The Tornado (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.

Casting arrow_drop_down

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

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Crew arrow_drop_down

John Ford
Director

Grace Cunard
Story

Francis Ford
Story

John Ford
Writer

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