Zeus

Three Men In White (1944)

• Director
  • Willis Goldbeck
• Writers
  • Harry Ruskin(original screenplay)
  • Martin Berkeley(original screenplay)
  • Max Brand(based on characters by)
• Stars
  • Lionel Barrymore
  • Van Johnson
  • Marilyn Maxwell

  MGM's popular Dr. Kildare series spanned 1938-47. Lew Ayres played the title character, but parted in 1942. Though crusty and craggly Lionel Barrymore, portrayed Dr. Gillespie (one of Kildare's contemporaries at Blair General Hospital) from the beginning of the series, he initially came second billed, and only received first billing in the six films that followed Ayres's departure, thus becoming the central character. 1944's Three Men and White marks the fourth such instance. As in prior entries, the premise of Three Men revolves around Gillespie solving medical mysteries and fixing romantic problems. Here, Gillespie is forced to decide between Keye Luke (as Dr. Lee Wong How) and Van Johnson (as Dr. Randall Adams) as his new assistant. To make the call, he assigns a medical case to each. Wong How must help a child overcome his allergy to sugar; Johnson must work a female patient through 'insurmountable' arthritis.