''The Hard Way'' is a 1943

Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. D ...

musical Musical is the adjective of music. Musical may also refer to: * Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance * Musical film and television, a genre of film and television that incorporates into the narr ...

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-g ...

directed by

Vincent Sherman Vincent Sherman (born Abraham Orovitz, July 16, 1906 – June 18, 2006) was an American director and actor who worked in Hollywood. His movies include '' Mr. Skeffington'' (1944), '' Nora Prentiss'' (1947), and ''The Young Philadelphians'' (1959) ...

and starring

Ida Lupino Ida Lupino (4 February 1918Recorded in ''Births Mar 1918'' Camberwell Vol. 1d, p. 1019 (Free BMD). Transcribed as "Lupine" in the official births index – 3 August 1995) was an English-American actress, singer, director, writer, and producer. T ...

. The film was based on a story by

Irwin Shaw Irwin Shaw (February 27, 1913 – May 16, 1984) was an American playwright, screenwriter, novelist, and short-story author whose written works have sold more than 14 million copies. He is best known for two of his novels: ''The Young Lions'' ( ...

which was reportedly based on

Ginger Rogers Ginger Rogers (born Virginia Katherine McMath; July 16, 1911 – April 25, 1995) was an American actress, dancer and singer during the Classical Hollywood cinema, Golden Age of Hollywood. She won an Academy Award for Best Actress for her starri ...

' relationship with her first husband,

Jack Pepper Jack Pepper (born Edward Jackson Culpepper; June 14, 1902 – April 1, 1979) was an American vaudeville dancer, singer, comedian, musician, and later in life a nightclub manager. Pepper began entertaining on the vaudeville circuit in his y ...

(whom she married in 1928 at age 17) and her own mother, Lela.Studio Affairs: My Life as a Film Director, by

, page 110

Plot

Helen Chernen (

) is an ambitious woman, determined to escape poverty. She pushes her younger sister Katie (

Joan Leslie Joan Leslie (born Joan Agnes Theresa Sadie Brodel; January 26, 1925 – October 12, 2015) was an American actress and vaudevillian, who during the Hollywood Golden Age, appeared in such films as '' High Sierra'' (1941), ''Sergeant York'' (1941) ...

) into a marriage with singer/dancer Albert Runkel (

Jack Carson John Elmer Carson (October 27, 1910 – January 2, 1963) was a Canadian-born American film actor. Carson often played the role of comedic friend in films of the 1940s and 1950s, including ''The Strawberry Blonde'' (1941) with James Cagney and ...

). Katie has no interest in the man, but is desperate to leave the poor conditions that she and her sister live in, in a dirty steel town. Runkel's partner Paul Collins ( Dennis Morgan) realizes Helen's deeper intentions and tries to stop her from breaking Runkel's heart. Now living in wealthier surroundings, Helen tries to make a start on Katie's career. After showcasing her in Runkel's act, she is able to put her in a Broadway production. Katie soon becomes a successful singer and actress, and Collins and Runkel's act flounders. Runkel can't bear being away from his wife on tour and refuses to live off her earnings or even use his wife's name to promote himself. He eventually commits suicide. Meanwhile, Katie's popularity goes to her head, and she becomes a wild party girl, losing an important opportunity. She later meets with Paul, who is now a successful band leader. He falls in love with Katie, and they start a relationship. However, Katie is forced to choose between him and appearing in Helen's first play. She chooses the play over Paul, who has asked her to marry him, and he leaves. Before the play, Paul comes to see Katie to wish her luck, but Helen runs him off and the sisters fight over the motivation for Katie's success. During the play, Katie forgets lines and has to be cued several times before collapsing in the middle of the production. Later that evening, after recovering from her collapse, Katie tells Helen that she never wants to see her again. Paul appears and the two profess their love for each other.

