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Perfect cast and a good story

hyped garbage

Instead, you get a movie that's enjoyable enough, but leaves you feeling like it could have been much, much more.

This movie tries so hard to be funny, yet it falls flat every time. Just another example of recycled ideas repackaged with women in an attempt to appeal to a certain audience.

The stars of this movie caught my eye when I checked this out of my local library, otherwise, I probably would have avoided it since it was such an obscure title. I just watched it with my mom who enjoyed it. I did too though I noticed it skimped on some details concerning the way corruption is possibly handled in politics. But it's fun seeing Dean Martin, Susan Hayward, and Wilfrid Hyde-White spar on screen as well as Ralph Meeker and Martin Balsam also around when it comes time to pick the good guys and the bad. Don't know if Dean's character is based on anyone from my home state of Louisiana who was elected governor but it's interesting when he's compared to some of them in other reviews on this site. Anyway, that's a recommendation of Ada.

For me, this film started off with a leg up because of the two stars. I'm a huge Dean Martin fan, and Susan Hayward has always been a favorite. Having said that, I still think this film is under-appreciated.I've heard people say that the plot's not really believable. It's about as believable as the plots of most films. And, it's loosely based on some real southern history -- multiple times in fact, and most recently in the case of Lurleen Wallace, wife to George Wallace. However -- despite the modernity of Hayward's attire in the film -- this film was set during the Great Depression...and in the deep South. So I think the basic plot is quite believable.As much as I enjoy Dean on film, a better southern accent would have helped (which he certainly achieved in "Some Came Running"). However, he's supposed to be a bit of a bumpkin in this role, and I think he plays it as needed. Susan Hayward...well, she has "spunk", and it really showed in this film. When you went to a Susan Hayward film, this is exactly the kind of portrayal you wanted to see.There are also a couple of superb supporting performances. Wilfred Hyde-White is brilliant as the dirty politician. True, his British accent showed through a tad, but his delight in playing the villainous role more than made up for that. An actor I usually don't really appreciate -- Ralph Meeker -- ably portrays the sleazy "colonel" in the state police and militia -- a wonderful performance. Martin Balsam is also very good as the speech writer/college boy working for the governor, but his role needed to be expanded just a bit. Balsam was one of those reliable character actors throughout much of the latter half of the 1900s. Frank Maxwell also has a good role as the lieutenant governor here, and joins a number of recognizable character actors in support of the primary cast.I also have to mention the direction of the film. It would have been very easy to overdo it with the southern aspect of the film, and shove that southern malaise down our throats (as Lillian Hellman sometimes did). Director Daniel Mann resisted that temptation, and also "the South" was always there, it didn't overwhelm the story.The Warner Archives has recently (2012) released this film, although it has not been restored. My biggest complaint with the DVD is a lack of crispness (though not bad), and variations in skin tone throughout the film...often too red. But, it's still nice to have it out in reasonable quality.Yup, I'm a bit prejudiced here, but this has always been a particular favorite of mine. I highly recommend it, soap-sudsy as it may seem.

When Ada was shown on TCM this past weekend Robert Osborne remarked that Susan Hayward requested to see this film during her final bout with brain cancer. I remembered reading some years ago that she said in an article her three favorite leading men were Clark Gable, John Wayne, and Dean Martin. She must have liked those guys a lot because she sure didn't do her best work with them.But Ada is vintage Susan Hayward and again the kind of stuff that should have been done as a prime time TV soap opera. That's what these characters are more suited for.In fact Dean Martin as Bo Gillis and Hayward as Ada are based on a couple of real life southern politicians. Jimmie Davis was a country singer/songwriter whose writing of You Are My Sunshine got him elected Governor of Louisiana. As it turned out when Ada was in theaters, Davis was being re-elected Governor of Louisiana again.Miriam "Ma" Ferguson pinch hit for her husband James E. Ferguson twice as Governor of Texas. Of course Ma Ferguson didn't quite have the trollop background of Ada.Susan is working in a high class bordello when gubernatorial candidate Martin comes in for a little entertainment. Wouldn't you know it, they fall in love and marry.By a wild set of circumstances, Hayward is also made Lieutenant Governor as well as First Lady. I'll bet Bill Clinton is cursing the day he didn't think of that instead of being stuck with that stiff he had for a Vice president.Fans of Susan Hayward and I'm one of them will love Ada. But it really is a bit much to expect the audience to swallow the incredible plot this film has.

Ada is Ada Dallas ,a young woman who earns a living as "a lady of the night " in a Memphis drinking establishment, where she meets the laconic and easy going Bo ,who is running for the governorship of a Southern state ,trading on a man of the people image and peppering his political rallies with songs. Ada is a determined and forceful woman who charms Bo and they soon marry to the disquiet of his political adviser, the manipulative Sylvester. Bo wins the election -thanks in no small measure to the less than ethical actions of Sylvester -and is installed in the gubnatorial mansion where he is treatd as a puppet by the entrenched interests ,all in thrall to Sylvester.When he makes a stand Bo is almost killed and it is Ada ,who as acting Governor sets out to reform the political system and attack its corruption. Susan Hayward as Ada dominates the movie giving a fine portrayal of a strong woman ,facing down the social snobbery of the ruling elite within the state and striving with might and main to overcome her past.It is a part tailor made for her and she plays it to the hilt.Martin is suitably self effacing as Bo and strong support comes from Ralph Meeker as a police chief on the take ,and from Martin Balsam as a P R man.Wilfred Hyde-White is miscast as Sylvester his pronounced British accent seemingly out of place. Its a bit reminiscent of the Frank Capra movies of the thirties in its take on political corruption and the ending is a little too pat . A solid 100 or so minutes and enjoyable for devotees of soap opera even so