One Third of a Nation

Prosperous Peter Cortlant (Leif Erickson) helps young Joey Rogers (played by teenager Sidney Lumet, before he became a director) after the boy suffers injuries in a tenement fire — and is horrified to learn that he himself owns the unsafe building where Joey lives. As he learns more about his tenants and begins to fall for Joey’s older sister, Mary (Sylvia Sidney), Peter resolves to take action to make their lives better.