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

<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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Gregory (actor)</span> American actor (1911–2002)

James Gregory was an American character actor who played roles such as Schaffer in Al Capone (1959), the McCarthy-like Sen. John Iselin in The Manchurian Candidate (1962), the audacious General Ursus in Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970), and crusty Inspector Frank Luger in the television sitcom Barney Miller (1975–1982).

<i>The Rookies</i> American police procedural television series (1972-1976)

The Rookies is an American police procedural series created by Rita Lakin that originally aired on ABC from September 11, 1972 to March 30, 1976. It follows the exploits of three rookie police officers working in an unidentified city for the fictitious Southern California Police Department (SCPD).

<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">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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Don "Red" Barry</span> American actor (1912–1980)

Don Barry, also known as Red Barry, was an American film and television actor. He was nicknamed "Red" after appearing as the first Red Ryder in the highly successful 1940 film Adventures of Red Ryder with Noah Beery Sr.; the character was played in later films by "Wild Bill" Elliott and Allan Lane. Barry went on to bigger budget films following Red Ryder, but none reached his previous level of success. He played Red Doyle in the 1964 Perry Mason episode "The Case of the Simple Simon".

<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 1990 novel. 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Addison Richards</span> American actor (1902–1964)

Addison Whittaker Richards, Jr. was an American actor of film and television. Richards appeared in more than 300 films between 1933 and his death in 1964.

Document Records is an independent record label, founded in Austria and now based in Scotland, that specializes in reissuing vintage blues and jazz. The company has been recognised by The Blues Foundation, being honoured with a Keeping the Blues Alive Award in 2018. Document Records is the only UK-based recipient of the award.

<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.

<i>Anatomy of a Psycho</i> 1961 film

Anatomy of a Psycho is a 1961 American crime thriller film directed by Boris Petroff. Ed Wood reportedly contributed to Jane Mann's screenplay as Larry Lee. Ronnie Burns, adopted son of George Burns and Gracie Allen, plays the romantic lead. The film was shot at the Alexander Film Company studios in Colorado Springs in 1959 it was the only feature film produced by the company. The film had the working title of Young Scarface; by the time film the film received a distributor it was retitled to exploit Anatomy of a Murder (1959) and Psycho (1960).

<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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">J. Edward McKinley</span> American actor (1917–2004)

James Edward McKinley was an American character actor. He frequently played authority figures, including lawmen or medical personnel.

Daniel Lecourtois was a French film actor. He appeared in more than sixty films and television series during his career. In his later career he often played authority figures.

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.