Dr. Kildare's Victory (1942)

In "Dr. Kildare's Victory," the young doc (Lew Ayres) is still mourning the loss of Mary as he fights some battles at Blair General. When a doctor and his fiancée, a nurse, are fired because of protocol violations that breached an agreement with another hospital, Kildare steps in to help them regain their positions. Meanwhile, an attractive patient (Anne Ayars) flirts with him.

Have to say the relationship between Dr. Gillespie and nurse Molly Bird (Alma Kruger) is what gives many of the films in the series extra pizazz. The fight in this one is particularly amusing, as Molly finds all of Gillespie's hiding places for cigarettes and removes them. When he tries to roll his own, she laughs in his face. All quite funny in the hands of the two pros.

Lew Ayres made a very gentle, kind and professional Dr. Kildare, and he played off of Barrymore very well. Of course MGM got rid of Dr. K as soon as Ayres became a conscientious objector in World War II and turned the series over to Gillespie. Ayres returned from service as a medic and his career took off, better than ever. In 1950-51 he reprised Dr. Kildare on the radio with great success.