The Hard Way (1943)

• Directed by Vincent Sherman.

• Screenplay by Daniel Fuchs & Peter Viertel.

Daniel Fuchs – whose entire film career included only 15 screenwriting credits – was an Oscar winner for Best Original Story, for LOVE ME OR LEAVE ME (1956); Peter Viertel – whose entire film career consisted of only 10 screenwriting credits – never earned an Oscar (or even a nomination), but was successfully married to Deborah Kerr for almost 50 years.

(So…I’ll let you decide who came out on top in that Game of Life.)

• The opening credits are backed by images extremely reminiscent of what’s featured in the opening titles of DESIRE (1936) – the torso of a well-dressed woman who’s display-clutching her jewelry – specifically, in both cases, a long, elegant string of pearls.

(I don’t have any grand theory as to why this might be the case – I’m sure it’s just a title-design coincidence – but still, I find it interesting.)

• Far less interesting (to me, anyway) is the soon-revealed story structure: an attempted suicidist’s cop-prompted “WHY?” flashback.

“I’d have to start in Greenhill, a long time ago…”

I’d have to start in Boosville…because I find this lame as hell.

• The Flashback Suicidist is Helen Chernen (Ida Lupino), who lives (/lived) in a soot-infested factory town (Greenhill) that is decidedly (as Helen’s voiceover narration uncleverly notes) un-green & horrid, with her hopeful, white-dress-desiring, 18-year-old sister Katie (Joan Leslie) & her humdrum grump of a husband (Sam, played by Roman Bohnen)…to whom Helen has been married for 6 (apparently miserable) years.

Ooooh, goodie! This is so much fun, I can’t wait for more!

• One day, “Dirty Rayon” Katie graduates & goes on a date with a guy she doesn’t like (“Not now, Johnny!”) to a variety show she does – which she is inspired to recreate for a soda shop full of pals, immediately afterwards. A pair of Variety Show Comedy/Song Men witness this…magic, & rave to Dirty Rayon Katie about how fabulous she was (she was not – she was actually pretty terrible) & how she’s “the best they’ve ever seen!” (again – sorry, but no).

(Here I should note that I can’t tell whether the Show Dudes (Paul Collins & Albert Runkel, played by Dennis Morgan & Jack Carson, respectively) are lying because they want to get in Cute Katie’s rayon pants – or if we’re genuinely supposed to be impressed by and/or enthused about this kid’s talents…and the performance just wasn’t executed well enough.)

• Update: it must be the latter – though in at least slight combination with the former. (For the record, it’s predominantly Runkel who takes interest in Dirty Rayon Katie – both professionally and romantically; Collins just rolls his eyes & is like, ‘Whatever, dude.’)

• On the subject of talent – once in Flashback World, it takes roughly 2 minutes flat to recognize & understand Ida Lupino’s. Immediately, she conveys this magnetic intensity that quite unmistakably tests the limits of her character, as written. Unfortunately, though this fact is enjoyable & impressive from a Lupino standpoint – it sets up a situation, in terms of the ‘overall film’ perspective, where you can guess already that the coming narrative product & its packaging will be disappointingly less-than-stellar.

But…alas – to borrow a phrase from C.C. Baxter – sometimes, that’s just the way it crumbles, cookie-wise.

• “It’s the truth, and I might as well face it – Mrs. Chernen, I’d lay down on the railroad tracks for her!” — Albert, genuinely attempting to convince Helen of his sincerity, regarding his interest in/affection toward Dirty Rayon Katie, after one night of knowing her.

Oh, Jesus Christ, man. That’s fucking absurd & everyone – both in MovieWorld & out of it – knows it.

• Meanwhile: “Runkel was nobody to spend a lifetime with – but he was a meal ticket,” narrates Helen, who designedly encourages his impromptu marriage to Katie, before he & Paul depart Greenhill.

“All she needed now was a real chance…[and] I made up my mind to get her that chance.”

What a manipulatively evil little poop this Helen is – two-facedly sewing seeds of discord between Albert & Paul, so that Dirty Rayon Katie (now, let’s be sure to mention, going by “Katherine”) can take the star spot of whichever dude cracks first.

• It’s Paul who departs (so I suppose, really Albert who cracks first)(for the record, Paul sees through Helen’s blind ambition & plottery from minute one) – and the (still seriously lacking in talent) act becomes “Runkel and Runkel.” (Their “Latin in Manhattan” number is particularly intolerable.)

• A fun detail – when the Runkels (& Plotty Helen) arrive in NYC for the first time, we see them walk past a movie poster advertising BORDERTOWN (1935), starring (as the poster states) Bette Davis & Paul Muni.

• I enjoy the small moment that finds Helen in (apparently handsy) agent Max Wade (Nestor Paiva)’s office, where she runs into Paul (Collins…not Muni). “Don’t worry about her,” Paul says of Helen, “she can take care of Max. You don’t know this lady – [but she’s] the John Dillinger of one-night stands.”

“I was just half-kidding,” Paul then (half-) clarifies, when Plotty Helen offendedly rumples – which is the part I enjoy. I appreciate that he chooses to include the “half” – where most people would just claim full kiddery (even when they were, in fact, dead serious).

• The relationship between Helen & Paul is actually quite interesting & surprisingly compelling – Paul expresses his attraction to Helen, based on her status, in his eyes, as a “regular machine – no heart, no blood, no feelings.” As a no-longterm-attachment fellow (y’all definitely know the type), I can see why such a woman would appeal to him – and I love the film’s willingness to suggest/explore such a (potentially tawdry) concept.

