Ada (1961 film)

Last updated
Ada
Ada poster.jpg
Original film poster
Directed by Daniel Mann
Screenplay by Arthur Sheekman
William Driskill
Based onAda 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 (1961-08-25)(US)
Running time
109 min.
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$1.5 million [1]

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.

Contents

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 Susan Hayward in Ada trailer.jpg
Susan Hayward as Ada Gillis

Reception

Box office

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

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Susan Hayward</span> American actress (1917–1975)

Susan Hayward was an American actress best known for her film portrayals of women that were based on true stories.

<i>I Want to Live!</i> 1958 film noir by Robert Wise

I Want to Live! is a 1958 American independent biographical film noir drama film directed by Robert Wise, and starring Susan Hayward, Simon Oakland, Virginia Vincent, and Theodore Bikel. It follows the life of Barbara Graham, a prostitute and habitual criminal, who is convicted of murder and faces capital punishment. The screenplay, written by Nelson Gidding and Don Mankiewicz, was adapted from personal letters written by Graham, in addition to newspaper articles written by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Ed Montgomery in the San Francisco Examiner. The film presents a highly fictionalized version of the case, indicating the possibility that Graham may have been innocent.

<i>The Petrified Forest</i> 1936 film by Archie Mayo

The Petrified Forest is a 1936 American crime drama film directed by Archie Mayo and based on Robert E. Sherwood's 1934 drama of the same name. The motion picture stars Leslie Howard, Bette Davis and Humphrey Bogart. The screenplay was written by Delmer Daves and Charles Kenyon, and adaptations were later performed on radio and television. The film is set in Petrified Forest National Park in Arizona.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Schallert</span> American actor (1922-2016)

William Joseph Schallert was an American character actor who appeared in dozens of television shows and films over a career spanning more than 60 years. He is known for his roles on Richard Diamond, Private Detective (1957–1959), Death Valley Days (1955–1962), and The Patty Duke Show (1963–1966).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Raymond Bailey</span> American actor (1904–1980)

Raymond Thomas Bailey was an American actor on the Broadway stage, films, and television. He is best known for his role as greedy banker Milburn Drysdale in the television series The Beverly Hillbillies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wilfrid Hyde-White</span> British actor (1903–1991)

Wilfrid Hyde-White was an English actor. Described by Philip French as a "classic British film archetype", Hyde-White often portrayed droll and urbane upper-class characters. He had an extensive stage and screen career in both the United Kingdom and the United States, and portrayed over 160 film and television roles between 1935 and 1987. He was twice nominated for a Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play, in 1957 for The Reluctant Debutante and in 1973 for The Jockey Club Stakes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Basil Dignam</span> English actor (1905–1979)

Basil Dignam was an English character actor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ernest Clark</span> British actor (1912–1994)

Ernest Clark MC was a British actor of stage, television and film.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Medwin</span> British actor (1923–2020)

Michael Hugh Medwin, OBE was an English actor and film producer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ralph Meeker</span> American actor

Ralph Meeker was an American film, stage, and television actor. He first rose to prominence for his roles in the Broadway productions of Mister Roberts (1948–1951) and Picnic (1953), the former of which earned him a Theatre World Award for his performance. In film, Meeker is known for his portrayal of Mike Hammer in Robert Aldrich's 1955 Kiss Me Deadly and as condemned infantryman Cpl. Philippe Paris in Stanley Kubrick’s Paths of Glory.

<i>The Anderson Tapes</i> 1971 film by Sidney Lumet

The Anderson Tapes is a 1971 American crime film directed by Sidney Lumet and starring Sean Connery and featuring Dyan Cannon, Martin Balsam and Alan King. The screenplay was written by Frank Pierson, based upon a best-selling 1970 novel of the same name by Lawrence Sanders. The film is scored by Quincy Jones and marks the feature film debut of Christopher Walken.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ralph Byrd</span> American actor (1909–1952)

Ralph Byrd was an American actor. He was most famous for playing the comic strip character Dick Tracy on screen, in serials, films and television.

<i>Get Shorty</i> (film) 1995 comedy film directed by Barry Sonnenfeld

Get Shorty is a 1995 American gangster comedy film directed by Barry Sonnenfeld and written by Scott Frank, based on Elmore Leonard's novel of the same name. The film stars John Travolta, Gene Hackman, Rene Russo, Delroy Lindo, James Gandolfini, Dennis Farina, and Danny DeVito. It follows Chili Palmer (Travolta), a Miami mobster and loan shark who inadvertently gets involved in Hollywood feature film production.

<i>Helter Skelter</i> (1949 film) 1949 British film

Helter Skelter is a 1949 British romantic comedy film directed by Ralph Thomas and starring Carol Marsh, David Tomlinson and Mervyn Johns. A radio star becomes involved with a wealthy heiress. The title is a common expression to describe a situation of "chaotic and disorderly haste".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Douglas Kennedy (actor)</span> American actor (1915–1973)

Douglas Richards Kennedy was an American actor who appeared in more than 190 films from 1935 to 1973.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert Bice</span> American actor (1914–1968)

Robert Bice was an American television and film actor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Horne (actor)</span> English actor (1898–1970)

David Edgar Alderson Horne was an English film and stage actor.

Yvonne Fedderson is an American philanthropist and retired actress. She was married to producer Don Fedderson.

<i>Hold That Co-Ed</i> 1938 film

Hold That Co-ed is a 1938 American comedy film directed by George Marshall, starring John Barrymore, George Murphy, Marjorie Weaver, Joan Davis and Jack Haley.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frederick Worlock</span> British-American actor (1886–1973)

Frederick Worlock was a British-American actor. He is known for his work in various films during the 1940s and 1950s, and as the voice of Horace in One Hundred and One Dalmatians (1961).

References

  1. "1961 Rentals and Potential". Variety. January 10, 1961. p. 58.
  2. "Duke Fishman". AllMovie . Retrieved October 12, 2024.
  3. The Eddie Mannix Ledger, Los Angeles: Margaret Herrick Library, Center for Motion Picture Study.