So it is after a two-year courtship (1939-1941) that the youngish Dr. Kildare and beautiful nurse Mary Lamont will finally tie the knot. In preparation for the wedding, Blair Hospital is in a special excitement with medical personnel providing all sorts of pre-nuptial shenanigans. About an hour into the movie a horrible tragedy occurs when Mary, in a glow about her upcoming wedding the following day, walks into a moving truck. Her injuries are fatal. The rest of the film focuses on grief-stricken Dr. Kildare's recovery attempts, to recapture his will to go on with the rest of his life and do well for mankind despite his tragedy. That goal had been the dying Mary's last wish.
As usual there are several sub-stories, with the major ones involving Dr. Gillespie's possible carcinogenic brain tumor and brilliant music conductor Constanzo Labardi's hearing loss. These situations, unlike that of the ill-fated Mary Lamont, turn out positive.
Although this is a rather somber film, comedy relief is provided by Red Skelton; you may determine whether such relief is out of place or not. While we hate to see the loss of lovely Mary, the film is not without interest. One wonders what some folks of 1941 thought as they walked into a movie theater expecting a happy and gala wedding and instead found bereavement. As Mary dies the day prior to her wedding, the title seems odd, but maybe it focuses on the anticipation of what should be a grand event. This feature was Lew Ayres next-to-last appearance in the Dr. Kildare series, as he would depart in 1942.
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