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Ada (1961 film)
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Wikipedia article
'Ada' is a 1961 American political drama film made 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 musical score was by Bronislau Kaper, and the cinematography by Joseph Ruttenberg. The art direction was by Edward Carfagno and George W. Davis, and the costume design by Helen Rose.
The film stars Susan Hayward and Dean Martin, with Wilfrid Hyde-White, Ralph Meeker, and Martin Balsam.
Plot
Bo Gillis is a guitar-playing, young man from a Southern state who becomes a candidate for governor. He is elected after his opponent's wife is revealed to have a dark secret, a fact that Bo's campaign mastermind, Sylvester Marin, makes sure becomes known to all.
Shortly before the election, Bo goes to a nightclub where he is introduced to Ada Dallas, a working girl. They share a similar upbringing, and Bo feels an immediate bond. They elope, much to the chagrin of the candidate's speechwriter Steve and the cynical Sylvester, who wants 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 whatever document Sylvester puts before him. His childhood friend Ronnie is dismissed as lieutenant governor for speaking out. Sylvester requests help from Ada in controlling her husband, but the state's ambitious first lady demands something quite outrageous in return: to be named the new lieutenant governor.
Bo is furious. He wanted Ada to be his refuge from dirty politics, not a part of it. He continues to oppose Sylvester's methods, which leads to a bomb's being placed in the governor's car. In the hospital, Bo tells Ada that he believes her to be a conspirator in his attack and insults her, causing her to angrily leave him.
Ada is sworn in as acting governor. Quickly, though, she goes to work against Sylvester, promoting her husband's ideas for honest government. On the day of 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 evidence of her past as a prostitute. Bo speaks up on his wife's behalf. Sylvester is ruined, and Bo and Ada walk away from the capitol side by side.
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)
Reception
Box office
According to MGM records, the film lost $2,372,000..See also
* List of American films of 1961
References
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