Cast

Gladys George Gladys George (born Gladys Clare Evans; September 13, 1904 – December 8, 1954) was an American actress of stage and screen. Though nominated for an Academy Award for her leading role in ''Valiant Is the Word for Carrie'' (1936), she spent most ...

as Lily Emery *

Faye Emerson Faye Margaret Emerson (July 8, 1917 – March 9, 1983) was an American film and stage actress and television interviewer who gained fame as a film actress in the 1940s before transitioning to television in the 1950s and hosting her own talk show ...

as Ice Cream Parlor Waitress *

Paul Cavanagh William Grigs Atkinson (8 December 1888 – 15 March 1964), known professionally as Paul Cavanagh, was an English film and stage actor. He appeared in more than 100 films between 1928 and 1959. Life and career Cavanagh was born in Felling, ...

as John "Jack" Shagrue *

Dolores Moran Dolores Jean Moran (January 27, 1926 – February 5, 1982) was an American film actress and model. Early years Moran was born in Stockton, California, and attended elementary and secondary schools there. She won the Northern California O ...

as Young Blonde (uncredited) *

Emory Parnell Emory Parnell (December 29, 1892 – June 22, 1979) was an American vaudeville performer and actor who appeared in over 250 films in his 36-year career. Early years Born in St. Paul, Minnesota, Parnell trained as a musician at Morningside ...

as Policeman (uncredited)

Production

Both

Bette Davis Ruth Elizabeth "Bette" Davis (; April 5, 1908 – October 6, 1989) was an American actress with a career spanning more than 50 years and 100 acting credits. She was noted for playing unsympathetic, sardonic characters, and was famous for her pe ...

and

initially were offered the role of Helen, but both declined. Ida Lupino was cast. Shaw wanted

Howard Hawks Howard Winchester Hawks (May 30, 1896December 26, 1977) was an American film director, producer and screenwriter of the classic Hollywood era. Critic Leonard Maltin called him "the greatest American director who is not a household name." A v ...

William Wyler William Wyler (; born Willi Wyler (); July 1, 1902 – July 27, 1981) was a Swiss-German-American film director and producer who won the Academy Award for Best Director three times, those being for ''Mrs. Miniver'' (1942), ''The Best Years of O ...

to direct the film, but because they were busy with other projects, producer

Jerry Wald Jerome Irving Wald (September 16, 1911 – July 13, 1962) was an American screenwriter and a producer of films and radio programs. Life and career Early life Born to a Jewish family in Brooklyn, New York, he had a brother and sons who were act ...

hired

. Portions of a documentary film by

Pare Lorentz Pare Lorentz (December 11, 1905 – March 4, 1992) was an American filmmaker known for his film work about the New Deal. Born Leonard MacTaggart Lorentz in Clarksburg, West Virginia he was educated at Buckhannon High School, West Virginia Wesl ...

were used to represent the mining town of Green Hill. To achieve a more realistic feel during the scenes that took place in Green Hill, neither Lupino nor Leslie wore makeup. The film's first and last scenes were added at

Jack L. Warner Jack Leonard Warner (born Jacob Warner; August 2, 1892 – September 9, 1978) was a Canadian-American film executive, who was the president and driving force behind the Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank, California. Warner's career spanned some ...

's insistence that Lupino appear more glamorous in the opening scene.

Soundtrack

*"I Love to Dance" **(1942) (uncredited) **Written by M.K. Jerome and Jack Scholl **Played during the opening credits and at the end **Sung by Gladys George at rehearsal with piano accompaniment **Reprised at a show and sung and danced by Joan Leslie (dubbed by

Sally Sweetland Sally Sweetland (née Mueller; September 23, 1911 – February 8, 2015) was an American soprano singer and teacher. She was active in the film and recording industry during the 1940s and 50s, before moving into teaching. Career Sweetland ...

