The Bottom of the Bottle

Donald (Van Johnson), an escaped convict, seeks help from his brother, Pat (Joseph Cotten), who owns land in Arizona. Donald claims that his wife and son need him desperately just across the river in Mexico, but Pat refuses to help, going so far as to deny that the man is his brother to his friends and his wife, Nora (Ruth Roman). When word arrives that Donald's family is destitute, Donald hits the bottle, Pat comes clean, and Nora pleads with Pat to intervene and honor his blood ties.