User Reviews

**SPOILERS** The movie "Between Two Women" has Dr. Red Adams, Van Johnson, take over the Dr. Gillespie series with Lenny Gillespie, Lionel Barrymore, regulated to a supporting role.

Dr.Red finally gets to kiss the gorgeous Ruth Edley, Marilyn Maxwell, twice not once for the boys on the front lines in getting them over $200,000.00 that was donated in buying war bonds for Dr. Red's selfless and patriotic smooching for his country.

As for the operations that Dr. Red preformed in the film they were a piece of cake compared to his being forced, for the good of his country and the war effort,in kissing the knock you off your feet Ruth Edly. Dr. Red ended up curing nightclub singer Edna, Gloria DeHaven,from her eating disorder and Blair Hospital switchboard operator Sally,Marie Blake, from her kidney infection.

As it turned out Edna was suffering from a deep guilt complex in feeling that she was responsible for the death of fellow nightclub singer Sylvia who starved herself to death. This happened after Sylvia was fired for not showing up at work. It turned out that both her boyfriend ,who left her, and her drinking not Edna was responsible for Sylvia's untimely death.

As for Sally she thought that she was suffering from a terminal case of stomach cancer that had her go an a not so welcomed, in not eating her favorite food, diet. It was Dr. Red's diagnosis of Sally's inflamed kidney that in the end put her at ease even though the operation was anything but a walk in the park. It still took almost all of Blair General Hospital's blood supply to save Sally's life with the tireless Dr. Red and assistant Dr. Lee, Keye Luke, working around the clock to do it.

As for wise old Dr. Gillespie he turned from his medical duties to becoming a match-maker in getting Red and Ruth, mostly Red, to kiss each other. But it took almost all the money in Blair General Hospital coffers for him to finally do it!

Copyright 19 December 1944 by Loew's Inc. U.S. release: March 1945. U.K. release: 21 May 1945. New York opening at Loew's Criterion: 28 March 1945. Australian release: 2 August 1945. 7,265 feet. 80 minutes.

SYNOPSIS: Wealthy debutante sets her cap at up-and-coming doctor.

COMMENT: The 14th and second-last of M-G-M's Dr Kildare series. In this one, Dr. Johnson cures Miss DeHaven of neuresthenic self-starvation, but unfortunately he also attends upon the hospital's switchboard operator, Marie Blake. While Miss DeHaven is pleasantly photogenic, Miss Blake is considerably less so.

Still, Miss DeHaven sings "I'm In the Mood For Love" and Marilyn Maxwell agreeably makes up the other woman of the title. Doctor Barrymore hams up his hokey dialogue with his usual skill and has us almost believing in him a quarter of the time.

As for the direction of this ho-hum from the MGM factory, the most that could be said is that it maintains a bare minimum of competence.

Incidentally, this is the 15th of the 16-picture Kildare series. It's also number 14 of the 15 M-G-M entries.

It's a medical crisis for hospital switchboard operator Marie Blake, aka Blossom Rock, and it's serious business for her comic relief character, the best material she had in the long running MGM series. This is the last film in the series for rising star Van Johnson, treating Blake for pains she has while working and fearing it's cancer. He also treats singer Gloria DeHaven who seems to be starving herself to death and has to put up with pushy girlfriend Marilyn Maxwell's ridiculous psychosomatic advice regarding DeHaven, an absurd scene that makes Maxwell come off ridiculously.

Outside of Blake's storyline, this isn't all that great of a Dr. Gillespie film, with Lionel Barrymore continuing to bark his lines like a seal with laryngitis, and Alma Kruger as head nurse Molly who continues to be an amusing presence, keeping him in line. Keye Luke is good in a small role as another young doctor who has a playful rivalry with Johnson. While it's obvious that they did some research for each of the medical issues, I found it odd that a big city hospital would only have one switchboard and no one trained to do the job to the high marks set by Blake's Sally.

I enjoyed this entry into the world of Blair General Hospital, but what's with this terrible title? As I have stated before, if MGM were trying to have fans of the series know it was part of the series why did they not mention the connection with Dr. Kildare or Dr. Gillespie? Were they steering away from it since the series may at that time have run its course?

As for the film itself, Van Johnson and Key Luke return once again as the young doctors learning their trade. Finally, we get to see Sally (who in a note in the film is listed as "Sallie") have her most screen time yet. Marie Blake, always fun, gets sick in this film, and it's up to young Dr. Adams to diagnose and to try to save her. As for Dr. Gillespie, he is less critical and nasty in this entry. He is warmer and more human in his demeanor.

Some nice appearances by some of the MGM stock company include: blonde Gloria DeHaven who sings "I'm in the Mood for Love" in a nightclub; Leon Ames (Mr. Smith in Meet Me in St. Louis) who makes an appearance in a scene with Dr. Gillespie; and Marilyn Maxwell who returns once again as Dr. Adams' girlfriend.

War bonds, so crucial at the time, is a subject brought up in the film with perspective buyers at the nightclub given the chance to kiss one of six beautiful show girls. I like these films since they give us an insight into the 1930's-1940's culture of the time.

Between Two Women may not be great film, but as an entry into the world of Blair General Hospital, I would rate this as one of its most enjoyable entries.

Watching this movie in 2015 once again, I am puzzled by something I didn't catch before: Ruth Brady as Sally's switchboard operator replacement. I think it is Ruth Brady (Helen in Judy Garland's film The Clock and Ethel in Judy's The Harvey Girls. Yet I see no mention of her name in these credits or on Ruth Brady's own page. I am puzzled and I could swear that was Ruth. Anyone out there can confirm this?