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.
11 Reviews
Kildare tries to help Gillespie and a young woman
blanche-21 March 2008
In 1939's "The Secret of Dr. Kildare," the young doctor is faced with a tough decision. Dr. Gillespie's cancer has exacerbated, and he cannot continue his lab experiments as he once did. Of course, he's refusing to stop. So Kildare quits, knowing Gillespie can't do the work without him. He takes over instead the care of a young woman, Nancy Messenger (Helen Gilbert), who has some emotional issues. Her father (Lionel Atwill) isn't sure what to do about her, so Kildare gains her confidence and tries to get to the bottom of her problems. Meanwhile, Kildare's parents (Samuel S. Hinds and Emma Dunn) come to visit. It turns out that the senior Dr. K has a potentially terminal heart problem and has come to New York for a second opinion. This, too, is a Secret of Dr. Kildare - because he doesn't tell his son.
What made this series a great success was the interrelationships of the characters. Lionel Barrymore is a great Dr. Gillespie, and his relationship with Kildare, with his head nurse, Molly Byrd (Alma Kruger) and Dr. Carew (Walter Kingsford) are lively ones of affection cut with bellowing. Laraine Day is Mary Lamont, who's in love with Kildare, but things haven't really heated up between them yet. She, too, has her moments with Gillespie. At one point while recuperating from a weak spell, he asks her to order him a steak, baked potato and apple pie. Lamont never changes expression, picking up the phone to get him gruel and weak tea.
Though the plot line involving Nancy Messenger is oversimplified and not terribly realistic, this is nevertheless a good episode in the Kildare series. Some trivia - Helen Gilbert, who plays Nancy, in real life was married for one year to gangster Johnny Stompanato, Lana Turner's boyfriend who was killed by her daughter Cheryl.
What made this series a great success was the interrelationships of the characters. Lionel Barrymore is a great Dr. Gillespie, and his relationship with Kildare, with his head nurse, Molly Byrd (Alma Kruger) and Dr. Carew (Walter Kingsford) are lively ones of affection cut with bellowing. Laraine Day is Mary Lamont, who's in love with Kildare, but things haven't really heated up between them yet. She, too, has her moments with Gillespie. At one point while recuperating from a weak spell, he asks her to order him a steak, baked potato and apple pie. Lamont never changes expression, picking up the phone to get him gruel and weak tea.
Though the plot line involving Nancy Messenger is oversimplified and not terribly realistic, this is nevertheless a good episode in the Kildare series. Some trivia - Helen Gilbert, who plays Nancy, in real life was married for one year to gangster Johnny Stompanato, Lana Turner's boyfriend who was killed by her daughter Cheryl.
"You gave me a hypo, didn't you?"
utgard1422 December 2014
The third movie in the wonderful Dr. Kildare series from MGM finds Jimmy Kildare (Lew Ayres) trying to help a rich man's daughter who's having some kind of psychological problems that have led to a case of hysterical blindness. Meanwhile, Kildare must also deal with both his father (Samuel S. Hinds) and mentor, Dr. Gillespie (Lionel Barrymore), having illnesses. Gillespie's still fighting his cancer and refusing to rest. Kildare, Sr. is visiting a heart specialist without telling Jimmy.
Ayres and Barrymore are both great. Barrymore's Gillespie gives some tough love to an alcoholic with one of my favorite outbursts of his ("If you drink, it's your own fault and you can't blame your poor ancestors!"). The cast of regulars, including Laraine Day and Nat Pendleton, are terrific. None of them hit a bad note. Pretty Helen Gilbert is the girl with hysterical blindness. She does fine. Lionel Atwill is somewhat wasted as her father. I kept expecting to find out her condition was caused by some mad science experiment of his but, alas, no such luck. Sara Haden and Grant Mitchell also appear in small roles.
It's not the strongest entry in the series but it is enjoyable. One interesting tidbit is that Gillespie refers to hospital head Dr. Carew (Walter Kingsford) as the best doctor in the hospital. Carew is usually displayed in the series as more of a bureaucrat than a competent doctor, let alone 'the best.' It was a nice touch for them to add a layer to the character, even if it's little more than lip service.
Ayres and Barrymore are both great. Barrymore's Gillespie gives some tough love to an alcoholic with one of my favorite outbursts of his ("If you drink, it's your own fault and you can't blame your poor ancestors!"). The cast of regulars, including Laraine Day and Nat Pendleton, are terrific. None of them hit a bad note. Pretty Helen Gilbert is the girl with hysterical blindness. She does fine. Lionel Atwill is somewhat wasted as her father. I kept expecting to find out her condition was caused by some mad science experiment of his but, alas, no such luck. Sara Haden and Grant Mitchell also appear in small roles.
