I must tell you up front that Susan Hayward is among my least favorite actresses. Part of it is that sometimes she tended to overact (such as in "I Want to Live" where she mugged shamelessly). Part of it is that in the 1960s she made a lot of trashy soap opera- like films which were anything but subtle--such as "The Valley of the Dolls". I mention all this now because I did have a certain predisposition towards her and "Ada" when I began watching. Now this is NOT to say I can't enjoy the film or even her performance. Heck, I saw another one of her films, "Summer Flight", last night and enjoyed it immensely. Plus, surprise, surprise, this film was VERY soapy, VERY loud and still VERY enjoyable!
When the film begins, Bo Gillis (Dean Martin) is running for governor. Along the way, he meets Ada (Susan Hayward) and pretty soon the pair are hitting the sheets! Ada is evidently NOT a nice girl and Bo is, well, just doing to her what most politicians want to do to the voters! However, surprisingly, Bo's interest is apparently NOT just sex and he soon whisks her away and they are married. Bo's handlers aren't happy, however--who is this woman and what is her past and, most importantly, what will be her impact on their candidate?! In essence, they treat her a bit like something the cat just drug in the house! What the film doesn't make clear until much later is that Ada is a prostitute...not just a woman of easy virtue.
Soon Bo is elected governor. Things look great. However, over time, Bo comes to realize that he is rather powerless and his adviser Sylvester (Wilfred Hyde-White) is trying to pull all the strings. As for Ada, despite her white trash background, she actually turns out to be VERY adept in dealing with people and playing the role of the First Lady of the State. She and the new Lieutenant Governor are both worried...as Sylvester appears to be a real snake! So what's next for Snake-boy and the Gillis family? And, what about the OTHER snakes...and there are definitely more! Watch the film and see...
In the case of "Ada", Susan Hayward was well chosen. While the tough-as-nails broad with more manliness in her than a football team persona won't work in all films, here it's absolutely perfect! Seeing her heading into the governor's office to clean house is very exciting to watch--as is her eventual run-in with Sylvester. He's a snake...but she turns out to be a real mongoose! In effect, it's sort of like "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" and a soap opera merged into one! Sensationalistic, a bit sleazy and a lot of fun to watch on a real low-brow level. And, most importantly, it's NEVER dull!! Who cares if it lacks realism...it really doesn't matter!
When the film begins, Bo Gillis (Dean Martin) is running for governor. Along the way, he meets Ada (Susan Hayward) and pretty soon the pair are hitting the sheets! Ada is evidently NOT a nice girl and Bo is, well, just doing to her what most politicians want to do to the voters! However, surprisingly, Bo's interest is apparently NOT just sex and he soon whisks her away and they are married. Bo's handlers aren't happy, however--who is this woman and what is her past and, most importantly, what will be her impact on their candidate?! In essence, they treat her a bit like something the cat just drug in the house! What the film doesn't make clear until much later is that Ada is a prostitute...not just a woman of easy virtue.
Soon Bo is elected governor. Things look great. However, over time, Bo comes to realize that he is rather powerless and his adviser Sylvester (Wilfred Hyde-White) is trying to pull all the strings. As for Ada, despite her white trash background, she actually turns out to be VERY adept in dealing with people and playing the role of the First Lady of the State. She and the new Lieutenant Governor are both worried...as Sylvester appears to be a real snake! So what's next for Snake-boy and the Gillis family? And, what about the OTHER snakes...and there are definitely more! Watch the film and see...
In the case of "Ada", Susan Hayward was well chosen. While the tough-as-nails broad with more manliness in her than a football team persona won't work in all films, here it's absolutely perfect! Seeing her heading into the governor's office to clean house is very exciting to watch--as is her eventual run-in with Sylvester. He's a snake...but she turns out to be a real mongoose! In effect, it's sort of like "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" and a soap opera merged into one! Sensationalistic, a bit sleazy and a lot of fun to watch on a real low-brow level. And, most importantly, it's NEVER dull!! Who cares if it lacks realism...it really doesn't matter!