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58 years ago today, April 5, 1966, the final episode of Dr. Kildare aired on NBC. The series ran from September 27, 1961 until April 5, 1966, encompassing a total of 190 episodes in five seasons. The show, which premiered at the same time as an ABC medical drama, Ben Casey, quickly achieved success and helped spark a number of new shows dealing with the medical field. It aired on Thursday at 8:30-9:30 PM from September 28, 1961 to May 13, 1965, and on Monday and Tuesday at 8:30-9:00 PM from September 13, 1965 to April 5, 1966. Kildare told the story of a young intern, Dr. James Kildare (Richard Chamberlain), working in a fictional large metropolitan hospital (Blair General) while trying to learn his profession, dealing with the problems of the patients, and winning the respect of the senior doctor, Dr. Leonard Gillespie (Raymond Massey). Publicity photo from "Rome Will Never Leave You". Both doctors travel to Rome, where they find more than medical information; Kildare finds romance with Italian actress Daniela Bianchi. In the series' first episode, Gillespie tells the earnest Kildare, "Our job is to keep people alive, not to tell them how to live." Kildare ignores the advice, which provides the basis for stories over the next four seasons, many with a soap opera touch. Chamberlain beat 35 other contenders for the role, and the series was largely responsible for making him a teen idol in the 1960s.[citation needed] He also recorded a song, "Three Stars Will Shine Tonight," with the music from the show's familiar opening theme. In 2006 Chamberlain reprised the role in a parody of Grey's Anatomy (along with other famous TV doctors from Julia, St. Elsewhere, M*A*S*H and The Love Boat) on the 2006 TV Land Awards. A second television series, titled Young Dr. Kildare, premiered in first-run syndication in 1972. Starring Mark Jenkins as Dr. Kildare and Gary Merrill as Dr. Gillespie, it lasted for only one season of 24 episodes.