The Secret Of Dr. Kildare (1939)

A young doctor (Lew Ayres) is in overdrive as he attempts to help his mentor (Lionel Barrymore), who's seriously ill, discover a cure for pneumonia while at the same time attempting to discover why a patient (Helen Gilbert) has undergone a severe personality change. Directed by Harold S. Bucquet, this was the third in the MGM Dr. Kildare series with Ayres. This one really loads up the drama for a less than 90 minute movie. In addition, Kildare's father (Samuel S. Hinds) has a potentially fatal heart condition and Kildare is romancing a nurse (Laraine Day). Some of the medical information disseminated seems dubious by 21st century medical knowledge and we even have Barrymore's doctor smoking cigarettes! All that aside, it's an okay effort for fans of the franchise but I doubt anyone else would have much tolerance for it. One thing that hasn't changed in the movie's over 78 years: if you have money, you get the best medical attention quicker than anybody else. With Lionel Atwill, Alma Kruger, Nat Pendleton, Martha O'Driscoll and Sara Haden.