Dr. Kildare's Crisis (1940)

Nurse Mary Lamont is excited about her brother's impending visit. The young man's strange behavior puzzles Dr. Kildare who believes he may be hiding a serious illness.

Director:

Harold S. Bucquet

Writers:

Max Brand (story), Willis Goldbeck (story),

Stars:

Lew Ayres, Lionel Barrymore, Laraine Day

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Lew Ayres	...	Dr. James 'Jimmy' Kildare
Lionel Barrymore	...	Dr. Leonard Gillespie
Laraine Day	...	Mary Lamont
Robert Young	...	Douglas 'Doug' Lamont
Nat Pendleton	...	Joe Wayman
Walter Kingsford	...	Dr. Walter Carew
Alma Kruger	...	Molly Byrd
Bobs Watson	...	Tommy, the Crippled Child
Nell Craig	...	Nurse 'Nosey' Parker
George Reed	...	Conover
Frank Orth	...	Mike Ryan, Cafe Owner
Marie Blake	...	Sally, Hospital Receptionist
Horace McMahon	...	Foghorn Murphy (as Horace MacMahon)

Storyline

Dr. Jimmy Kildare and Nurse Mary Lamont are all sent to get married and her brother Doug Lamont has come to New York. When Jimmy meets him he notices strange behavior on his part such as sudden inattention or acting as if he was hearing sounds that are non-existent. The doctor starts to diagnose him and comes to the conclusion that he probably has epilepsy, a hereditary disease that could conceivably affect Mary as well, even though she has never shown any symptoms. Dr. Kildare is worried about this part of medicine and how you tell someone that they have a disease that they can do nothing about. It's left to Dr. Leonard Gillespie to come up with a solution and ensure that Jimmy and Mary can still get married.

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Plot Keywords:

nurse | doctor | epilepsy | handicapped doctor | marriage proposal | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

29 November 1940 (USA)

Also Known As:

Dr. Kildare - Verhängnisvolle Diagnose

Company Credits

Production Co:

Loew's, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

75 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

'Emma Dunn' (Mrs. Martha Kildare) and Ann Morriss (Betty) are listed in records playing those roles, but are not seen in the final print.

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Goofs

When Dr Gillispie finishes reading the note from Mary, he says "Fine girl, that Mary" and puts the note on his desk with a thump, and with the next cut, it immediately appears in Dr. Kildare's hands.

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Quotes

Dr. Leonard Gillespie: It doesn't do a man any good to tell him he has an incurable disease. Eventually the divine power which put us all here manages to remove the fear of death and replaces it with a great understanding.

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Connections

Follows Calling Dr. Kildare (1939)

User Reviews

Dr. Kildare and a family secret

Thanks to Turner Classic Movies, I have been enjoying the series, never having seen them before. The Dr. Kildare series was the precursor of shows like Medical Center, Marcus Welby, M*A*S*H*, ER, and Grey's Anatomy, and a slew of other shows I am sure as well.

I found this series entry to be worth viewing. Another reviewer made some valid points about the weakness of some character motivations, but I still can see why Mary could react the way she does when discovering the truth, which Jimmy Kildare has kept from her.

Robert Young turns in an excellent performance as Mary's brother, proving how versatile an actor he was. He wasn't always the boring and stable father from Father Knows Best (and later on becoming the Dr. Welby mentioned above).

We learn a bit more about Dr. Gillespie's past; he had a brother who died. We also learn a bit more about how and why he feels special towards Molly Byrd.

Overall, another entry worth watching and enjoying.