It's not the strongest entry in the series but it is enjoyable. One interesting tidbit is that Gillespie refers to hospital head Dr. Carew (Walter Kingsford) as the best doctor in the hospital. Carew is usually displayed in the series as more of a bureaucrat than a competent doctor, let alone 'the best.' It was a nice touch for them to add a layer to the character, even if it's little more than lip service.
a Kildare a day
tulm14 June 2004
"The Secret of Dr. Kildare" shines as a multi-threaded gem, typical of the Kildare series. And this time the master may teach his pupil, but the pupil has a lesson of his own to give the great Dr. Gillespie. Three main twists populate this inviting plot, all of which come together in a heart warming conclusion, in true Dr. Kildare fashion. The first centers on the mysterious symptoms of a wealthy young female patient. The second involves the progression of the cantankerous Dr. Gillespie's illness. And the third focuses on the sudden, terminal diagnosis of Dr. Stephen Kildare. Our poor young doctor certainly has his hands full in this well paced and droll mystery. And while Dr. Kildare may be keeping lots of secrets in this one, he is certainly not the only one.
The interwoven plot lines keep the viewer entertained with anticipation and concern; however, Lionel Barrymore's outstanding performance as the cranky, brilliant, and always lovable Dr. Gillespie really steals the show. Lew Ayres offers a convincing and commendable job as the altruistic protege, while Laraine Day provides a lovely and supportive co-star, shining in a particularly touching bedside scene with Barrymore. But it cannot be said too often that this film gains so much from _all_ of the characters involved -- from Kildare's amiable parents, to the inexorable Head Nurse Byrd and the doctors' ever copacetic assistant, Conover. The conclusion ties the story lines together with typical charming optimism, but then if you aren't watching these films as part of the doctor's feel-good prescription, then you might be missing the point.
The interwoven plot lines keep the viewer entertained with anticipation and concern; however, Lionel Barrymore's outstanding performance as the cranky, brilliant, and always lovable Dr. Gillespie really steals the show. Lew Ayres offers a convincing and commendable job as the altruistic protege, while Laraine Day provides a lovely and supportive co-star, shining in a particularly touching bedside scene with Barrymore. But it cannot be said too often that this film gains so much from _all_ of the characters involved -- from Kildare's amiable parents, to the inexorable Head Nurse Byrd and the doctors' ever copacetic assistant, Conover. The conclusion ties the story lines together with typical charming optimism, but then if you aren't watching these films as part of the doctor's feel-good prescription, then you might be missing the point.
Every day miracles happen that no one can explain
sol121811 January 2008
Warning: Spoilers
(Spoiler Alert) Dr. Jimmy Kildare, Lew Ayres, has his hands full in this movie in having to get his mentor Dr. Leonard "Barry" Gillespie, Lional Barrymore, to take a brake from his work so he won't end up in the hospital mortuary. Trying find a cure for pneumonia Dr. Gillespie has been working for weeks at a time with not more then two hours sleep a day. This is aggravating his already serious skin cancer, melanoma, condition.
Dr. Kildare trying to get Dr. Gillespie to take a break from his work agrees to look after heiress Nancy Messenger, Helen Gilbert, who thinks she's suffering from a brain tumor. It in fact turns out that Nancy is in perfect health but her family nurse Nora, Sara Haden, has her brainwashed to believe that she's not. It also turns out that according to Nora Nancy's mom died of the same illness, a brain tumor, some 12 years ago; her death was in fact caused by pneumonia.
Dr. Kildare going to see Nancy as just a a friend of the family realizes that she's being convinced by this quack doctor Archley,Grant Mitchell, hired by Nora that she needs surgery for her "brain tumor". This causes Nancy to to think that she's both going insane and losing her sight. Dr. Kildare soon blows his cover as a doctor in order to take charge of Nancy's treatment and convinces her, together with Nancy's concerned boyfriend Charles Harron (Robert Kent), that she'll all right if only she can overcome her unfounded phobias that both Nora and Dr. Archley planted in her mind. This eventually get's Nancy back to normal in restoring her sight as well as has the bull-headed Dr. Gillespie who without his valuable assistant, Dr. Kildare, was forced to take a vacation which in the end also saved his life. A life he was foolishly squandering away in his hell-bent attempt to eradicate pneumonia from the face of the earth
There's also a little side story in "The Secret of Doctor Kildare" that has to do with his dad Dr. Stephen Kildare,Samuel S. Hinds, who like Dr. Gillsepie is a workaholic and is suffering, because of his heavy work schedule, from acute heart disease. Getting the two doctors in the same examination room, at Blair General Hospital, together was the best thing that came out of this whole movie. Dr. Gillespie was able to diagnose Dr. Stephen Kildare illness and prescribe the right medication, a long vacation, to get him back to good health and Dr. Gillespie was able to do it by being well rested, from his forced vacation, and having his complete faculties in good working order in order to do it.
