Ada (1961 film)

Ada
Ada
	Original film poster
Directed by	Daniel Mann
Screenplay by	Arthur Sheekman; William Driskill
Based on	Ada Dallas; 1959 novel; by Wirt Williams
Produced by	Lawrence Weingarten
Starring	Susan Hayward; Dean Martin; Wilfrid Hyde-White; Ralph Meeker; Martin Balsam
Cinematography	Joseph Ruttenberg
Edited by	Ralph E. Winters
Music by	Bronislau Kaper
Production; companies	Avon Productions ; Chalmar Inc.
Distributed by	Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Release date	August 25, 1961 (US);
Running time	109 min.
Country	United States
Language	English
Box office	$1.5 million

Ada is a 1961 American political drama film produced by Avon Productions and distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. It was directed by Daniel Mann and produced by Lawrence Weingarten, with a screenplay by Arthur Sheekman and William Driskill based on the novel Ada Dallas by Wirt Williams.

The film stars Susan Hayward, Dean Martin, Wilfrid Hyde-White, Ralph Meeker and Martin Balsam.

Plot

Bo Gillis is a guitar-playing man from a Southern state who becomes a populist candidate for governor. He is elected after his opponent's wife is revealed to have a dark secret, a fact exposed by Bo's campaign mastermind Sylvester Marin.

Shortly before the election, Bo visits a nightclub, where he meets a prostitute named Ada Dallas. They share a similar upbringing, and Bo feels an immediate bond. They are soon married, which upsets Bo's assistant Steve and Sylvester, who want the marriage annulled.

The Gillises resist and begin life as the state's first couple. Soon the governor finds that he is little more than a stooge, blindly signing documents at Sylvester's behest. His childhood friend Ronnie is dismissed as lieutenant governor for opposing Sylvester. To control Bo, Sylvester requests help from Ada, who demands to be appointed lieutenant governor in return.

Bo is furious with Ada for becoming part of the sordid political scene. After he continues to oppose Sylvester's influence, a bomb explodes in his car, severely injuring him. In the hospital, Bo accuses Ada of conspiring to murder him, and she angrily leaves him.

Ada takes the oath as acting governor but then begins to defy Sylvester, promoting Bo's ideas for honest government. Her former madam tricks her into offering $10,000 to remain quiet about Ada's past.

During a decisive vote at the state capitol, as Bo views from the gallery, Sylvester and his henchman Yancey try to sabotage Ada's plans by revealing her dark secret. Bo delivers an impromptu speech to defend Ava. Sylvester is ruined, and Bo and Ada depart the capitol, reunited.

Cast

Susan Hayward as Ada Gillis
Dean Martin as Bo Gillis
Wilfrid Hyde-White as Sylvester Marin
Ralph Meeker as Col. Yancey
Martin Balsam as Steve Jackson
Frank Maxwell as Ronnie Hallerton
Connie Sawyer as Alice Sweet
Ford Rainey as Speaker
Charles Watts as Al Winslow
Larry Gates as Joe Adams
Robert S. Simon as Natfield
Bill Zuckert as Harry Davers
Nesdon Booth as Walter Dow
Emory Parnell as Security Guard (uncredited)
Duke Fishman as Spectator at Rally^[2] (uncredited)

Reception

Box office

According to MGM records, the film lost $2,372,000.^[3]

References

^ "1961 Rentals and Potential". Variety. January 10, 1961. p. 58.
^ "Duke Fishman". AllMovie. Retrieved October 12, 2024.
^ The Eddie Mannix Ledger, Los Angeles: Margaret Herrick Library, Center for Motion Picture Study.

External links

Ada at IMDb
Ada at Rotten Tomatoes
Ada at the TCM Movie Database
Ada at AllMovie
Ada at the British Film Institute^{[better source needed]}
Ada at the AFI Catalog of Feature Films

[1] "1961 Rentals and Potential". Variety. January 10, 1961. p. 58.

[2] "Duke Fishman". AllMovie. Retrieved October 12, 2024.

[Mannix-3] The Eddie Mannix Ledger, Los Angeles: Margaret Herrick Library, Center for Motion Picture Study.

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