The Hard Way is a 1943 Warner Bros. musical drama film starring Ida Lupino, Dennis Morgan, and Joan Leslie.

[2] Helen Chernen (Ida Lupino) is an ambitious woman, determined to escape poverty in a dirty steel town.

She pushes her younger sister Katie (Joan Leslie) into a marriage with singer/dancer Albert Runkel (Jack Carson).

Irwin Shaw wanted Howard Hawks or William Wyler to direct the film, but because they were busy with other projects, producer Jerry Wald hired Vincent Sherman.

To achieve a more realistic feel during the scenes that took place in Green Hill, neither Lupino nor Leslie wore makeup.