Making this pair’s dynamic even more intriguing is that Helen responds to Paul’s declaration of attraction with genuine, “You’re wrong, Paul” – ‘I can fall in love with a man’ vibes – played exquisitely by Lupino. From the still strong, but edged-by-a-wounded-tenderness expression Lupino wears, as well as the slightly softened vocal tone she achieves – the viewer gets a first glimpse of something authentically vulnerable & self-unassured from Helen’s character – – which is marvelously attention-drawing.

(Credits to both Lupino and Dennis Morgan here, for they’re able to – in a way – commandeer this character relationship, from what I imagine reads far more basically, on the page. They do an excellent job in all of their scenes together.)

“Write me,” Paul says to end this particular portion. “Write me in Duluth.” Helen then slaps him.

…

GLORIOUS.

• Gladys George shows up & does a solid bit as “Lily Emery” – the has-been singer from whom (with the calculated help of Plotty Helen, of course) Dancy Katherine obtains a solo-performer slot in a new (Albert-less) show.

• Fancy Dress Upgrade Katherine (Joan Leslie?) lacks the star power necessary to become a true dynamo of the stage – and you gotta wonder if there’ll come a point where Plotty Helen realizes that that is the reason Upgraded Kate is not getting all of the shiny-shiny roles the both of them so intensely desire. I mean…right?

• Goddamn it. I guess not – because it seems the film is still under the impression that she is massively talented. Consequently – it’s very difficult to get into a film & enjoy it, if you’re unable to buy its premise & are having to perform mental gymnastics to put yourself in the interpretive mindset the film wants/needs from you. I don’t buy ‘Joan Leslie as talent-dripping star’ – so how can I then be expected to buy the story surrounding that idea?

• Sigh. Anyway – Upgraded Kate loses Runkel (yes, both the name and the man) at the behest of Plotty Helen (‘What do you mean my sister is a dirty rotten heathen? She loves me soooo much!’ Fancy Kate instructs Albert the Aggrieved). Shortly thereafter, Albert suicides himself while listening to one of her records. (Because…of course.) In response, Paul smashes said record in disgust. (Because…of course.) There is a graveside scene in which Paul lectures Crying Kate about how Darling Nebraska Albert used to smilingly read Katie’s letters under “streetlamps” in small towns. (Because…of course.) Plotty Helen ushers Crying Katherine away from this incidental tragedy by saying such things as, ‘It’s not your fault you’re such an awesome starlet and Dead Albert was such a lame-ass weakling!’ (Because…of course.)

• We again run into a Joan Leslie problem in that she is simply not convincing enough to play the depressed, beleaguered maturity she’s asked to play next – she plays this broken, “changed” version of Katie the exact same way she played Earlier Katie.

Again…we cannot buy the story’s central arc with such flatness.

(A thousand yellow daisies to Ms. Leslie – in the right role, I can see she has the ability to be positively charming & effective – but this is not the correct fit. It’s also probably worth mentioning that she was 18 here, and as such, not in possession of the MovieWorld or RealWorld gravitas that might have been necessary for this part.)

• “What’d you do, chloroform her?” — Paul, to Runaway Katie, who appears at one of his out-of-town shows, sans Plotty Helen.

Baha!

• To her immense credit – Joan Leslie does a great job in the Sisterly Showdown scene pre-Hotstuff New Play premiere – after almost-fiancé Paul appears backstage, but Evil Helen sends him away. Leslie fights right back, energy-wise, against Lupino – and it’s a treat to watch.

• “Oh, what’s the use? I think I’ll go take a small quantity of poison.” — Play author Laura Britton (Leona Maricle), after Unwell Katie tanks her opening night performance.

Baha, again!

(Would also like to clarify – Laura Britton knows that Sister Helen is totes to blame for Katie’s tankery & unwellness.)

• “It was my fault. But I just saw something in you I wanted to make great. I did it the only way I knew how. I guess if I had to do it all over again – I’d do it the same way.” — Helen, to Quitsville Katie.

…You’d…do it the same way???

…Are you for serious, Helen?! (And are you for serious, writers?!)

So much for experiential wisdom & character growth!

What the Hell(en)!

• “The next time you fall down, baby – I’m gonna be there to catch you.” — Paul the Redeemed (once again?) Fiancé.

This line is certainly not brimming with originality – but I appreciate its sentiment (& uncommon literalness!), nonetheless.

• This all but catches us up to reality – as seeing Katie & Paul (who…we are again reminded Helen might…love?)(this is not explored near enough for us to be sure) adoringly embrace, following Katie’s scowly (& sadly, back to semi-flat) decree that she would not like to see Helen ever again, appears to be the answer to the policemen’s “WHY?” question from the very beginning of this tale.

• The film officially ends with Plotty Helen kicking the bucket, & the polices muttering some mumbo jumbo about rich people not being very tough.

(I think this is meant to be clever & provoke some deep consideration – but instead, I think it just confuses things.)

• This had some memorable-ish pieces – but I think missed the boat (ship?) with the casting of Joan Leslie as Katie. I am also of the opinion that Ida Lupino (as I mentioned when her Greenhill Helen character was first introduced) & Dennis Morgan both out-acted their on-the-page characters – making both roles far more interesting & dimensional than either of them really had any right to be. (And yes – in case you’re wondering – I’d classify their hallway kiss, “Write to me in Duluth” scene as the best, most compelling in the movie.)

• This was not enjoyable enough to ever watch again, I don’t think – though it has succeeded in making me want to dive a little deeper into the film career of Dennis Morgan. I am not a fan of CHRISTMAS IN CONNECTICUT (1945), which I suppose was informing my opinion of him previously – but it looks his list of credits might include some solid titles definitely worth exploring.

• Last note, of practically zero consequence: Joan Leslie looks quite a bit like Lena Dunham in this film.

You’re welcome, folks.

(The End.)