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120 Chapter Sixteen BASIC TRAINING Lew immediately went from the conscientious objectors camp to join an induction ceremony for the army. He swore his oath but emphasized to the surrounding press in attendance there had been no change in his views or beliefs. He had nothing else to say and would answer no further questions, and simply left for his basic training at Hood River in California . Lew would learn all the same skills and drills as his fellow soldiers, except never with a gun in his hand. It seemed, at least for the time being, that the controversy over Lew’s convictions had died down, much to the relief of the government, military , and Hollywood. His final movie, Fingers฀at฀the฀Window, completed its lackluster theatrical run and the newly christened Calling฀Dr.฀Gillespie was released without protest, or even a mention of Jimmy Kildare’s total absence from the film. After Calling฀Dr.฀Gillespie, Paul Dorn was quickly dismissed as a suitable fill-in for the hole left by Lew and was replaced by Van Johnson, one of MGM’s newest young stars. After Lew’s departure from the series, Barrymore’s Dr. Gillepsie become the main character, as opposed to Van Johnson’s Dr. Randall “Red” Adams, who would simply be his younger assistant. Although he received a better reception than Dorn, Johnson was too preppy and silly in the role of the young doctor, and Ayres’s subtler and more serious-minded performance was a noticeable loss to the series. After nine Kildare films, Barrymore and Johnson would make only four Gillespie films in four years before Johnson was replaced with James Craig as Dr. Coalt in the final film, Dark฀Delusion, released in 1947. With the departure of Lew, the films in the series not only changed characters, but also quality. None of the other actors developed the chemistry Lew and Lionel had found, and the difference was glaring. As dated as they may seem today, the strength of the films lay in the meeting of Gillespie’s view of the world’s harsh realities with the youthful BAsIC trAInIng 121 idealism of James Kildare. Kildare, as played by Ayres, had complete faith in the honor of medicine, and stated this faith with such conviction that it never felt preachy, but only heartfelt and genuine. As much as the new actors tried to force their characters to follow such a path, none were able to pull it off. They appeared, at best, to be imitations and, at worst, parodies of the earlier films. Ironically, the idealistic words spoken by Dr. Kildare on the power of healing were proving to mirror Lew’s own true feelings towards medicine . It was that belief that led to his insistence on joining the medics and eventually becoming an army first aid instructor. After Lew’s experience working with the Red Cross, he had such appreciation for their work and gratitude for their decision to publicly defend him that he committed all his military pay directly to them, a promise he kept for the remainder of the war. Lew also leased out his home for the remainder of the war. Joe, who had by then passed his citizenship test and become an American, had been caring for the home, even protecting it from the occasional unwanted visitors who chose to protest against Lew’s stand as an objector by vandalizing his home. Soon after Lew’s induction, Joe received a telegram from Lew in San Antonio Texas: “It looks like a long war, Joe. So see if you can find another job until I come home again.”2 Ironically, some of the men in basic training with him were unaware that Lew was the man they had seen in the movies because, assuming his career was essentially over and preparing himself for the transition, Lew no longer referred to himself as an actor. Lew didn’t seem too bothered by the end of his successful career. The more he had examined his life, the less content he had become with his profession. He lacked the passion of men like Lionel Barrymore and was embarrassed to have spent nearly fifteen years in such a lifestyle, believing acting had been a silly way to spend one’s life. While in training, Lew began to consider what he would do with the rest of his life after the war. A career in medicine was certainly possible, but he felt he was too old...

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