The Secret of Dr. Kildare (1939)

Director:

Harold S. Bucquet

Writers:

Max Brand (story)
Willis Goldbeck (writer)

Release Date:

24 November 1939 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

Dr. Gillespie's cancer has gotten worse, and to force him to take a rest instead of pursuing a sulfa-drug/pneumonia study...

Plot Keywords:

Hospital | Sequel | New York | Quackery | Doctor

Cast

Lew Ayres	...	Dr. James 'Jimmy' Kildare
Lionel Barrymore	...	Dr. Leonard Barry Gillespie
Lionel Atwill	...	Paul Messenger
Helen Gilbert	...	Nancy Messenger
Nat Pendleton	...	Joe Wayman
Laraine Day	...	Nurse Mary Lamont
Sara Haden	...	Nora
Samuel S. Hinds	...	Dr. Stephen Kildare
Emma Dunn	...	Mrs. Martha Kildare
Walter Kingsford	...	Dr. S.J. Carew
Grant Mitchell	...	John Xerxes Archley
Alma Kruger	...	Head Nurse Molly Byrd
Robert Kent	...	Charles Herron
Marie Blake	...	Sally, Telephone Operator
Martha O'Driscoll	...	Mrs. Roberts

Runtime:

84 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Certification:

Finland:S | Sweden:Btl | USA:Approved | USA:Passed (National Board of Review) | USA:TV-G

Filming Locations:

San Pedro, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Loew's

Movie Connections:

Followed by Dr. Kildare's Crisis (1940)

A good entry in the Dr. Kildare series, with Lionel Barrymore providing most of the fun.

It's hard to imagine this series without Lionel Barrymore as the cantankerous old wheelchair-ridden Dr. Gillespie, who is perfect counterpoint to the good actor, but rather bland Lew Ayres, playing Dr. Kildare. Without Barrymore, or the likes of him, the series would surely have flopped. The three plots going at once is typical of the series, and handled well by the director Harold S. Bucquet. The film, however, is badly named, because I couldn't tell for sure what Kildare's secret was. The audience is in on several of his deceptions: his quitting Gillespie to force him to rest; his not telling Helen Gilbert he was a doctor; and finally his lying to her about the treatment he was going to give her. Still, the film is fun to watch, especially if you've seen others films in the series and get to know how the various hospital characters interact.