Premier Collections:
The Story of Dr. Kildare, Volume 1
Liner notes written by Elizabeth McLeod and Harlan Zinck

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Turning to the production and distribution of transcribed radio programming during the postwar years, Metro Goldwyn Mayer took full advantage of its popular B-movie properties -- and one of its most successful screen-to-speaker transfers was "The Story of Dr. Kildare."

The Kildare films -- medical melodramas revolving around the patients and staff at Blair Memorial Hospital and thickly coated in standard MGM gloss -- began in 1938, and attracted a strong following for the sensitive work of one-time A-level star Lew Ayers in the lead role, as well as the outstanding character work of Lionel Barrymore as the crusty, harrumphing mentor-figure Dr. Gillespie. The radio series, recorded in the summer of 1949 for distribution during the 1949-50 radio season, precisely captured this flavor. Ayers and Barrymore cornered the budget for the series, so MGM filled out the rest of the cast with an assortment of hardworking Hollywood AFRAns, including Ted Osborne as Dr. Carough, the stuffy and bureaucratic hospital administrator; Jane Webb as Mary Lamont, nurse and Dr. Kildare's primary love interest; and Virginia Gregg as the eavesdropping Nurse Parker -- frequently referred to as "Nosy Parker" by the cantankerous Dr. Gillespie. Also appearing in the casts are such radio stalwarts as William Conrad, Stacy Harris, Jay Novello, Isabel Jewell, and Jack Webb.

Despite their B-movie origins, the stories on the Kildare radio series were effective examples of how to write involving little dramas on deadline and on budget. Clearly, MGM was concerned about maintaining both the integrity of the property and their reputation for quality, hiring such writers as Jean Holloway ("Romance," "Mr. President") and Les Crutchfield ("Escape" and, later, "Gunsmoke") to create them. Heard today, the programs demonstrate the high-level of production value and entertainment that radio was capable of in the post-war years -- even with television looming large on the horizon.

The years' worth of episodes produced appeared on both WMGM New York and in first-run syndication thru 1949-50, and then circulated in reruns well into the 1950s -- providing an effective precursor to the "Dr. Kildare" television series which would revive interest in the franchise during the early 1960s.

Here are 20 representative episodes, taken from original MGM Radio Productions pressings, and meticulously restored for your listening enjoyment by the First Generation Radio Archives. Broadcast dates listed are for original WMGM airings; local broadcast dates varied.

Angela Kester (#1)
In the first show of the series, a promising young concert pianist is afflicted with obsessive/compulsive disorder and extreme paranoia. After she attempts suicide, Kildare must consider a risky operation to save her from sinking into insanity.
Wednesday, February 1, 1950 - 30:00 - MGM Syndication

Marjorie Northrup (#2)
After an automobile accident, Kildare has no choice but to amputate the leg of a young woman in order to save her life. Months later, she still refuses to tell him anything about her friends or next of kin and has developed a bitter and negative attitude toward life -- and toward Dr. Kildare, too.
Wednesday, February 8, 1950 - 30:00 - MGM Syndication

Dr. Robert Lane (#3)
Robert Lane is a hard-working and promising first year intern at Blair General Hospital. But when one of his patients develops complications, he's nowhere to be found. Believing Lane to be hiding something - and not wanting to risk losing a potentially fine doctor - Kildare takes responsibility for him and determines to discover the secret of his absence.
Wednesday, February 15, 1950 - 30:00 - MGM Syndication

Alice Bradley (#4)
A young lady comes to Blair General Hospital suffering from an apparent case of amnesia. Doctors Kildare and Gillespie make many attempts to help her regain her memory but when her father comes to take her home, she has a startling and disturbing reaction to him. William Conrad guest stars.
Wednesday, February 22, 1950 - 30:00 - MGM Syndication

Benjamin Barkley (#5)
Benjamin Barkley is a rich but stubborn and curmudgeonly patient suffering from chronic intestinal problems. When he comes to Blair for his usual yearly stay, Kildare discovers he is in critical need of an appendectomy. But when Barkley refuses to grant permission for the operation, Kildare deftly conspires to convince that his illness is genuine and surgery is necessary.
Wednesday, March 1, 1950 - 30:00 - MGM Syndication

Rico and Carmen Machiano (#6)
Enrico Machiano is a violinist who plays for pennies on street corners. Believing he must have sufficient funds to pay for medical treatment before it is given, he comes to Blair with a bag of coins to ask Dr. Gillespie to examine his ailing wife, Carmen, who has been ill for some time.
Wednesday, March 8, 1950 - 30:00 - MGM Syndication

Vernon Pendleton (#7)
Vernon Pendleton is a wealthy businessman, a board member who contributes considerable funds to the hospital -- and a chronic hypochondriac. Kildare conducts a full physical and, when he's found to be completely healthy, Pendleton threatens to withdraw his financial support.
Wednesday, March 15, 1950 - 30:00 - MGM Syndication

