Dr. Gillespie's Criminal Case (1943)

The third of MGM's Dr. Kildare series to dispense with the services of Dr. Kildare (Lew Ayres), Dr. Gillespie's Criminal Case stars crusty old Lionel Barrymore in the title role. The first half of the film concerns Gillespie's efforts to expedite the romance of Army sergeant Orisin (Michael Duane) and Marcia Bradburn (Donna Reed), with the help of doctors Red Adams (Van Johnson) and Lee Wong How (Keye Luke). The closing reels lapse into melodrama when Gillespie is kidnapped by mentally unstable convict patient Roy Todwell (John Craven) and his gang. In addition to new MGM contractees Van Johnson and Donna Reed, Dr. Gillespie's Criminal Case gave a boost to young star-in-the-making Margaret O'Brien. Like most of the later films in the series, this one is hampered a bit by its excessive length. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi