The Tornado

The Tornado

30 mins | Western | March 3, 1917

The Tornado mostly followed pulp Western formula -- bad guys hold up a town, take a girl hostage, and the hero rides to the rescue. But there were a couple of twists that made it seem more personal than the usual cowboy fare. Ford's Jack Dayton ... is known as "the No-Gun Man" because he faces the villains unarmed, anticipating the character played by James Stewart in George Marshall's 1939 Western comedy classic Destry Rides Again. Dayton is an immigrant who uses the reward money to bring over his mother (Jean Hathaway) from Ireland, a prototypically Fordian situation if there ever was one.

The Tornado

30 mins | Western | March 3, 1917

The Tornado
The Tornado mostly followed pulp Western formula -- bad guys hold up a town, take a girl hostage, and the hero rides to the rescue. But there were a couple of twists that made it seem more personal than the usual cowboy fare. Ford's Jack Dayton ... is known as "the No-Gun Man" because he faces the villains unarmed, anticipating the character played by James Stewart in George Marshall's 1939 Western comedy classic Destry Rides Again. Dayton is an immigrant who uses the reward money to bring over his mother (Jean Hathaway) from Ireland, a prototypically Fordian situation if there ever was one.
Producers Bison Motion Pictures
Original title The Tornado
Directors John Ford
Writers Grace Cunard, Francis Ford, John Ford

Cast

John Ford

as Jack Dayton (as Jack Ford)

Jean Hathaway

as Jack's mother

Peter Gerald

as Pendleton - banker from Rock River (as Pete Gerald)

Elsie Thornton

as Bess - Jack's daughter

Duke Worne

as Lesparre - the lead of Cayote gang

John Duffy

as Slick - Jack's partner