The Tornado (1917)

The Tornado

1917

Western

Synopsis

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.

Credits

Director

John Ford

Cast

Duke Worne as Lesparre - the lead of Cayote gang

Elsie Thornton as Bess - Jack's daughter

Jean Hathaway as Jack's mother

John Duffy as Slick - Jack's partner

John Ford as Jack Dayton (as Jack Ford)

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

Crew

Francis Ford (Story)