Dr. Gillespie's New Assistant

1942
Approved
1h 27m

IMDb RATING

6.2/10

255

YOUR RATING

Lionel Barrymore and Susan Peters in Dr. Gillespie's New Assistant (1942)

Medical Drama Comedy Drama Mystery Romance

Aging doctor Gillespie seeks a new assistant but is reluctant. He challenges three interns with complex medical cases, promising the one who diagnoses correctly the position.<Aging doctor Gillespie seeks a new assistant but is reluctant. He challenges three interns with complex medical cases, promising the one who diagnoses correctly the position.<Aging doctor Gillespie seeks a new assistant but is reluctant. He challenges three interns with complex medical cases, promising the one who diagnoses correctly the position.<

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

6.2/10

255

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

Trivia
This film continued MGM's long-standing practice of developing its newest contract players by casting them in supporting roles in their various film franchises. In this case, a young Van Johnson is given a shot at replacing Lew Ayres in the role of Dr. Gillespie's protegé. Audience reaction to Johnson was so positive that within a film or two, he became a top-billed star in his own right - essentially a male pin-up to millions of teen-aged bobbysoxers.

Connections
Followed by Dr. Gillespie's Criminal Case (1943)

User reviews5

Review

Featured review

6/10

Forgetful bride.

World War II era bobbysoxers got their first real exposure to Van Johnson as he tries to become Dr. Gillespie's New Assistant. With Dr. Kildare now gone, Lionel Barrymore needs a new protégé. In fact so to speak Dr. Gillespie's New Protégé might be a better title.

He's got an interesting group to choose from Johnson is in a friendly competition of sorts with Richard Quine from Australia and Keye Luke from Brooklyn who wants to eventually go to China and serve in the war effort.

The main plot of the story involved a new bride in Susan Peters recently married to Stephen McNally who all of sudden forgets everything about herself including her new husband. I won't go into the details, but sometimes Lionel Barrymore whether he was assisted by Lew Ayres, Van Johnson or anyone else always seemed to know that not all problems are solvable medically.

Barrymore would carry the series through the World War II years, but it missed something when Lew Ayres departed. Still Van Johnson does well in the role of the young idealistic man of medicine and Susan Peters scores well as the forgetful bride.