Dr Kildare, The Story Of

Dr. Kildare is a fictional American medical doctor, originally created in the 1930s by the author Frederick Schiller Faust under the pen name Max Brand. The character first appeared in a short story, “Internes Can’t Take Money,” published in the March 1936 issue of Cosmopolitan magazine. Shortly after, Paramount Pictures used the story and character as the basis for the 1937 film Internes Can’t Take Money, starring Joel McCrea as Jimmie Kildare. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) subsequently acquired the rights and featured Kildare as the primary character in a series of American theatrical films in the late 1930s and early 1940s. Several of these films were co-written by Faust, who continued to write magazine stories and novels about the character until the early 1940s.

In the late 1940s and early 1950s, MGM produced the radio series called The Story of Dr. Kildare, with Lew Ayres and Lionel Barrymore reprising their film roles.

The Story of Dr Kildare, based on the Metro Goldwyn Mayer films, is set in Blair General Hospital one of the great citadels of American medicine and described as a clump of grey-white buildings planted deep in the heart of New York. Nerve center of the medical progress where great minds and skilled hands wage mans everlasting battle against death and disease. Where life begins, where life ends, where life goes on. Each episode begins with Dr Kildare’s medical oath: 'whatsoever house I enter, there will I go for the benefit of the sick, and whatsoever things I see or hear concerning the life of men I will keep silence thereon, counting such things to be held as sacred trusts.'

There are 60 radio episodes extant.

The Stars

The character of Dr. James “Jimmy” Kildare has been portrayed by several actors over the years, most notably Joel McCrea starred as Kildare in the 1937 Paramount film Internes Can’t Take Money. Lew Ayres portrayed Kildare in the nine MGM films from the late 1930s to early 1940s. On Radio, 1949-1950 & 1952 Lew Ayres as Dr James Kildare. Lionel Barrymore as Dr Leonard Gillespie. Jane Webb as Mary Lamont. Ted Osborne as Dr Carough. Virginia Gregg as Nurse Parker. Others included, Paul Dubov, Isabel Jewell, Stacy Harris, Puls Frees, Raymond Burr, Georgia Ellis and Jay Novello. Richard Chamberlain: Starred as Kildare in the popular 1960s NBC television series Dr. Kildare. Mark Jenkins: Played Kildare in the short-lived 1970s syndicated TV series Young Dr. Kildare.

Key Dates

• 1936: The character of Dr. Kildare first appeared in the short story “Internes Can’t Take Money” by Max Brand, published in Cosmopolitan magazine.
• 1937: The first Kildare film, Internes Can’t Take Money, was released by Paramount Pictures.
• 1938-1941: MGM released a series of nine Dr. Kildare films, with Lew Ayres starring as Kildare and Lionel Barrymore as his mentor, Dr. Gillespie.
• 1942: Lew Ayres was drafted and declared himself a conscientious objector, leading to the character of Kildare being written out of the MGM film series.
• 1949 Radio transcribed syndication produced on the West Coast and launched New York February 1st, 1950.
• January 1st 1952 one season on Radio
• 1961-1966: The NBC television series Dr. Kildare, starring Richard Chamberlain, ran for five seasons.
• 1972-1973: The short-lived syndicated series Young Dr. Kildare, starring Mark Jenkins, aired for 24 episodes.

Other Information

The popularity of the character led to a successful 1960s television series, Dr. Kildare, which starred Richard Chamberlain in the title role and ran for five seasons. A short-lived reboot of the TV series, Young Dr. Kildare, debuted in 1972 and produced 24 episodes. The Dr. Kildare franchise has also spawned comic books, comic strips, and numerous tie-in novels over the years.

In addition to the films and television series, the Dr. Kildare franchise has also included: Comics: From 1962 to 1965, Dell Comics published a Dr. Kildare comic book based on the 1960s TV series, featuring covers with photos of Richard Chamberlain. A daily comic strip also ran from 1962 to 1984, outlasting the television series by nearly 18 years.