East of the River (1940)

Running her own restaurant in Little Italy, Teresa Lorenzo - "Mama" - has a heart of gold. It is her sincerity in doing right by all involved that she was able to convince Judge Davis to give who was her then adolescent son Joe Lorenzo one more chance rather than send him to a reformatory for his delinquency. At the same time, she was able to convince the judge to let her adopt Joe's equally delinquent and orphaned friend Nick if only to give him a chance at life instead of also sending him to the reformatory. While Mama's actions have led to Nick seizing that chance, he on the cusp of obtaining his college degree, Joe has continued his criminal ways. Mama either is unaware or has her head in the sand about Joe, who has pretended to be managing an orange orchard in Calabasas CA for the past three years, while in reality he has been in prison, he able to maintain the ruse by having friends and associates, including his girlfriend Laurie Romayne, a proverbial dame, send letters enclosed with criminally obtained money back to Mama on his behalf. Joe's release from prison coincides with Nick's graduation, Joe able to convince an initially reluctant Laurie to accompany him back to New York for the convocation and to meet the family. Joe has ulterior motives in returning to New York in wanting revenge on two former associates, Cy Turner and Frisco Scarfi, who double crossed him, that double cross leading to his imprisonment. While Joe continues his criminal ways, Laurie, seeing the other side of life for the first time, is drawn to Mama and Nick's sincerity, Laurie and Nick who mutually fall in love with each other. Joe, however, will not give Laurie up without a fight, his threats against her which could ruin any happiness in that life on the straight and narrow with Mama and Nick.