In the year following the filming of Niagara, Marilyn Monroe only made two films - the star-studded There's No Business Like Showbusiness and River of No Return. The latter is a 1954 Western filmed in Canada and co-starring Robert Mitchum.
Marilyn plays a saloon singer called Kay Weston, while Rory Calhoun is her partner Harry. They seem happy together, but it soon becomes obvious that they have different priorities in life. Harry is obsessed with making money. He is a gambler who is selfish, greedy and not very likeable.
Kay, however, is sweet, maternal, caring and warm-hearted. She isn't a passive woman though; she is feisty and determined and not afraid to have a go at anything.
Matt Calder (Robert Mitchum) is a cowboy who ends up at the saloon where Kay works. He has just been reunited with his son Mark (played well by Tommy Rettig, who was later to star as Jeff Miller in Lassie in the 1950s). After Mark's mother dies, Matt sends for his son and is trying to be a good father and be there for him, after their years apart.
Marilyn first appears about five minutes into the film. She enters the saloon bar
wearing her famous showgirl outfit, a red glittery dress slit up to the thigh on one side, accompanied by red high heels. She plays the guitar, singing One Silver Dollar - the first of four songs she performs in the movie.
She had a lovely voice and holds the notes well throughout, convincing in her role as a singer and showgirl. She also sings the title track - River of No Return (in a gaudy yellow and red costume I don't like much) and Down in the Meadow, but my favourite is I'm Gonna File My Claim.
For this number, she wears a long green velvet dress (don't like this one either), in a similar style to the red one, with a high split leg and a strappy top. This song is faster paced, so Marilyn gets to move more and perform and dance, which is very enjoyable to watch. She works the audience really well and is a great performer.
But on with the story!
After meeting up at the encampment, Matt and Mark Calder leave and set up a farm. Kay and Harry Weston leave soon after on a river raft which gets into trouble and they are rescued by Matt.
Not that Harry shows his gratitude for long, as he beats Matt up, steals his gun and horse and leaves Matt unconscious. Kay decides to stay with the Calders at their cabin to look after the boy, arranging to meet Harry there later.
But soon, Indians appear, forcing Kay, Matt and Mark to escape. As the horse has been stolen by Harry, the three of them have to use the raft the Westons travelled on. Going via the river is a risky, dangerous journey. The Indians call it the River of No Return as it is so perilous.
So, the story unfolds. The Calders and Kay Weston have to become a kind of family unit to survive, as they need to hunt and forage for food, find shelter and cope with injuries and illness, as well as all the dangers of the area.
We follow their story to discover what happens to them and to Harry Weston…
River of No Return was filmed in Canada. Like Niagara, this produces a stunning backdrop for the movie, with its pretty views of forests, mountains and lakes. There are instances of dodgy special effects at times though (again as with Niagara), as you can tell sometimes when the location switches to studio filming.
Marilyn injured herself during the making of the film, twisting an ankle whilst performing her own stunts. She had to complete the shoot hobbling around on crutches, with the film being cut to disguise this.
She looks gorgeous, of course, with waist-length blonde hair (a wig, though it suits her) and her characteristic bright red lipstick and curvy figure. She spends most of the movie in tight blue jeans and looks great in them, as well as very modern.
She is convincing as Key Weston and shows she can act really well, despite this being rather a less challenging role than Rose Loomis in Niagara. Her natural rapport with children is evident here and she works very well with little Tommy Rettig, who is good as Mark Calder, managing to be cute but not irritating.
The rest of the cast impresses, especially Mitchum, who I doubt was challenged too much in the role of a strutting cowboy, but performs well nonetheless.
Westerns are probably my least favourite genre of film (along with horror) and I find them deadly dull most of the time - all horses, cowboy hats, punch ups and macho posturing. River of No Return is better though and I enjoyed it more than I had expected. (I have seen this before, some years ago, but only recall Marilyn's singing.) There is plenty of action, adventure, drama and tension and (thankfully!) it's not just about cowboys and Indians!
The most interesting part of the film is following the development of the relationships - between the Westons, the Calders, Kay and Mark, Kay and Matt. I enjoyed the scenes which included them living together and the dialogue advancing their relationships, while I felt some of the 'peril on the river' bits to be rather dull.
The film reminded me of the Meryl Streep film I saw at the cinema in 1994 - The River Wild - though River of No Return is better. While not the best Marilyn Monroe film or the best Western, it is well worth watching and if you don't like it, it's only 91 minutes long too.
My highlight? Marilyn's singing. Beautiful.
I own this as part of the Diamond Collection boxset, but the film is available on DVD by itself for £5.97 on Amazon.
Pictures of River Of No Return (DVD)
Showgirl singer in a saloon
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Production Year: 1959 - Westerns - Director: Howard Hawks - Original Language: English - Classification: Parental Guidance - Starring: John Wayne, Dean Martin, Ricky Nelson, Angie Dickinson, Ward Bond, Claude Akins, Walter Brennan, John Russell
Production Year: 1939 - Westerns - Director: John Ford - Original Language: English - Classification: Parental Guidance - Starring: John Wayne, Claire Trevor, George Bancroft, Andy Devine, Thomas Mitchell, John Carradine, Donald Meek, Tim Holt
![River Of No Return [DVD] [1954]](http://picnica.ciao.com/uk/78495264.jpg "River Of No Return [DVD] [1954]")
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