History Film / TheHardWay1943

Helen (Lupino) has raised her sister, Katie (Leslie), to want more out of life than the boring small-town dread of Greenhill. Their chance for escape comes when Katie falls for vaudevillian, Albert Funkel (Carson). Although not exactly where they’d like to end up, Helen knows that this is the break they’ve been looking for to finally have something in life.

* ManipulativeBastard: Helen is this to a T. She causes rife between Paul and Albert by manipulating Albert into believing Paul thinks he’s better than him. Paul is too smart to be manipulated by her and sees through her machinations all the time. Albert, however, is not as smart and falls to them every time. Katie is a victim as well since Helen manipulates her into leaving Albert to finally become a star and also tries to spin his suicide as a sign of his weakness and how he was bringing her down.

* PetTheDog: Even though she is ruthlessly ambitious, it’s clear that Helen is an extremely lonely and sad individual. She truly lives through her sister’s success and doesn’t seem to be quite happy with herself and all that they’ve achieved in such a short time. When Paul cruelly shows her feigned attention, she jumps for it, showing the depth of her loneliness.

* WhiteDwarfStarlet: Helen’s manipulates the former Broadway star into getting drunk, ruining her number while in front of the producer, and giving Katie her chance to star in her first musical. The former starlet complains about her dramatic fall from being leading actress to secondary character with a pitiful number.

* BelligerentSexualTension: Between Helen and Paul. She clearly has a thing for him, but he sees through all her rouses. He's impressed by her strategies but finds her too cold and calculating for his taste.

** Albert kills himself when Katie tells him that he’s ruining her opportunity to become a star after he embarrasses her will she's networking with Hollywood bigwigs.

* AwfulWeddedLife: Helen’s marriage was solely out of convenience for having a home for herself and Katie.
* BelligerentSexualTension: Between Helen and Paul. She clearly has a thing for him, but he sees through all her rouses. He is impressed by her strategies but finds her too cold and calculating for his taste.

* BrattyTeenageDaughter: Although they’re sisters, Helen acts like Katie’s mother, and in the beginning of the film, Katie really acts out like most teenagers.

* DoubleAct: Paul and Albert’s vaudeville act. It’s middling, but Katie sure is entranced when she sees them do their act.

** Albert kills himself when Katie tells him that he’s ruining her opportunity to become a star (he does interrupt her while she’s networking).
** After Katie tells Helen that she never wants to see her again.
* FourthDateMarriage: After ‘’one night’’, Albert and Katie are married. However, it really seems like there was genuine affection between the two.

* HowWeGotHere: The film begins In Media Res as Helen jumps into the river, and the policemen that find her are wondering why such a rich woman would try and kill herself. In the hospital, we see Helen’s flashbacks into why she attempted suicide.

* ManipulativeBastard: Helen is this to a T. She causes rife between Paul and Albert by manipulating Albert into believing Paul thinks he’s better than him. Paul is too smart to be manipulated by her and sees through her machinations all the time. Albert, however, is not as smart and falls to them every time. Katie is a victim as well since Helen manipulates her into leaving Albert to finally become a star on her own and also tries to spin his suicide as a sign of his weakness and how he was bringing her down.

* PetTheDog: Even though she is ruthlessly ambitious, it’s clear that Helen is an extremely lonely and sad individual. She truly lives through her sister’s success and doesn’t seem to be quite happy with herself and all that they’ve achieved in such a short time. When Paul cruelly shows her feigned attention,

* PromotionToParent: When their parents die, Helen takes care of Katie like a mother.

* StageMom: Helen is this to Katie to a certain degree. It’s clear in the beginning that Katie wants everything that comes with fame and is determined to become a star. However, once she begins to have doubts, Helen has to push her and makes her do parts she doesn’t want to do. This leads to disastrous results when she forces her to be in Laura’s play, and Katie ruins opening night.

* VicariouslyAmbitious: Helen. She schemes and plans for Katie by finding her ways into the business, by choosing the best parts for her, and by motivating her to do everything she says to get on top. Helen has no interest in being a star herself nor considers herself to have any talent for the business.
* WhiteDwarfStarlet: Helen’s manipulates the former Broadway star into getting drunk, ruining her number while in front of the producer, and giving Katie her chance into starring into her first musical. The former starlet complains about her dramatic fall from being leading actress to secondary character.

Both sisters leave and Katie joins Funkel’s double act alongside his partner, Paul Collins (Morgan). Paul sees right through Helen’s machinations and detests her for them. She, however, is unbothered and continues to plot her sister’s rise on the stage. Through Helen’s careful planning and cold manipulation, she convinces her sister to leave Funkel and chase Broadway. Katie soon works her way up the ranks with her talents and her sister’s skill at creating opportunities. Unfortunately, several painful incidents occur to make this dazzling lifestyle less than perfect for Katie and she begins to doubt Helen’s motivations for bringing her into this life.

* CoatTailingRelative: Helen could be considered one. She does however show an extreme knack for business and strategizing her sister’s rise which takes hard work and ambition.

Not to be confused with the 1980s film of the same name.

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