Lightning struck twice for Wyler with another successful adaptation of a play by Dead End writer Sidney Kingsley, again teeming with human drama and tragedy in a contained New York setting. At the 21st Precinct, upright detective Kirk Douglas juggles crime investigations both big and small until one day a case turns personal. Reprising her stage breakthrough as a shoplifter, Lee Grant was honored at Cannes and nominated for an Oscar.

Print courtesy of the British Film Institute