Dr. Kildare trying to get Dr. Gillespie to take a break from his work agrees to look after heiress Nancy Messenger, Helen Gilbert, who thinks she's suffering from a brain tumor. It in fact turns out that Nancy is in perfect health but her family nurse Nora, Sara Haden, has her brainwashed to believe that she's not. It also turns out that according to Nora Nancy's mom died of the same illness, a brain tumor, some 12 years ago; her death was in fact caused by pneumonia.
Dr. Kildare going to see Nancy as just a a friend of the family realizes that she's being convinced by this quack doctor Archley,Grant Mitchell, hired by Nora that she needs surgery for her "brain tumor". This causes Nancy to to think that she's both going insane and losing her sight. Dr. Kildare soon blows his cover as a doctor in order to take charge of Nancy's treatment and convinces her, together with Nancy's concerned boyfriend Charles Harron (Robert Kent), that she'll all right if only she can overcome her unfounded phobias that both Nora and Dr. Archley planted in her mind. This eventually get's Nancy back to normal in restoring her sight as well as has the bull-headed Dr. Gillespie who without his valuable assistant, Dr. Kildare, was forced to take a vacation which in the end also saved his life. A life he was foolishly squandering away in his hell-bent attempt to eradicate pneumonia from the face of the earth
There's also a little side story in "The Secret of Doctor Kildare" that has to do with his dad Dr. Stephen Kildare,Samuel S. Hinds, who like Dr. Gillsepie is a workaholic and is suffering, because of his heavy work schedule, from acute heart disease. Getting the two doctors in the same examination room, at Blair General Hospital, together was the best thing that came out of this whole movie. Dr. Gillespie was able to diagnose Dr. Stephen Kildare illness and prescribe the right medication, a long vacation, to get him back to good health and Dr. Gillespie was able to do it by being well rested, from his forced vacation, and having his complete faculties in good working order in order to do it.
TV series of its time
SnoopyStyle5 August 2018
Dr. Kildare (Lew Ayres) assists wheelchair-bound dying Dr. Gillespie (Lionel Barrymore) in a fight to cure pneumonia. Wall Street tycoon Paul Messenger wants his daughter Nancy checked as she presents personality issues. With Gillespie sidelined due to exhaustion, Kildare poses as a family friend to investigate Nancy.
I don't know anything about this series or these characters to my detriment. This is preceded by two movies in the series and two more stories before MGM. I missed the connection between student and mentor. I get the idea from the movie but not the feeling. Lionel is a lion. Lew Ayres pales in comparison. If it's done today, this would be TV show material. This is fine for pre-TV to have a movie series such as this.
I don't know anything about this series or these characters to my detriment. This is preceded by two movies in the series and two more stories before MGM. I missed the connection between student and mentor. I get the idea from the movie but not the feeling. Lionel is a lion. Lew Ayres pales in comparison. If it's done today, this would be TV show material. This is fine for pre-TV to have a movie series such as this.
Wow--young doctor Kildare can do anything!
planktonrules14 May 2009
Warning: Spoilers
This is a highly entertaining but also incredibly silly film. It's the third film in the very polished MGM B-movie Dr. Kildare series. And, because its production values are higher than the usual B, the cast of the first two movies have returned AND the film has a much greater sense of continuity than other B series of the day. For example, Dr. Gillespie STILL is struggling with his supposedly fatal illness, Kildare is STILL seen as a "gifted whippersnapper" by Gillespie and Nat Pendleton is again on hand to whack evil doers over the head with a wrench to make them talk!!!
However, as I said, it does get very silly. That's because although Dr. Kildare is very inexperienced and not a specialist, he apparently is a brilliant psychiatrist just by shear instinct, as his big case involves a rich young woman with a psychosomatic illness. She believes she is sick and so she becomes hysterically blind and the doc picks up on this. And, in a miracle moment, he "cures" her--though the underlying emotional problems that led to her imagined illness are never really dealt with at all! But, everyone is happy and everyone assumes the lady is 100% cured. Once again, Kildare can do no wrong.
