HU$TLING DR. KILDARE

"Everything was a film set, and you were an actor....

Like Dr. Kildare."
Kulvinder Samar
'Hu$tle'

Kulvinder Samar was a ruthless Indian businessman running several factories under sweatshop-like conditions. Mickey's gang of grifters had targeted him for the long con, but he caught on to their scheme before paying off. However, he got injured in a car crash and was suffering amnesia.

The above quote was said to the "roper" of the gang, Albert Stroller, whom he thought was a doctor. Pre-amnesia, Albert used the old bump/"Is this your wallet?" scam to make the introductions and then lead Samar into the bigger con. So Samar's subconscious was interpreting these differing views of Albert to the basics of grifting: ACTING!

It's obvious that Mr. Samar was referring to the series of "Dr. Kildare" movies of the 1930s/1940s with the above quote. After all, the Dr. Kildare of Toobworld, as good as he might have become in his profession, probably never became famous enough for Samar to know of him in India or in England.

And we know he couldn't be referring to the 'Dr. Kildare' TV show, since that show is just as much a part of the TV Universe as 'Hu$tle' is.

It's a good thing Samar didn't invoke the names of Drs. Casey, Welby, or closer to home, Findlay. With Kildare, there's a film pedigree that gives us the out from getting Zonked.

It was just some kind of cosmic kismet that the character in the movie played by Lew Ayres, Dr. James Kildare, had the same name as a young man in the TV Universe who would also become a physician.

But in the Real World, it could be that the reference was added as a tip of the hat to Richard Chamberlain, who played the role on Television, and who appeared in the previous episode of 'Hu$tle' as a legendary grifter.

Young Dr. Kildare (1938)
The Secret of Dr. Kildare (1939)
Calling Dr. Kildare (1939)
Dr. Kildare Goes Home (1940)
Dr. Kildare's Strange Case (1940)
Dr. Kildare's Crisis (1940)
The People vs. Dr. Kildare (1941)
Dr. Kildare's Wedding Day (1941)
Dr. Kildare's Victory (1942)
Calling Dr. Gillespie (1942)

BCnU!
Tele-Toby