Steel Against the Sky 1941

Rocky Evans [Lloyd Nolan] and Pete Evans [Edward Brophy] follow in their father’s footsteps, working on girders to raise a bridge for John Powers [Gene Lockhart]. Their younger brother Chuck Evans [Craig Stevens] believes in brains over brawn and leans toward get-rich-quick schemes, which usually fizzle. Chuck pitches backing for Professor Samson, who claims to have invented a new material called Samsonite — as strong as steel and as flexible as rubber. Rocky is skeptical, but Chuck moves ahead and brings the Professor home, where Pop Aloysisus Evans [Edward Ellis] funds a small basement lab.

Rocky’s heart turns toward Helen Powers [Alexis Smith], daughter of the bridge contractor Rupert Sampson [Walter Catlett], and he invites her to dinner. The three siblings squabble over the bathroom before Helen arrives, a light moment that sits beside the looming danger of the Professor’s experiments causing small explosions in the Evans house.

Chuck’s enthusiasm grows, and he takes a bigger role on the bridge’s construction, with Rocky as his boss. A tense moment on the girders occurs when a disgruntled employee attacks Rocky; Chuck climbs to his brother’s aid and rescues him, a deed that earns Helen’s admiration.

With a storm threatening to derail the schedule, the crew works around the clock. Rocky spots Chuck kissing Helen, and the brothers erupt in anger. Pop is heartbroken by the rift he has long feared, and he blames Helen for upsetting his sons.

Helen goes to Pop’s house to explain and tries to make amends by stepping back from Chuck. She rejects him in a bid to heal the family, but the storm adds pressure as the bridge’s integrity is tested. Rocky and Pete brave the ice-coated girders to repair the structure. Pete slips into the icy water; Rocky hangs by his safety belt, suspended between peril and completion.

In a last act of courage, Chuck climbs the girders to rescue Rocky, and the crisis cements the brothers’ bond. The misunderstandings melt away, and Helen confesses her love for Chuck, leading to their marriage. (They were married in real life for over 50 years.)