Marilyn Monroe’s Last Western: How ‘The Misfits’ Became a Cult Classic

Marilyn Monroe—Hollywood’s golden siren—didn’t saddle up often, but when she did, she left a mark. Known for her sultry comedies like Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953), Monroe dipped her toes into the dusty trails of Westerns just a handful of times. As of March 18, 2025, with her legacy still shimmering, the question lingers: which of her Westerns reigns supreme? River of No Return (1954) and The Misfits (1961) stand as her genre heavyweights, each a different beast—one a classic frontier romp, the other a haunting neo-Western swan song. Let’s ride through the showdown.

First, a clarification: “Marilyn Monroe’s Best Western” isn’t about a hotel (sorry, no Best Western suites named in her honor pop up on Tripadvisor). It’s her films we’re roping in here, and while Bus Stop (1956) flirts with cowboy vibes, it’s more rodeo romance than true Western. Her uncredited A Ticket to Tomahawk (1950) cameo? A footnote. That leaves River of No Return and The Misfits—her only starring Westerns worth the spurs.

River of No Return, directed by Otto Preminger, plants us in 1875’s rugged Northwest. Monroe’s Kay, a saloon singer with a heart of grit, teams with Robert Mitchum’s farmer Matt Calder and his son to brave river rapids after a gold-rush betrayal. It’s textbook Western—think frontier stakes, shootouts, and Monroe crooning “I’m Gonna File My Claim” in a musical twist, per Collider. Shot in Technicolor glory, it’s a visual feast, but critics (Rotten Tomatoes) jabbed at its thin plot and dated edges—racism, sexism, a whiff of cliché. Monroe shines, sure, but her coached diction occasionally trips over the scenery. It packed theaters, yet it’s no genre titan.

Then there’s The Misfits, her 1961 farewell, penned by husband Arthur Miller and steered by John Huston. Set in modern Nevada, it’s less six-shooters, more soul-searching—a neo-Western elegy for the fading cowboy life. Monroe’s Roslyn Tabor, a fragile divorcée, drifts into the orbit of Clark Gable’s aging cowpoke and Montgomery Clift’s drifter, roping mustangs for dog food in a dying West. It bombed at first, but time’s been kind; it’s now a cult gem, lauded as a ‘60s standout (The Guardian). Monroe’s turn—raw, mature, a far cry from her blonde bombshell shtick—steals it, her depth as a lost ex-stripper earning posthumous nods.

The scales tip clear in rankings. GoldDerby slots The Misfits at 5th in her oeuvre, Vulture at 6th, praising its heft. River of No Return? It limps to 14th on Vulture, missing GoldDerby’s top 15—pretty, but not profound. Critics and fans agree: The Misfits is Monroe’s Western peak, her last completed role a showcase of drama over dazzle, while River’s a fun relic, not a revelation.

What’s her “best”? The Misfits wins the lasso. It’s not just a Western—it’s a requiem, Monroe’s fragile fire burning brightest against a crumbling frontier. River of No Return gallops fine, but it’s a lighter hoofprint. For a star who rarely rode west, Monroe’s final saddle-up proves her grit outlasted the glitter.