Ada (1961)

Great Film overall

Great movie! If you want to be entertained and have a few good laughs, see this movie. The music is also very good,

Fanciful, disturbing, and wildly original, it announces the arrival of a fresh, bold voice in American cinema.

Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

If you're a fan of Susan Hayward this film has everything you need.An old-fashioned melodrama with all the trimmings Susan rules over this with a velvet glove. She's a girl from "the wrong side of the tracks", a prostitute in a roadside honky tonk who makes the acquaintance of a dim hayseed one night. He has a way with a song and isn't clever enough to see that he is being used as a dim bulb stooge by a political machine to take him to the governor's mansion. The film offers nothing new on this age old chestnut but the presentation is what counts here.A star vehicle to be sure slanted Susan's way much more than Dean's even though he gets a moment here and there. Spotlighted in a way stars never are today Susan commands the screen. Notice that she is surrounded only by colors that flatter her, the rooms she finds herself in are almost exclusively white or a soft green to highlight her flame colored tresses. Even the roadhouse where she starts the story has that high class sheen that is a hallmark of the studio era.The performances are excellent. Dean ambles through without too much to do but handles his one big scene well. Martin Balsam and Ralph Meeker are solid as Dean's trusted friend and a slimy cop respectively but it's Wilfred Hyde-White who stands out as the reptilian political operator who crosses swords with Susan. Therein lies the meat of the story and the basic enjoyment of the film. When these two old pros square off the fireworks are a treat, although Susan gets a couple of other chances on her own to rip apart the unsuspecting when she discovers malfeasance. A few interesting side notes. The actress playing Susan's madam, Connie Sawyer known as the oldest working actress in Hollywood, is still alive and appearing in small parts at 102 as of November 2014. The other note is a bit more somber, as she entered the end of her cancer struggle Susan Hayward's friends told her they had arranged for her to see any of her films that she wanted and she selected this film much to their surprise. In hindsight though it's easy to see why, every effort is made to make her look her best, its set in the south which had been her home for many years during her happy second marriage and her part is tailor made to many of her strengths.If you love Susan Hayward or old time studio made melodramas don't miss this!

This is an MGM potboiler with great colors and weak credibility. The picture was probably the best that repressed Hollywood could do at the time with the legend of Earl Long, once Governor of Louisiana, and the stripper Blaze Starr. (The story was filmed many years later, with Paul Newman and Lolita Davidovich.) A singing, guitar-playing candidate for Governor in the Depression South is quite historical. The sly self-deprecation in Bo Gillis's stump speech at the beginning of the picture is well done. But once he hooks up with Susan Hayward, Dean Martin becomes a marshmallow. The role must have appealed tremendously to a tough broad like Hayward. She was a perfect choice for Barbara Graham in I Want to Live. I'd call the picture a failure with interesting features.

Apon viewing this film I felt a number of different emotions. I really didn't intend to watch this film at all. However, once I started I was quite anxious to find out how it ended.The plot for the movie was interesting. A tramp marries the man running for governor three weeks prior to the election day, and they proceed to clean-up corruption in politics, when he is elected. The first thing I thought was how hypocritical. He was elected by crooks and then decided he didn't like them. That, of course, made me think of Wilson, President Wilson. He did the same thing. So I dismissed that notion. If Wilson can do it, it's not too bad.Next as the film went on I began to wonder why they ever got married. Susan Hayward(redhead) and Dean Martin(lounge singer) didn't seem to be an ideal couple in my mind. I must say, they didn't look too odd next to each other. Their "marriage" was not a healthy one to say the least. They did work well in their roles. I enjoyed Susan's ruthless determination and Dean's clueless and laid back attitude. I think an already established acting couple or a couple that looks like they could have a relationship off stage would have been better. I felt like they weren't right together. Nonetheless, they did a good job.The final thing was the ending. It really bothered me. There was something missing. Like dialogue or a kiss or some form of interaction besides looking at each other. The scene was wonderful. I loved the whole Congress session. But it was like the writer gave up on ending the relationship between the main characters. He/She (I don't remember who wrote it) thought we didn't care what they did as long as they were together. That may be, but I need more than a hand shake to show that they are happy together.This is really a good film. I love Hayward. Her characters are so passionate and devoted. That really worked well. The "angry" scenes were stifled because Dean's not a "yeller." In this role it appears he lacks the drive to get angry. In all, Susan steals the show and lays every thing on the line to win our hearts and Dean's.

My pet peeve about some films is that they are supposed to be period pieces, but have the 'look' of the year in which they were filmed. This is the case with 'Ada.' We are to believe that it takes place in the 1930's, but Susan Hayward's wardrobe and hairstyle reflect the year it was made, 1961.The ending also bugs me. After a big showdown in the Capitol building, Susan and Dean Martin leave the building and are shown ALL ALONE. Where did everyone else go? There were hundreds of people in the building just minutes before!!!!!