 Lou Ayers and Lionel Barrymore starred in that version as well. As some of you may remember, there was also a television program. That Dr. Kildare premiered in 1961 starring Richard Chamberlain with Raymond Massey as Gillespie. They would be joined by a veritable who's who of actors playing MDs each week, including Leslie Nielsen, Dean Stockwell, Martin Balsam, and William Shatner.