Stunning Canadian Rockies scenery add a dramatic backdrop to "River of No Return", a fairly predictable tale involving a recently released convict (Robert Mitchum), and an out of place Marilyn Monroe who's physical presence and colorful saloon outfits are the stuff of repeated double takes. Oddly, Monroe winds up being well cast here, even to the point of singing a few tunes that hold up surprisingly well.
Mitchum's character is Matt Calder, newly reunited with a nine year old son last seen before serving a prison sentence for shooting a man in the back. As the story unfolds, we learn extenuating circumstances were behind the killing, causing a certain amount of angst to come between the boy and his father as a result of the disclosure. 'Mark follows Matthew' in the Bible, thus serving as the basis for young Mark Calder's name, portrayed by Tommy Rettig.
If you were a baby boomer kid growing up in the 1950's like me, Tommy Rettig might have been one of your first small screen heroes, or at least his pal Lassie was. My weekly fix of "Lassie" came on Sunday evenings on CBS, a tough call going up against "The Wonderful World of Disney" on the NBC network. When Timmy outgrew Lassie, it seemed like the magic was gone.
Rory Calhoun is the film's obligatory bad guy and fiancée to Monroe's character. He's a bit tough to recognize if you're used to his role as "The Texan" in the 1958 Western series; perhaps it was the mustache.
I'd be curious to learn more about the scene involving Matt Calder's forced advance on Monroe's Kay during the trip along the river. Though discreetly interrupted by the interference of a mountain lion, it seems the lead character of the story came pretty close to attempted rape. I wonder how audiences of the time reacted to that particular scene.
Always on the lookout for historical perspective in films, I got a kick out of two saloon signs - 'Whiskey, 25 cents per swallow', followed by 'Good Whiskey, 4 Bits'. Oh, for the good old days!
It occurred to me that the movie's title might have been more than just a passing reference to the hazards met and overcome along the way by the intrepid adventurers, and something other than the subject of one of Marilyn Monroe's saloon songs. It struck me as somewhat allegorical that the act of saving his father's life in the same manner that sent Matt Caulder to jail, would now serve as the flash point in his life that young Mark could never retreat from, a certain departure from innocence to which he could never return.
Mitchum's character is Matt Calder, newly reunited with a nine year old son last seen before serving a prison sentence for shooting a man in the back. As the story unfolds, we learn extenuating circumstances were behind the killing, causing a certain amount of angst to come between the boy and his father as a result of the disclosure. 'Mark follows Matthew' in the Bible, thus serving as the basis for young Mark Calder's name, portrayed by Tommy Rettig.
If you were a baby boomer kid growing up in the 1950's like me, Tommy Rettig might have been one of your first small screen heroes, or at least his pal Lassie was. My weekly fix of "Lassie" came on Sunday evenings on CBS, a tough call going up against "The Wonderful World of Disney" on the NBC network. When Timmy outgrew Lassie, it seemed like the magic was gone.
Rory Calhoun is the film's obligatory bad guy and fiancée to Monroe's character. He's a bit tough to recognize if you're used to his role as "The Texan" in the 1958 Western series; perhaps it was the mustache.
I'd be curious to learn more about the scene involving Matt Calder's forced advance on Monroe's Kay during the trip along the river. Though discreetly interrupted by the interference of a mountain lion, it seems the lead character of the story came pretty close to attempted rape. I wonder how audiences of the time reacted to that particular scene.
Always on the lookout for historical perspective in films, I got a kick out of two saloon signs - 'Whiskey, 25 cents per swallow', followed by 'Good Whiskey, 4 Bits'. Oh, for the good old days!
It occurred to me that the movie's title might have been more than just a passing reference to the hazards met and overcome along the way by the intrepid adventurers, and something other than the subject of one of Marilyn Monroe's saloon songs. It struck me as somewhat allegorical that the act of saving his father's life in the same manner that sent Matt Caulder to jail, would now serve as the flash point in his life that young Mark could never retreat from, a certain departure from innocence to which he could never return.