This article is about the 1938 MGM film. For the pulp fiction, film, radio, television, and comic character, see Dr. Kildare. For the 1970s syndicated TV series called "Young Dr. Kildare", see Dr. Kildare (TV series). Young Dr. Kildare is a 1938 film starring Lew Ayres as Dr. James Kildare, an idealistic, freshly graduated medical intern, who benefits greatly from the wise counsel of his experienced mentor, Dr. Leonard Gillespie (played by Lionel Barrymore). The film was based on a story and characters created by author Frederick Schiller Faust, writing as Max Brand.