The Tornado | |
---|---|
Directed by | John Ford |
Written by | Grace Cunard Francis Ford John Ford |
Starring | John Ford |
Production company | |
Distributed by | Universal Film Manufacturing Company |
Release date |
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Running time | 2 reels (approximately 25 minutes) [a] |
Country | United States |
Languages | Silent English intertitles |
The Tornado is a 1917 American short film directed and co-written by John Ford, who at that time was credited as "Jack Ford". [1] [2] [3] [4] Filmed in California, the two-reel Western starred Ford as well, with a supporting cast that included Jean Hathaway, John Duffy, Peter Gerald, Elsie Thornton, and Duke Worne. [5] [6] [7] This short is generally cited by film historians to be Ford's debut film as a director, although he had served as an assistant director in some earlier productions directed by his elder brother Francis Ford. [8] [9] Produced by Bison Motion Pictures and distributed by Universal Pictures, this short is currently classified as a lost film. [7] [10]
John Ford, who was only 23 years old at the time of this short's production, reportedly got drunk while filming and told producers that he simply ordered the actors what to do and then recorded the action. [11] [12]
The film was defined like: "In his hand-to-hand struggle in the cabin and the jump from the cabin roof to the back of his horse, Jack Ford qualifies as a rough-riding expert". [13] [14] [15] Jack Ford declared The Soul Herder as the first film he directed because he dismissed The Tornado and called it a "brunch of stunts". [16] [7]
Peter Bogdanovich was an American director, writer, actor, producer, critic, and film historian. He started his career as a film critic for Film Culture and Esquire before becoming a prominent filmmaker as part of the New Hollywood movement. He received accolades including a BAFTA Award and Grammy Award, as well as nominations for two Academy Awards and two Golden Globe Awards.
Stagecoach is a 1939 American Western film directed by John Ford and starring Claire Trevor and John Wayne. The screenplay by Dudley Nichols is an adaptation of "The Stage to Lordsburg", a 1937 short story by Ernest Haycox. The film follows a group primarily composed of strangers riding on a stagecoach through dangerous Apache territory.
John Martin Feeney, known professionally as John Ford, was an American film director and producer. He is regarded as one of the most important and influential filmmakers during the Golden Age of Hollywood, and was one of the first American directors to be recognized as an auteur. In a career of more than 50 years, he directed over 130 films between 1917 and 1970, and received six Academy Awards including a record four wins for Best Director for The Informer (1935), The Grapes of Wrath (1940), How Green Was My Valley (1941), and The Quiet Man (1952).
Francis Ford was an American film actor, writer and director. He was the mentor and elder brother of film director John Ford. As an actor, director and producer, he was one of the first filmmakers in Hollywood.
Wagon Master is a 1950 American Western film produced and directed by John Ford and starring Ben Johnson, Harry Carey Jr., Joanne Dru, and Ward Bond. The story follows a Mormon pioneer wagon train across treacherous desert to the San Juan River in Utah. The film inspired the US television series Wagon Train (1957–1965), which starred Bond until his death in 1960. The film was a personal favorite of Ford himself, who told Peter Bogdanovich in 1967 that "Along with The Fugitive and The Sun Shines Bright, Wagon Master came closest to being what I wanted to achieve." While the critical and audience response to Wagon Master was lukewarm on its release, over the years numerous critics have come to view it as one of Ford's masterpieces.
Howard "Duke" Worne was an American director and actor of the silent era. He directed more than 70 films between 1919 and 1931. He also appeared in 27 films between 1914 and 1928. He was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and died in Los Angeles, California. In 1930, Worne married silent film actress Virginia Brown Faire, to whom he remained married until his death three years later in 1933.
Cheyenne's Pal is a 1917 American silent Western film directed by John Ford and featuring Harry Carey. The film is considered to be lost.
Straight Shooting is a 1917 American silent Western film directed by John Ford and featuring Harry Carey. Prints of this film survive in the International Museum of Photography and Film at George Eastman House. Like many American films of the time, Straight Shooting was subject to cuts by city and state film censorship boards. The Chicago Board of Censors refused to issue a permit for this film as submitted as it consists of detailed portrayal of murder and outlawry.
The Secret Man is a 1917 American silent Western film, directed by John Ford and featuring Harry Carey. Two of the five reels of the film survive at the Library of Congress film archive.
Wild Women is a 1918 American silent Western comedy film directed by John Ford and featuring Harry Carey. The film is considered to be lost.
The Trail of Hate is a 1917 American silent drama film that portrayed the military exploits and personal rivalries of two United States Army officers stationed in the American West and later in the Philippines. The production starred John Ford, who at that time was credited as "Jack Ford". Currently classified as a lost film, this two-reel short is identified by some biographers of John Ford and in many filmographies, both in print and online, to be his second release as a director. He is also credited in various sources for writing the film's screenplay or "scenario". Other Ford biographers, however, most notably American director and film historian Peter Bogdanovich, credit this production's screenplay and its direction to John's older brother Francis Ford.
The Scrapper is a 1917 American short Western drama directed by John Ford, who at that time was credited as "Jack Ford". The film is considered to be lost.
The Craving is a 1918 American silent drama film written and directed by John and Francis Ford. A 35mm print of the film with Dutch intertitles survives in the EYE Film Instituut Nederland film archive.
Rustlers or The Rustlers is a 1919 American short silent Western film produced by John Ford and directed by Reginald Barker under the working title of Even Money. The film was shot between February 28 and March 8, 1919 for April release that same year. Ford himself chose to bring Pete Morrison into this project, and during the time of the film's shooting, he and Baker co-chaired a committee created by William Beaudine, then-president of the Motion Pictures Director's Association.
The Gun Packer is a 1919 American short silent Western film directed by John Ford. Filming began on March 25, 1919, under the working title Out Wyoming Way. Just two months later, The Gun Packer was released by Universal Studios as a 20-minute silent film on two reels. This film was reissued in August 1924.
The Adventures of Peg o' the Ring is a 1916 American drama film serial directed by Francis Ford and Jacques Jaccard. It is now considered to be lost.
John Ford (1894–1973) was an American film director whose career spanned from 1913 to 1971. During this time he directed more than 130 films; however, nearly all of his silent films are lost. Born in Maine, Ford entered the filmmaking industry shortly after graduating from high school with the help of his older brother, Francis Ford, who had established himself as a leading man and director for Universal Studios. After working as an actor, assistant director, stuntman, and prop man – often for his brother – Universal gave Ford the opportunity to direct in 1917. Initially working in short films, he quickly moved into features, largely with Harry Carey as his star.
Three Bad Men and a Girl is a 1915 American silent Western black and white film directed by Francis Ford and written by Grace Cunard. This film is reminiscent of The Desert Breed (1915).
John Ermine of the Yellowstone is a 1917 American silent Western film directed by and starring Francis Ford. It is based on the novel of the same title by Frederic Remington.
Jean Hathaway was a Hungarian-born Belgian and American stage and silent film actress, singer, and claimed to be a Belgian Marquise though marriage. Her career began on the vaudeville circuit; and by 1908 she was an early star of Allan Dwan's American Film Manufacturing Company. After her marriage in 1894, she also went by the names Marquise Lillie de Fiennes and Jane Hathaway.