This is a must-see and one of the best documentaries - and films - of this year.

While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

Each character in this movie — down to the smallest one — is an individual rather than a type, prone to spontaneous changes of mood and sometimes amusing outbursts of pettiness or ill humor.

Story: It's very simple but honestly that is fine.

Like the later installments of the Dr. Kildare series, there is no Kildare nor is he mentioned. This is because the actor who originated this part, Lew Ayres, was a conscientious objector during WWII...and public sentiment was decidedly pro-war. So, he was excised from the films and Dr. Gillespie's role was greater emphasized. Additionally, three interns were featured--Van Johnson, Keye Luke and Philip Dorn (who left the series after "Calling Dr. Gillespie"). In this installment, Dr. Gillespie is supposed to pick a permanent assistant. How and Ames have done wonderfully so far and Dr. Gillespie has decided to give them each a case and then deciding which should have that job as a result of their work on these cases. How is given a case with a little girl who seems to have Juvenile Diabetes and Ames a case of a lady (Ava Gardner) who seems to have been drunk...but had no alcohol in her system. This film, as usual, is very interesting and enjoyable. As a fan of the series, however, I wonder why Mary Blake (the receptionist...and real life sister of Jeanette MacDonald) and Nat Pendelton were missing. Rags Raglan filled in nicely for the Pendelton role. Overall, despite some staffing changes, another typical and entertaining installment of this series.

It's been three months (and three movies) and Dr. Gillespie still hasn't decided on which of his two interns will become his new assistant. Once again he gives them each a case to decide the matter. Dr. Lee gets a case involving a little girl who gets sick when she eats candy. Dr. Adams helps a troubled young woman whose mother has a debilitating disease.Fourth entry in the Dr. Gillespie series is pleasant enough but the cracks are starting to show. Lionel Barrymore is especially cantankerous this time around ("Don't smirk at me you nincompoop!"). The longtime regulars are as good as ever. George Reed, as Gillespie's man Conover, gets some particularly funny lines this time. But the production values seem less impressive and the script isn't that great. Keye Luke is still going on about being from Brooklyn. I applaud MGM for trying to show that a Chinese-American is 'just like the rest of us' but enough already. Three movies in and he won't shut up about Brooklyn. He also reuses a line from an earlier film about giving a blood transfusion to a Jap. Still, it's Keye Luke and he's got a very likable and charming appeal. Early role for Ava Gardner ("I never get fat"). She's very pretty but hardly impresses with her acting. Van Johnson is the star of this one. He does well in his scenes with Gardner and sexy Marilyn Maxwell, though he was never convincing as a ladies man. Worth watching for fans of the Kildare & Gillespie films but this isn't one of the best.

**SPOILERS** With his top kick or head man at Blair General Hospital Dr. Kildare, or better yet actor Lew Ayres, off to war as a conscientious objector, driving ambulances on the front lines, Dr. Gillespie, Lionel Barrymore, is desperate to find his replacement. After searching high and low among his hundreds of interns Dr. Gillespie boils his search down to two candidates for Dr. Kildare's job doctors Randall "Red" Ames, Van Johnson, and Lee Won How, Keye Luke.Giving the two young doctors the task of finding a cure to a assigned patient's illness within a specific amount of time, like he's conducting some kind of game show or scavenger hunt, Dr. Gillespie will choose as his assistant the one who finds the cure first. A cocky Dr. Lee gets the job of finding out why little Mary Jones, Patrica Barker, is allergic to sugar like candy and sweet potato's. Red on his own takes up the task of finding out why this young woman-who refuses to reveal her name-Jean Brown played by Ava Gardner is walking and driving around dead drunk yet doesn't have a single drop of alcohol in her system?Wise old and manipulative Lenny Gillespie is really in favor of Red taking Dr. Kildare's place as his #1 assistant but Lee is determined to beat him to it by finding out what's the reason for Little Mary's acute anti-sugar problem. Meanwhle Red has his hands full with finding out the cause of beautiful brunette Jean's non-existent alcoholism which in fact turned out to be an anti-depression pill Jean had given to her by a friend of her's at a party she attended! Where at the same time Red's having this gorgeous blond Ruth Edley, Marilyn Maxwell, hounding him day and night to go out on a hot date with her! That on his measly $20.00 a month salary as an intern!As things tuned out Lee beats Red out in finding the cure, with Dr. Gillespie subconsciously tipping him off, for his patients, Litte Mary,illness and thus is to be rewarder in being Dr. Gillespie head man at Blair General. Lee also clues in Red, by showing him a nine year-old boy playing hop-scotch on the sidewalk, to what's the reason for Jean's drowsiness as a result of her pill popping which has to do with her depression over her mothers Mrs. Brown, Barbara Brown, arthritic condition. As it turned out the arthritis caused Mrs. Brown's right leg to be shorter then her left leaving her confined in a wheelchair for years. All Red now had to do is fit Mrs Brown with a special set of custom made shoes, at his bear bones salary where did he get the cash to buy them?, and everything including Jean's depressive state of mind, as a result in caring for her mother, would turn out fine.Red now feeling that he lost out to his colleague Lee in being top assistant to Dr. Gillispie, not knowing it was in fact Dr. Gillespie not Dr. Lee who came up with the cure for Litte Mary's illness,is ready to pack it in and join the US Marine Corps to fight the Japs in the far off South Pacific. It's then that Dr. Gllespie comes to his rescue pulling strings in getting Lee drafted into the Chinese Army as a field doctor on the front lines! Something that Lee wanted even more then being Dr. Gillespie's assistant!There's still the messy matter of Ruth messing up Red's mind by wanting him to hook up with her, for life, endangering his career in medicine! It's here that Dr. Gillespie, with a little help from his friends, saves Red's neck, as well a everything below it, in getting him out of that "terrible terrible jam" in a way that only he knows how.

This entry in the Dr. Kildare series (without Dr. Kildare) was a pleasant entry. I missed Dr. Kildare, but MGM had to add new characters for its financially successful series to continue.In this entry, neophyte doctors Van Johnson and Keye Luke compete in a friendly and cooperative manner, showing decades earlier that different races need not be afraid of each other, long before we became more politically and socially correct. Both actors turned in believable performances. However, I did find Van's character to be a bit silly trying to steer clear of Marilyn Maxwell's romantic machinations. I know it was the 1940s, but his character acted as if he had never been with a woman on a date before.In this entry, I found Dr. Gillespie to be rather annoying and more puerile in some of his behaviors: throwing away an invitation since he would have to send a gift without even opening the invitation, dumping his waste basket on his desk and then blaming the janitor, not accepting the responsibility that he missed the said affair, despite the fact that he had been told several times of the correct date. I did, however, enjoy his sparring with Nurse Mollie Byrd.I also missed Sally the switchboard lady. Blossom Rock/Marie Blake (from The Addams Family) was always fun to see.And what's up with the title? Why did MGM not include any reference to Dr. Gillespie in its final three entries in the series? Wouldn't that have defeated the purpose of the series? Wouldn't they want fans to know it was part of the Dr. Kildare series?A treat to see was a young and beautiful Ava Gardner. She also turned in a nice performance, allowing me to hear strains of her future Julie from Show Boat.This may not be one of the best entries in the series, but it's worth the time to see it and take a trip back to 1944.