Much as they used their Andy Hardy films to test newly signed ingenues in small roles, M-G-M often cast new contract players in supporting roles in the Dr. Kildare franchise. The newcomer showcased here is Red Skelton, tasked with providing comic relief from some of this film's more somber plot twists.
Eighth entry in MGM's long-running and extremely popular Dr. Kildare film franchise, with a plot line finally paying off a story arc developed throughout the seven previous Kildare movies - the blooming romance between the title character and his sidekick/nurse Mary Lamont.
An original piece of music is a key part of the story. In the story, the music was written by a former love of Dr. Gillespie. In actuality, the music, "Tableau Russe," a symphonic suite, was composed by Lionel Barrymore, who plays Dr. Gillespie throughout the Dr. Kildare series. The lovely music can be heard over the opening and closing credits, in place of the familiar Dr. Kildare theme.
This film's initial television presentation took place in Chicago Saturday 16 March 1957 on WBBM (Channel 2), followed by Philadelphia Sunday 31 March 1957 on WFIL (Channel 6), by New Haven CT 7 April 1957 on WNHC (Channel 8), by Norfolk VA 16 April 1957 on WTAR (Channel 3), and by Hartford CT 14 June 1957 on WHCT (Channel 18); on the West Coast, it was first telecast in Seattle 16 November 1957 on KING (Channel 5), in Los Angeles 30 May 1958 on KTTV (Channel 11), and in San Francisco 1 November 1958 on KGO (Channel 7). In Minneapolis it first aired 1 March 1961 on KMSP (Channel 9); in New York City, its earliest documented airing did not occur until 16 April 1963 on WCBS (Channel 2).