Centenary Celebration: Lew Ayres
By Jim Linz
Lew Ayres (December 28, 1908-December 30, 1996) was a musician and actor best remembered for his performances in All Quiet on the Western Front (1930) and a series of Dr. Kildare movies.
Although born in Minneapolis, Ayres grew up in San Diego. His film and music career began at age 19 as he landed bit parts in films while playing banjo and guitar with Henry Halstead’s Orchestra in San Diego. The group appeared in one of the earliest Vitaphone shorts, Carnival Night in Paris (1927).
Ayres later rejoined Halstead and played at the New Year’s Eve opening of the Beverly Wilshire hotel. Phil Harris also performed with Halstead’s orchestra that night.
Lew Ayres’ first starring role in a film was opposite Greta Garbo in The Kiss (1929), but it was his role as Paul Baumer in All Quiet on the Western Front that made him a star. Among his other notable early performances as a leading man was in the 1934 Servant’s Entrance with Janet Gaynor. The film featured a musical dream sequence combining live action and Disney animation.
Between 1938 and 1942 Ayres starred in eight Dr. Kildare films, becoming a matinee idol. That all came to a screeching halt when Ayres filed as a conscientious objector when served with a draft notice. Theatres vowed to never show another Ayres film. Although Ayres filed as a conscientious objector, he sought, and eventually was given, a position in the Medical Corps. He served as a medic under fire in the South Pacific.
When Ayres returned to film after the war, roles were hard to find. He won an Oscar nomination for his role in the 1948 film Johnny Belinda. Although he did not win the Oscar, he did win the affection of his costar, Jane Wyman. Wyman divorced Ronald Reagan to pursue Ayres, but they never married. He was married three times—to Lola Lane (1931-1933), Ginger Rogers (1934-1940), and Diane Hall (1964-1996).
Ayres’ was given the opportunity to revive his role as Dr. Kildare in the 1961 television series, but lost the role when he demanded that the series have no cigarette advertising. The role went instead to Richard Chamberlain.
Ayres continued to play guest roles in a number of television series including the Mary Taylor Moore Show, Hawaii Five-O, and Little House on the Prairie.
To see a clip of Lew Ayres in the 1934 film She Learned About Sailors, go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mDU7KgX1RP0. Of course, the real star of the clip is the incomparable Alice Faye.
This article originally appeared in Trans-Lux volume 26, number 2, Spring 2008.
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Created Thursday, November 27, 2008; Modified Thursday, November 27, 2008.
