“Dr, Kildare Goes Home”

Manawatu Times, Volume 66, Issue 44, 20 February 1941, Page 8

“Dr, Kildare Goes Home”

REGENT THEATRE ATTRACTION-TO-MORROW Comedy, heart interest and the drama of science mingle to provide entertainment with thrills in “Dr. Kildare Goes Home,” latest of the medical-mystery series with Lew Ayres, Lionel Barrymore and Laraine Day. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer has produced the latest in the series on an important scale, and the young doctor and his veteran perceptor invade the important field of preventive medicine to disclose many important truths, grapple with a new mystery malady and, between thrills, create laughs. A town near the home of young Dr. Kildare (Lew Ayres) goes “broke.When the doctors leave, stagnant ponds and wells spread disease. Young Dr. Kildare, aided by the veteran Dr. Gillespie (Barrymore), enlists a group of young medicos headed by Dr. Davidson (John Shelton) to start a clinic and make a doomed town “live and like it. ’ ’ The city fathers rebel at closing wells and ponds. They prepare to throw the clinic out of town, when Citizen No. 1 is stricken by a malady, the clinic cures him, the day is saved. And the plan of Ayres and Laraine Day to elope collapses hilariously when it’s discovered that the whole town knows their secret. Ayres plaj's his role more seriously as befits the seriousness of the situa tion, Barrymore barks at internes and gleans laughs, Miss Day is beautiful and wears becoming fashions for the first time in a Kildare picture, John Shelton, newcomer who scored in “We Who Are Young” with Lana Turner, turns in a serious and convincing performance. Alma Kruger and Barrymore indulge in comedy scenes, as do Nat Pendleton and Marie BJake, and Samuel S. Hinds and Emma. Dunn have some charming moments as the parents of the young doctor. The “family dinner” with Barrymore and Pendleton as guests is whimsically human. Walter Kingsford, Nell Craig, Frank Orth. Horace McMahon and George Reed fill their usual Kildare parts satisfactorily. The direction of Harold S. Bucquet, who directed the preceding Kildare pic tures, is deft and incisive, and unusual photographic effects such as the spectroscope scene and garret emergency operation are provided by Harold Rosson. The musical score, which does much to enhance the dramatic highlights, is by David Snell