Killed by Request: Laraine Day played Nurse Mary Lamont in seven Dr. Kildare movies, but when her career as an A-lister started to take off, she wanted out. So Mary Lamont was tragically hit by a car and killed in Dr. Kildare's Wedding Day.
The Other Darrin: Joel McCrea played Dr. Kildare in the first film of the series, Internes Can't Take Money. After it was decided that it would become a film series, Lew Ayres stepped in as Kildare, starting with Young Dr. Kildare.
Referenced by...: Almost everything. Due to the popularity of the Films, Radio show, and TV show. "Kildare" became a synonym for a doctor.
Role-Ending Misdemeanor: Lew Ayres was fired from the role of Dr. Kildare after Ayres, who was a pacifist, applied for conscientous objector status in 1942 instead of applying for combat duty in World War II. While Ayres asked to serve as a medic and eventually did serve as a medic in combat in the Philippines, the bad publicity led to his dismissal. The film series continued with six more films being made with Lionel Barrymore as Dr. Gillespie, mentoring a new set of idealistic doctors.
The TV series
Cast the Runner-Up: William Shatner was almost cast as Dr. Kildare, but turned it down. He did make guest appearances (as two different characters) in six episodes.