As for Gillespie, he's a cantankerous grouch (as usual) and it's highly entertaining listening to him--in fact, he's the best thing in the film. However, because his illness is getting worse, his character is forced to take a vacation. Frankly, I wished they'd just shown more of this and less of the incredibly lucky Kildare.
Overall, it's a likable film that just didn't make a lot of sense. With a bit more effort on the script, it could have been a much better film--and not just because of Kildare's amazing psychiatric skill but because the film featured Lionel Atwill (a great supporting actor) but totally wasted him.
However, as I said, it does get very silly. That's because although Dr. Kildare is very inexperienced and not a specialist, he apparently is a brilliant psychiatrist just by shear instinct, as his big case involves a rich young woman with a psychosomatic illness. She believes she is sick and so she becomes hysterically blind and the doc picks up on this. And, in a miracle moment, he "cures" her--though the underlying emotional problems that led to her imagined illness are never really dealt with at all! But, everyone is happy and everyone assumes the lady is 100% cured. Once again, Kildare can do no wrong.
As for Gillespie, he's a cantankerous grouch (as usual) and it's highly entertaining listening to him--in fact, he's the best thing in the film. However, because his illness is getting worse, his character is forced to take a vacation. Frankly, I wished they'd just shown more of this and less of the incredibly lucky Kildare.
Overall, it's a likable film that just didn't make a lot of sense. With a bit more effort on the script, it could have been a much better film--and not just because of Kildare's amazing psychiatric skill but because the film featured Lionel Atwill (a great supporting actor) but totally wasted him.
Kildare goes undercover
russjones-8088718 August 2020
Dr. Gillespie's health worsens and the work on a project with Dr. Kildare is taking its toll. In order to get him to take a rest, Dr. Kildare persuades the hospital to assign him to look after an heiress who believes she is dying.
Fourth of the ten films in the series and the third in which Lew Ayres plays Dr. Kildare. Quite entertaining but fans of the series will know what to expect and, as usual, Lionel Barrymore steals the show as Dr. Gillespie. Helen Gilbert plays the heiress.
Fourth of the ten films in the series and the third in which Lew Ayres plays Dr. Kildare. Quite entertaining but fans of the series will know what to expect and, as usual, Lionel Barrymore steals the show as Dr. Gillespie. Helen Gilbert plays the heiress.
What Service Blair General Hospital Provides?
bkoganbing28 December 2011
In real life if Donald Trump had a daughter like Helen Gilbert with all kinds of ailments we would be catering to her I have no doubt the way Walter Kingsford as head of Blair General Hospital is catering to Gilbert's father Lionel Atwill. Of course Kingsford turns the problem over to Lionel Barrymore who in turn gets Lew Ayres to do the actual work.
Which consists of being introduced as an eligible young man by Atwill to his daughter and Ayres to start dating her up to observe her behavior from a medical perspective. You know that's going to cause a problem for Ayres because his relationship with nurse Laraine Day who was introduced to the Blair General Hospital staff and the Dr. Kildare series in the previous film.
Best thing about a somewhat silly episode is the performance of Grant Mitchell as a quack doctor who Gilbert gets involved with. The Dr. Feelgood of his time.
Which consists of being introduced as an eligible young man by Atwill to his daughter and Ayres to start dating her up to observe her behavior from a medical perspective. You know that's going to cause a problem for Ayres because his relationship with nurse Laraine Day who was introduced to the Blair General Hospital staff and the Dr. Kildare series in the previous film.
Best thing about a somewhat silly episode is the performance of Grant Mitchell as a quack doctor who Gilbert gets involved with. The Dr. Feelgood of his time.
Very Watchable, but has flaws
CoolKatGretch22 May 2018
The very watchable Dr. Kildare series is a refreshing and smart reality check for the matinee crowd, then as now, and has wisely been noted by others as a precursor to the modern medical TV dramas. But the one thing that spoils these otherwise well balanced (drama/wit/intellect) and well paced stories is the Conover character played by George Reed in this forced black stereotype "Amos and Andy" patronizing manner, instead of in the normal, everyday, regular guy way of talking, like the rest of the cast. Even the "Irish" bartender bit got over played racially in the series. You have to tell yourself this is the product of the times, but were all movie directors 'that' insensitive in the 1930's? Oh well, it is what it is, but it could have been much, much better without the negative racial portrayals.
