3 Men in White

As you might be able to tell from the title, this installment of the Dr. Kildare movies is about Dr. Gillespie trying to choose one assistant from his two head interns. There is no Lew Ayres in this movie (he's off being a medic in WWII) but there's still Lionel Barrymore. Van Johnson and Keye Luke are the interns you've seen in a few movies, and they're both trying to impression Lionel by curing an incurable case. Keye has an anorexic child with a penchant for candy, and Van has an arthritic woman near paralysis. "May the worst man win," Van says. "I think you're the better man, but I want the job!"

The side plots in this one are interesting, and the jokes are hilarious rather than forced. In Between Two Women, it doesn't even feel like a medical drama because there are too many corny jokes in the movie. Marilyn Maxwell is Van's steady girl he's afraid to kiss, lest he get carried away. She tries to trap him in a seductive dinner date at her apartment, but he's one step ahead of her. He asks Keye to interrupt him with a medical emergency after seven minutes, to ensure he doesn't get into trouble. It's a very funny comedy of errors.

A pre-famous Ava Gardner shows off her sensational figure in this movie, so if you're a fan of hers you'll probably want to check her out (and you won't be able to help it) in this early role. I usually don't find her very attractive, but even I couldn't take my eyes off her! All in all, this might be my favorite of the Van Johnson ones. So while we miss Dr. Kildare and Nurse Mary Lamont, Dr. Red Adams is very entertaining in 3 Men in White.