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Biographies often mention that Shatner first was cast for the Kildare part, but he – thankfully for us - refused because he didn’t want to bound to a series at this time of his life. As we know he nevertheless got bound to another series and a character, which should be with him for the rest of his life, soon. But before that he guest-starred in the Kildare-series (for which by the way Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry also had written some scripts) for two times and six episodes. In the one hour episode “Admitting service” from 1961 Shatner played Dr. Toby Cunningham, one of the Blair’s Hospital doctor’s. He has strong discussions with Kildare, who is the opinion Cunningham did a wrong diagnosis on one patient. So the man was send home again but died a few hours later. Cunningham and the younger Kildare became rivals in this case. Cunningham is sure Kildare just want to destroy his reputation, but Jim is only on the search of the truth. In the end it turns out that Cunningham did nothing wrong and there was no chance to save the man’s life. In 1966 Shatner returned for a five-part-story-arc in the episodes “The Encroachment”, “A Patient lost”, “What happened to all the Sunshine and Roses?”, “The Taste of Crow” and “Out of a concrete Tower.” He played the young, talented, successful Dr. Carl Noyes, Kildare’s rival for promotion. Noyes is not much liked from patients and colleagues because he serves emotionless and without any obvious sympathy for the patients. Then the deadly ill Doctor Milton Orloff is brought to Blair’s. He tries to convince Kildare or Noyes to became his successor. Both give him a no and Noyes says that a practice has no future. If a doctor wants to make a career he has to be a specialist on a hospital. In the end he changes his mind and takes over the practice. Orloff’s dead, the contact to Orloff’s pregnant, young woman (played by Diana Muldaur another Star Trek actress) and the contact with another emotional-problematic patients – a young dancing girl – has changed his mind and opened him up to a more human behaviour. Leonard Nimoy appeared in the one-hour-episode “An Island like a Peacock”, which aired first on May 16 1963. The episode tells the story of the blind girl Gina, played by Kathryn Hayes. Nimoy plays her shy, sensitive, young neighbour Harry, who takes the girls to work and home again and reads to her for an hour each night. For him – obviously secretly in love with the girl - this is the brightest hour of the day. Things become more complicated when Gina’s long missed, now deadly ill father (played by Forest Tucker) returns. He wants her to undergo an operation again but because previous operations failed Gina has become reconciled to her blindness and refuses to try again. Kildare also tries to convince her if not for the operation then at least for taking lessons in Braille so that she can find a better, more independent future. Despite her blindness Gina is sure that James is a handsome, good locking man, which triggers some jealousy on Harry’s side. As her father dies he leaves his eyes to her in the hope that a new operation will give her her sight back. Finally Gina agrees to the operation. If it succeeds and if Harry, who secretly fears that he will loose Gina if she can see again, finds a happy end with the girl is not revealed. Shatner does a believable, good job on his parts but I can’t imagine him as Kildare anyway. So I’m really thankful that he refused the leading part. I doubt of the show had became so successful with him. He’s just not the type for a young, kind, sensitive doctor. On the other hand can someone imagine Richard as Captain of a starship? By Berit _____________________________________________________________________________ REVIEW 2 - OCTOBER WINNER
By Bonnie McGowan _____________________________________________________________________________ REVIEW 3
I was only six when it came on the air but I was in love with Richard, as were millions of other females. Yes, perhaps the plots were trite, the writing a bit over the top and medical inaccuracies abounded but who cared? The show was magic. The adventures of young intern James Kildare as he dealt with the medical crises of Blair General Hospital enthralled audiences. I occasionally watched the “anti-Kildare”, Ben Casey, but had little sympathy for the angry, angst ridden young Turk Vincent Edwards. You were either a Kildare fan or a Casey fan and this was a serious issue.
The show’s last season was
spent divided into two half hour episodes in an effort to save its ratings.
Nurse Zoe was added as a love interest and I hated her. But it was time
for Richard and his audience to move on. The 1960’s were arriving
like a hurricane and there was little interest in the slow, gentle dramas
of Blair General Hospital. Yet. Dr. Kildare will always be the ideal of
what medicine is all about. By Geri Maisano
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I
always loved to see the parallels between my two fanish loves –
Richard on one site, Star Trek on the other. Many of the actresses and
actors Richard played with during his long career also took guest-parts
in the Star Trek series, f.e. Jean Simmons, Richard Kiley, Clyde Kusatsu
or Timothy Carhart. On the other hand a few of the Star Trek stars appeared
in Richard’s series, foremost Mr. Spock Leonard Nimoy and Captain
Kirk William Shatner.
The
Dr. Kildare show is very special to me. It is when I first became an ardent
fan of Richard's, which I have remained since then. I have fond memories
of watching the show with my sisters when I was a little girl. Also, it
sparked an interest in medicine. I went on to become a psychologist. I
like to think that the values and dedication to helping people help themselves
stayed with me from that show. Dr. Kildare treated his patients as individuals.
Not as cases or diagnoses. He was so believable as a young doctor. I especially
liked the episode called A Hand Held Out In Darkness When I watch it today
on tape I am warmed by the patient caring with which the doctors draw
out the traumatized little girl. No drugs or invasive interventions. Just
healing. How wonderful it would be if this show could ever be released
to the public on video.
Back
in the olden days before multiple household TV sets and VCR machines,
family life in the USA was centered around the three TV network schedules.
In the early 1960’s every afternoon after dinner my family watched
the CBS Evening News with Walter Cronkite (whom my father considered The
Voice of God). Sunday nights were the Wonderful World of Disney and Bonanza.
Friday night was the Twilight Zone, a show that scared the beejezus out
of me but I wouldn’t miss for the world. And Thursday was the highlight
of my life—Dr. Kildare.
Looking
back, I think the show and my adoration of Richard provided a sense of
security in my insecure early life. No matter how hard he tried, Dr. Kildare
made mistakes and got in trouble with Dr. Gillespie. But everything came
out all right in the end. The patients were (almost always) saved and
problems solved. Richard, in his first starring role, was shy and tentative
but this only added to his charm as Dr. Kildare was supposed to be shy
and tentative. It is fascinating to see him grow as an actor as the show
progressed although the character unfortunately was not allowed to grow
with him.