someone whom he had a fight with. Guess who the fight was over?

In fact Ayres at her suggestion because he's thinking with the old male member still doesn't call the ambulance or report the gunshot wound which should have ended his promising medical career before it started.

Lew Ayres would not be the first or the last actor to get beguiled into doing something stupid and/or foolish by Lana Turner. A little bit of the devilish vixen that Lana gave us in The Postman Always Rings Twice is very present here. She's the main reason to watch Calling Dr. Kildare.

Of course it all works out because there has to be a next Kildare film. Unless Kildare were to lose his medical license and take up a career as an underground practitioner to the underworld.

In Calling Dr. Kildare, James Kildare is in even worse trouble than he was in "Young Dr. Kildare." This time, he's gotten involved with a young boy who was shot and is being sought for a murder he says he didn't commit. Kildare helps him and doesn't report the bullet wound to the police. That's one infraction. More heinous than that - he falls hook, line and sinker for Lana Turner!

At this point, Jimmy is more or less juggling three women in his noncommittal fashion - except of course he's committed himself to the seductive Turner. There's Alice (Lynne Carver), pining away in Kildare's hometown - where she'll continue to pine - and the very pretty Mary Lamont (Laraine Day) who obviously is interested in him.

On top of everything else, he has to deal with the irascible Dr. Gillespie (Lionel Barrymore) - it'll be a few years before he mellows out, and by then, James will have left the hospital.

I liked this one better than the first in the series. It is predicated on a realistic incident - the shooting - not necessarily the doctor sticking his neck out to help. And Laraine Day is a wonderful addition as Mary.

All in all, a good entry into the "Dr. Kildare" series with a future MGM star on hand.

Dr. Gillespie (Lionel Barrymore) tells Dr. James Kildare (Lew Ayres) that his terminal cancer diagnosis last movie is another mistake. After this and other disputes, Gillespie sends Kildare to a street clinic with nurse Mary Lamont. In one case, he treats a gunshot wound for suspect Nick in his hideout and gets involved Nick's sister Rosalie.

This one introduces a few things with Kildare and I'm not sure that I like them. He has a new love interest and the hometown gal is left at home. There's also another love interest being set up. Let's face it. The boy is not thinking with his brain. He's using his lesser organ. Gillespie has less screen time and I like his character more. The series is gaining speed.