Movie Review: ***^River of No Return (1954)

This movie leaves no doubt that Marilyn Monroe was an actress.  She also sings in this movie as the bar singer.  However, I don't think she plays the guitar.  She portrays Kay, who shows up at the farm of Matt Calder (Robert Mitchum) with her intended (or just married), Harry Weston (Rory Calhoun).  Calder is trying to eke out a living with his son (who newly has come to him since his mother's death), Mark (Tommy Rettig).  Turns out Weston is desperate to get to town to file a mining claim, and comes down the river with Kay and they are rescued by Calder and his son.  He advices them against trying the river to town.  However he is desperate to file a claim, and steals the horse and rifle of Calder, leaving him at the mercy of the Indians who inhabit the area, but Calder has kept them at bay with his rifle.  They observe the theft from the mountains, and are quick to react.  Calder is one step ahead, as he and his son and Kay take off in the raft just ahead of the Indians.  They have quite the adventure getting to town, with mountain lions and Indians trying to stop them.  However they get there, and then comes the awaited confrontation with Weston.  However Weston is desperate to eliminate his accuser for horse theft and quickly gets the drop on Calder.  The ending is unexpected.

Movie Review: ***The Black Spurs (1965)

The Black Spurs (1965).  This is another Rory Calhoun offering in which he portrays Santee.  A good man, who has a good prospect with a beautiful woman (Linda Darnell) who becomes bent on becoming a bad man as a bounty hunter.  He hunts down someone for a $3000 reward, and takes his black spurs, marking his new life.  He then pursues bounty hunting and makes a career of it.  He decides to take on more profitable pursuits, destroying a town’s reputation so the rail line will go another way.  He brings in prostitution and gambling and a group of thugs to support his way.  In other words, anything to make the town become a bad town.  The railroad will bypass them for sure, and other towns will get the railroad depot.  However, he changes his mind, based on his discovering that his girl bore his son, and then married another guy to give the son a name.  Now he has a town to clean up.