Barbara Lane (#8)
A young woman is brought into the hospital via ambulance after being found comatose in a local hotel. When a half-bottle of sleeping pills is found in her room, attempted suicide is suspected. But, when lab reports confirm that she took no more than one or two tablets, Kildare tries to uncover the true cause of her condition.
Wednesday, March 22, 1950 - 30:00 - MGM Syndication

Carolyn Shelley (#11)
Carolyn Shelley is a sweet, but lonely little girl; her parents are separated and are often away, leaving her to be raised by an uncaring governess. She has become a special friend of Doctor Gillespie and, when he and Kildare visit her, she is found to be suffering from a chronic appendix and in need of an operation.
Wednesday, April 12, 1950 - 30:00 - MGM Syndication

Janet Dane (#12)
A young woman diagnosed with inoperable throat cancer agrees to undergo a series of experimental Betatron treatments at Blair General Hospital - the first of a new type of radiation therapy.
Wednesday, April 19, 1950 - 30:00 - MGM Syndication

Warren Jackson (#13)
Warren Jackson is a successful insurance salesman. Though newly married and apparently happy, one night he attempts suicide by slashing his wrists. Kildare believes an undiagnosed medical condition may be responsible for his actions and seeks to find the reason for his depression.
Wednesday, April 26, 1950 - 30:00 - MGM Syndication

Terry Murphy (#14)
Fourteen-year-old Terry Murphy, the grandson of a cleaning woman at Blair General Hospital, is a good kid. However, to the dismay of his grandmother, he's recently been accused of stealing a pistol from a sporting goods store. Kildare and Gillespie attend his court hearing and Kildare agrees to take responsibility for the boy in the hopes of finding out what has caused his sudden change of personality.
Wednesday, May 3, 1950 - 30:00 - MGM Syndication

Phillip Van Court (#17)
Mr. & Mrs. Van Court appeal to Kildare and Gillespie to help in locating their son, who has been missing for two days. Phillip, a war veteran, is soon found sitting on a bench at Brighton Beach with no memory of who he is or how he got there - an apparent victim of amnesia.
Wednesday, May 24, 1950 - 30:00 - MGM Syndication

The Abandoned Baby (#18)
A baby is abandoned in the front seat of a parked car. Discovered wrapped in an old coat, a note is found in the pocket giving custody of the child to Dr. Gillespie. Believing the mother may commit suicide, a cynical police Lieutenant (played by guest Jack Webb) is called in to investigate -- and hopefully find the baby's mother before it's too late.
Wednesday, May 31, 1950 - 30:00 - MGM Syndication

Angela Carough (#19)
In a lighthearted episode, Dr. Carough, chief administrator of Blair General Hospital, charges Kildare and Gillespie with a seemingly impossible task: find a way for Carough's wife to lose twenty pounds in time for an upcoming hospital benefit show.
Thursday, June 1, 1950 - 30:00 - MGM Syndication

Dick Brennan (#20)
Young Dick Brennan, a hometown friend of Kildare's, is broke and down on his luck. He admits to the doctor that, having gone to a job interview, he noticed the safe was open and outright stole $5000.00 in cash. Kildare believes that he will not be prosecuted if he confesses to the crime and returns the money immediately -- but complications develop when the owners of the money claim it was not $5000.00 but $50,000.00 that was stolen!
Thursday, June 8, 1950 - 30:00 - MGM Syndication

Colonel Beauregard (#25)
William Conrad guests as a cantankerous Kentucky Colonel suffering from paralysis of both his legs. There seems to be no definite medical reason for his condition, so Gillespie suggests psychiatric treatment -- but, after conferring with the old man's daughter, Kildare suggests another diagnosis.
Thursday, July 13, 1950 - 30:00 - MGM Syndication

Gordon Mallory (#26)
A painter on a construction project near the hospital is suffering from abdominal pains, which are soon diagnosed as lead poisoning. Gillespie and Kildare visit the construction site to try and determine the cause of his condition, but the gruff foreman gives them little assistance. But, when another worker collapses on the job, the foreman begins to wonder if he'll be the next victim.
Thursday, July 20, 1950 - 30:00 - MGM Syndication

Dan Molloy (#27)
A successful contractor is suffering from a peptic ulcer -- the result of a high-stress white-collar job. He longs to retire to Cranberry Lake and take up fishing, but his social-climbing wife refuses to even consider it. For the sake of his health, Gillespie and Kildare conspire to change her mind.
Thursday, July 27, 1950 - 30:00 - MGM Syndication

Mrs. Stanford (#28)
A wealthy, but fragile elderly widow has an attack of angina pectoris after becoming angry with her sister. The doctors know that any future stress might well trigger a fatal heart attack, but her situation isn't helped by the people who live with her: her suspicious nephew, her strange and eccentric sister Amy, and a companion and secretary who may not be as charming and well-meaning as she seems.
Thursday, August 3, 1950 - 30:00 - MGM Syndication

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