Ada Dallas

Depression-era politics in the Old South, as guitar-strummin' sheriff Dean Martin campaigns for Governor, meeting and marrying call-girl Susan Hayward on the trail. Soon they're dealing with legislation problems and greedy weasels with old money, but will Hayward's ambitious nature ruin her marriage as well as bring her past history to light? Well-produced but naive, rather plodding melodrama based on Wirt Williams' novel "Ada Dallas" gives all the juiciest scenes to Hayward; Martin, on the other, is shunted off to the side (they're quite a pair anyway: he drinks, she smokes). The atmosphere of Southern plantations and back alleys isn't captured with much distinction (we don't even know what state this is supposedly taking place in), but the production is certainly colorful, even if the human interaction is rote. ** from ****

Attention Susan Hayward fans: add Ada to your list. She plays the title character, and it's one of the most classic "Susan Hayward roles" she ever played. It's not my all-time favorite of her films, because I'm not a Dean Martin fan, but it's an essential watch for all who love her.

Dean is a fast-rising politician in the South, and as everyone knows, skeletons run rampant in politicians' closets. When the movie starts, Dean doesn't have any scandal, but when he marries a prostitute, there's quite a bit of covering up to do! His campaign manager, Wilfrid Hyde White, and his speechwriter, Martin Balsam, can't stand Susan Hayward from the moment she marries Dean, because of the threat of danger she brings to their campaign. But when she starts becoming an even bigger threat-it's Susan Hayward, do we really think she'll be content acting like a simpering wife?-they really can't stand her!

Susan Hayward is one of my all-time favorite actresses, so I absolutely loved her in this role. Her character is everything you think of when you think of Susan Hayward: strong, charming, cunning, shrewd, tough, smart, sexy, and classy. I also love political movies, and this one shows the fantastic and sickening world of back-door politics. Check it out to further your love of either!

Though entertaining enough, "Ada" does not belong in the top tier of Susan Hayward showcases. She's terrific as always, in a role that suits her, but too much in this stretches credibility and lacks proper transitioning. I blame the script, plus Susan and Dean Martin don't especially click together. The film is set in the South and, even though it says Ada comes from Alabama originally, its never made clear which state the action occurs in. The period is also not spelled out, though at the beginning, as Martin is campaigning, he passes a movie theater showing "Escapade", a 1935 William Powell vehicle. Yet, the clothing and hairstyles are definitely not 30's style. Two fine character actors, Martin Balsam and Ralph Meeker, are not given enough to do in support, while Wilfred Hyde-White never seems quite right as wily power-behind-the-scenes Sylvester Marin, his British accent out of place even with a layer of Southern drawl superimposed over it. All in all, you'll be entertained by this combination of "All the King's Men" and "A Face in the Crowd" with sudsy soap opera, but don't expect greatness.

Lavish MGM production, set circa 1936 but with clothes and makeup (especially Susan Hayward's) strictly 1961, this cumbersome drama wants to be a mix of political intrigue, marital soap opera, and star power, but it comes up a bit short. In a nameless Southern state (which the screenwriters awkwardly disguise by having characters say "the state" over and over and over), hooker Hayward fascinates and marries gubernatorial candidate Dean Martin, a passive good- guy sort who does the bidding of Wilfrid Hyde-White, the greedy, unethical local boss who siphons state projects to his buddies, shades of 45. She shoves her way into the lieutenant governor's position, then, when Martin's car is blown up (we never find out by whom), becomes acting governor and shakes off the passivity Martin has been practicing. There are minor subplots involving Martin's college buddy Martin Balsam and Ralph Meeker, who's good as a lackey of Hyde-White's who keeps trying to cozy up to the title character, but the emphasis is on Susan's hair, her clothes, and her tough-gal demeanor: When a character says, "Give my regards to the governor," she snarls back, "You're talking to the governor." Dean looks disinterested and hasn't much to play, and Hyde-White employs an odd accent that isn't quite Brit and isn't quite Dixie. We're supposed to cheer as he's brought down and the governor's marriage recovers, but it's a pretty simplistic view of politics, and a key plot point--the opposition has a taped confession of Hayward's prostitute past--is resolved in an unpersuasively offhand way. Enjoyable, and very nicely shot, but you'll forget it the minute it's over.

I had trouble naming my review and I guessing they had a time trying to name this movie thus Ada will have to do for us both. I like Susan Hayworth and she has predictable acting and facial expressions in all her work. It doesn't lack here and she delivers. On Dean Martin, I appreciate his trying to enter into drama and westerns but I could never get used to him doing so. He doesn't have the depth and the acting skills to pull it off. His fame, wealth and power allowed him opportunities to be sure but that is about it. The story itself is interesting from this point of view. Who doesn't like a rags to riches or an underdog becoming a top dog especially it they are a good soul. That is the case here. Susan pulls it off. However Dean further distracted me when I watched him run for office and playing guitar songs to win people over. At this point, I was ready to pull-out but a strange thing happened. The story appeared and it is an interesting one. Human nature does not disappoint and here we get a generous portion of greed, underhand-ness, corruption, scheming and for those that like decent endings comeuppance visits and gives us closure making it satisfying for the viewer and for the actors to say they earned their pay. I recommend a movie snack of your choice and a tasty drink and stay with this until it clicks. It will and it is worth it as the viewer is forced to become involved and choose sides thus emotions are engaged. It is called in the movie parlance "entertainment". You will be