Dr. Kildare (TV series)
| Dr. Kildare | |
|---|---|
DVD cover
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| Genre | Medical drama |
| Created by | James Komack |
| Starring |
Richard Chamberlain Raymond Massey |
| Country of origin | United States |
| No. of seasons | 5 |
| No. of episodes | 191 |
| Production | |
| Running time | 60 minutes |
| Production company(s) | Arena Productions MGM Television |
| Distributor | Warner Bros. Television (current) |
| Release | |
| Original network | NBC |
| Original release | September 28, 1961 – August 30, 1966 |
Dr. Kildare is an NBC medical drama television series which originally ran from September 28, 1961 until August 30, 1966, for a total of 191 episodes over five seasons. Produced by MGM Television, it was based on fictional doctor characters originally created by author Max Brand in the 1930s and previously used by MGM in a popular film series and radio drama. The TV series quickly achieved success and made a star of Richard Chamberlain, who played the title role. Dr. Kildare (along with an ABC medical drama, Ben Casey, which premiered at the same time) inspired or influenced many later TV shows dealing with the medical field.
Dr. Kildare aired on NBC affiliate stations on Thursday nights at 8:30-9:30 PM from September 28, 1961 until September 1965, when the timeslot was changed to Monday and Tuesday nights at 8:30-9:00 PM until the end of the show's run on August 30, 1966.
Like the earlier MGM film series (1938-1942), the TV series initially told the story of young intern Dr. James Kildare (Richard Chamberlain) working at the fictional large metropolitan "Blair General Hospital" and trying to learn his profession, deal with patients' problems, and win the respect of the senior Dr. Leonard Gillespie (Raymond Massey). In the series' first episode, Gillespie tells the earnest Kildare, "Our job is to keep people alive, not to tell them how to live." Kildare ignores the advice, which provides the basis for stories over the next four seasons, many with a soap opera touch. By the third season, Dr. Kildare was promoted to resident and episodes began to focus less on him and his medical colleagues, and more on the stories of individual patients and their families.
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