HotToastyRag 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!

jjnxn-1 If you're a fan of Susan Hayward this film has everything you need.An old-fashioned melodrama with all the trimmings Susan rules over this with a velvet glove. She's a girl from "the wrong side of the tracks", a prostitute in a roadside honky tonk who makes the acquaintance of a dim hayseed one night. He has a way with a song and isn't clever enough to see that he is being used as a dim bulb stooge by a political machine to take him to the governor's mansion. The film offers nothing new on this age old chestnut but the presentation is what counts here.A star vehicle to be sure slanted Susan's way much more than Dean's even though he gets a moment here and there. Spotlighted in a way stars never are today Susan commands the screen. Notice that she is surrounded only by colors that flatter her, the rooms she finds herself in are almost exclusively white or a soft green to highlight her flame colored tresses. Even the roadhouse where she starts the story has that high class sheen that is a hallmark of the studio era.The performances are excellent. Dean ambles through without too much to do but handles his one big scene well. Martin Balsam and Ralph Meeker are solid as Dean's trusted friend and a slimy cop respectively but it's Wilfred Hyde-White who stands out as the reptilian political operator who crosses swords with Susan. Therein lies the meat of the story and the basic enjoyment of the film. When these two old pros square off the fireworks are a treat, although Susan gets a couple of other chances on her own to rip apart the unsuspecting when she discovers malfeasance. A few interesting side notes. The actress playing Susan's madam, Connie Sawyer known as the oldest working actress in Hollywood, is still alive and appearing in small parts at 102 as of November 2014. The other note is a bit more somber, as she entered the end of her cancer struggle Susan Hayward's friends told her they had arranged for her to see any of her films that she wanted and she selected this film much to their surprise. In hindsight though it's easy to see why, every effort is made to make her look her best, its set in the south which had been her home for many years during her happy second marriage and her part is tailor made to many of her strengths.If you love Susan Hayward or old time studio made melodramas don't miss this!

halriedl This is an MGM potboiler with great colors and weak credibility. The picture was probably the best that repressed Hollywood could do at the time with the legend of Earl Long, once Governor of Louisiana, and the stripper Blaze Starr. (The story was filmed many years later, with Paul Newman and Lolita Davidovich.) A singing, guitar-playing candidate for Governor in the Depression South is quite historical. The sly self-deprecation in Bo Gillis's stump speech at the beginning of the picture is well done. But once he hooks up with Susan Hayward, Dean Martin becomes a marshmallow. The role must have appealed tremendously to a tough broad like Hayward. She was a perfect choice for Barbara Graham in I Want to Live. I'd call the picture a failure with interesting features.

edwagreen Move over Hilary Clinton and Condi Rice. You had Ada to contend with before your true political aspirations become known.Bo Gillis is running for governor. He is introduced to trollop Ada, and after a whirlwind romance, they wed. Ada is played by Susan Hayward, always at the top of her game. Even with her red hair ablaze, Hayward looked haggard and not in the best of health when she made this flick.Of course, Bo, (Dean Martin) is a fool duped to run for governor by political boss Sylvester, (a not so charming Wilfrid Hyde-White,) who does quit well in his part of a vicious back-room character who controls the state of business and will go as far as murder to make sure that he rules.Bo quickly realizes that something is wrong when a governor is just called upon to sign bills. The Lt. Governor tells him all about the Parks legislation. Sylvester makes sure that the Lt.Governor resigns. Suddenly, Ada is determined to be his replacement.When Bo is ready to buck Sylvester, he is nearly killed in a bomb placed in his car. As Ada had volunteered to be the lieutenant, Bo thinks that she is in with Sylvester.Along for the ride is Ralph Meeker, who plays the head of the police. He is as corrupt as they come. He even makes a play for Ada. Why didn't she try to unload him right there and then?What is amazing in all this is that Ada becomes very intelligent regarding the workings of government and legislation very, very quickly. She has her own ideas in mind to rid the state of Sylvester's bossism. She confronts certain ladies at a tea party and reminds them of their husbands ties to the state, thanks to the legislation on the books that allows them to do business with the state.Suddenly, in a scene change, Sylvester is shown in a wheelchair. What happened Syl? True though, you're as sly as ever.Bo is released from the hospital and in the capitol gallery views the showdown between Ada and Sylvester. Sylvester's old tricks will not prevail.Good for its depiction of corruption. Fairly good performances but storyline is so predictable.