River of No Return

Matt Calder is a former convict trying to rebuild his life in the American West of the 1870s. He takes his young son Mark from a settlement camp where the boy was looked after by Kay, a saloon singer, and brings him to a remote cabin. Kay's gambler companion, Harry Weston, arrives and steals Matt's horse and rifle before heading off to register a gold claim, leaving Kay behind. When their home is attacked and burned, Matt, Mark and Kay escape downriver on a raft, facing rapids and other dangers as they travel toward the town where Harry has gone.

Otto Preminger directed the film, the fifth of the sixteen features he made in chronological order, following Where the Sidewalk Ends and preceding Carmen Jones. Frank Fenton wrote the screenplay, and Stanley Rubin produced it for 20th Century Fox. Robert Mitchum plays Matt, Marilyn Monroe plays Kay, Rory Calhoun plays Harry, and Tommy Rettig plays Mark, with Murvyn Vye and Douglas Spencer in supporting roles. The production is credited with 62 cast members and 44 crew.

Made on a budget of about two million dollars, the film took roughly four million dollars worldwide. On IMDb it holds a rating of 6.6 from around 14,000 votes, while on TMDB it stands at 6.7 from about 495 votes. A critics' rating of 6.5 from 15 reviews places it close to the audience scores. The film runs 91 minutes.