) and chorus **Sung on a record by Leslie **Played as background music often *"Am I Blue?" **(1929) (uncredited) **Music by Harry Akst **Lyrics by Grant Clarke **Sung by Dennis Morgan and Jack Carson in their vaudeville act **Reprised by Joan Leslie (dubbed by Sally Sweetland) **Played as background music often *"Tip Toe Through the Tulips with Me" **(1929) (uncredited) **Music by Joseph Burke **Lyrics by Al Dubin **Sung by Dennis Morgan and Jack Carson in their vaudeville act *"You're Getting to Be a Habit with Me" **(1932) (uncredited) **Music by Harry Warren **Lyrics by Al Dubin **Played on a juke box in the ice cream parlor *"For You" **(1930) (uncredited) **Music by Joseph Burke **Lyrics by Al Dubin **Played on piano by Dennis Morgan and danced by Joan Leslie **Played as background music *"(You May Not Be an Angel, but) I'll String Along with You" **(1934) (uncredited) **Music by Harry Warren **Lyrics by Al Dubin **Sung by Dennis Morgan and Jack Carson at a vaudeville show and danced by Joan Leslie *"Shuffle Off to Buffalo" **(1932) (uncredited) **Music by Harry Warren **Lyrics by Al Dubin **Sung and danced by Jack Carson and Joan Leslie (voice dubbed by Sally Sweetland) at a vaudeville show **Played as background music *"Forty-Second Street" **(1932) (uncredited) **Music by Harry Warren **Lyrics by Al Dubin **Played as background music *"She's a Latin from Manhattan" **(1935) (uncredited) **Music by Harry Warren **Lyrics by Al Dubin **Sung and danced by Jack Carson and Joan Leslie (voice dubbed by Sally Sweetland) in a nightclub *"I Get a Kick Out of You" **(1934) (uncredited) **Music and lyrics by Cole Porter **Played offscreen by the nightclub band *"Lullaby of Broadway" **(1935) (uncredited) **Music by Harry Warren **Lyrics by Al Dubin **Played offscreen by the nightclub band *"About a Quarter to Nine" **(1935) (uncredited) **Music by Harry Warren **Lyrics by Al Dubin **Played on piano and danced by chorus girls at rehearsal *"Jeepers Creepers" **(1938) (uncredited) **Music by Harry Warren **Lyrics by Johnny Mercer **Sung by a chorus at a show *"My Little Buckaroo" **(1937) (uncredited) **Music by M.K. Jerome **Lyrics by Jack Scholl **Sung by a chorus in a montage *"With Plenty of Money and You" **(1936) (uncredited) **Music by Harry Warren **Lyrics by Al Dubin **Song by a chorus in a show during a montage *"You Must Have Been a Beautiful Baby" **(1938) (uncredited) **Music by Harry Warren **Lyrics by Johnny Mercer **Song by a chorus in a show during a montage *"Begin the Beguine" **(1935) (uncredited) **Music and lyrics by Cole Porter **Played on a record *"Night and Day" **(1932) (uncredited) **Music and lyrics by Cole Porter **Played by the band at the Embassy Club *"Goodnight, My Darling" **(1942) (uncredited) **Written by M.K. Jerome and Jack Scholl **Played by the band at the Oakmont Lodge and **Sung by Dennis Morgan *"There's a Small Hotel" **(1936) (uncredited) **Music by Richard Rodgers **Lyrics by Lorenz Hart **Played as background music at a theater

Awards

Ida Lupino was awarded a

New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actress The New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actress is one of the awards given by the New York Film Critics Circle to honor the finest achievements in film-making. Winners * † = Winner of the Academy Award for Best Actress * ‡ = Nomina ...

for her role in the film.

Reception

:"Unconvincing but well mounted drama." :Leslie Halliwell ''Halliwell's Film Guide'', Eighth edition, revised and updated, edited by John Walker, © 1992 Ruth Halliwell and John Walker. HarperCollinsPublishers, Inc.

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Hard Way, The 1943 films 1940s musical drama films 1943 romantic drama films American black-and-white films American musical drama films American romantic drama films Films about entertainers Films directed by Vincent Sherman Warner Bros. films Films scored by Heinz Roemheld 1940s English-language films 1940s American films