The secret of a successful medical drama
jarrodmcdonald-124 March 2022
Warning: Spoilers
Though the scenes are somewhat slowly played out, a lot happens in the third installment of MGM's Dr. Kildare series. First, I should mention Lew Ayres' character does have a secret- namely that he's a doctor, which is kept from a debutante (Helen Gilbert) he's treating.
Also, his father, the elder Dr. Kildare (Samuel S. Hinds), has a secret- he might have a heart condition. However, only Dr. Gillespie (Lionel Barrymore) is brought in on that, since he is consulted for a second opinion; and much to the relief of Mrs. Kildare (Emma Dunn), there is no real heart condition, and everything will go back to normal.
Added into the drama, we have young Kildare pretending he does not want to work with Gillespie to find a cure for pneumonia. He does this so Gillespie will take much-needed time off, and so he can help the debutante with a case of hysterical blindness.
Meanwhile, there's the continuing story of Nurse Mary Lamont (Laraine Day) becoming more smitten with Kildare. Oh, and the ongoing battles between Gillespie and head nurse Molly (Alma Kruger), which manage to convey some tenderness despite their mostly adversarial interactions.
What makes this entry in the series so good is all of the introductions that took place in the first two films are out of the way. Plus the series hasn't been run into the ground yet, so the ideas still seem fresh. These ideas were probably relevant back in the day, even if the medical dialogue seems hopelessly outdated now. There are a few implausibilities, like Gillespie thinking he can end pneumonia. Or young Kildare doing a make-believe eye operation on the debutante so she can see again.
I think the series does a decent job conveying the fact these people are working to solve the medical and psychological problems their patients face. Despite conflicts which occur among the staff, there is a sense of team work and people believing in the same cause. Furthermore, I appreciate the sense of humor the characters have; and no matter, how you slice it, Gillespie is a lovable curmudgeon. Barrymore plays his role to the hilt, but he's not too off-putting. I especially love how Gillespie and his protege seem to outfox each other, when they approach cases from different angles.
The Kildare and Gillespie movies feature a fine assortment of character actors and actresses. Marie Blake doesn't have much screen time but when she's on camera, she always has a funny line at the switchboard. Nat Pendleton is fun in his role as a thick ambulance driver. And Walter Kingford is great as Carew the hospital administrator, a man that has his own tug of war going on with Gillespie. The series is expertly produced, and in this instance, Harold S. Bucquet's direction is excellent. It's not a secret these films were big money-makers for MGM.
Also, his father, the elder Dr. Kildare (Samuel S. Hinds), has a secret- he might have a heart condition. However, only Dr. Gillespie (Lionel Barrymore) is brought in on that, since he is consulted for a second opinion; and much to the relief of Mrs. Kildare (Emma Dunn), there is no real heart condition, and everything will go back to normal.
Added into the drama, we have young Kildare pretending he does not want to work with Gillespie to find a cure for pneumonia. He does this so Gillespie will take much-needed time off, and so he can help the debutante with a case of hysterical blindness.
Meanwhile, there's the continuing story of Nurse Mary Lamont (Laraine Day) becoming more smitten with Kildare. Oh, and the ongoing battles between Gillespie and head nurse Molly (Alma Kruger), which manage to convey some tenderness despite their mostly adversarial interactions.
What makes this entry in the series so good is all of the introductions that took place in the first two films are out of the way. Plus the series hasn't been run into the ground yet, so the ideas still seem fresh. These ideas were probably relevant back in the day, even if the medical dialogue seems hopelessly outdated now. There are a few implausibilities, like Gillespie thinking he can end pneumonia. Or young Kildare doing a make-believe eye operation on the debutante so she can see again.
I think the series does a decent job conveying the fact these people are working to solve the medical and psychological problems their patients face. Despite conflicts which occur among the staff, there is a sense of team work and people believing in the same cause. Furthermore, I appreciate the sense of humor the characters have; and no matter, how you slice it, Gillespie is a lovable curmudgeon. Barrymore plays his role to the hilt, but he's not too off-putting. I especially love how Gillespie and his protege seem to outfox each other, when they approach cases from different angles.
The Kildare and Gillespie movies feature a fine assortment of character actors and actresses. Marie Blake doesn't have much screen time but when she's on camera, she always has a funny line at the switchboard. Nat Pendleton is fun in his role as a thick ambulance driver. And Walter Kingford is great as Carew the hospital administrator, a man that has his own tug of war going on with Gillespie. The series is expertly produced, and in this instance, Harold S. Bucquet's direction is excellent. It's not a secret these films were big money-makers for MGM.
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
