Dr. Kildare

Young Dr. Kildare
     Somewhere between Andy Hardy and Gregory House is James Kildare. Lew Ayres introduces audiences to Dr. Kildare in this 1938 classic about a young man who graduates medical school and gets a gig with a leading New York hospital.
     While there, he meets Dr. Gillespie (Lionel Barrymore, who played the original Judge Hardy the previous year. Irony?), a grouchy diagnostician who encourages Kildare to look beyond what's in the medical record when treating a patient.
     This was the first in a series of 15 films that went on to inspire two TV movies as well as two series. I really dug it, you should give it a chance.


Calling Dr. Kildare
     This was the first follow up to Young Dr. Kildare, released in 1939. The gang's all here as Kildare is assigned to a street clinic to gain some real world experience.
     While he's there he treats a gun shot victim only to discover later that he's wanted by the police. Kildare believes the man is innocent and sets out to discover the truth.
     The return of the same cast and crew plus the addition of Lana Turner make this movie worth a look if you liked the first one.