Tornado!
Tornado! is a 1996 American television film starring Bruce Campbell and Shannon Sturges, released on May 7, 1996. It was written by John Logan and directed by Noel Nosseck.[1]
| Tornado! | |
|---|---|
 Promotional film poster | |
| Genre | Action Drama |
| Written by | John Logan |
| Directed by | Noel Nosseck |
| Starring | Bruce Campbell Shannon Sturges Ernie Hudson L. Q. Jones |
| Music by | Garry Schyman |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Robert M. Sertner Frank von Zerneck |
| Producer(s) | Artie Mandelberg Stacy Mandelberg Randy Sutter Ted Babcock (co-producer) David C. Thomas (co-producer) |
| Production location(s) | Austin, Texas |
| Cinematography | Paul Maibaum |
| Editor(s) | David Codron Robert Florio |
| Running time | 89 minutes |
| Production company(s) | Hallmark Entertainment |
| Distributor | Fox |
| Release | |
| Original network | Fox |
| Picture format | Color |
| Audio format | Stereo |
| Original release |
|
Plot
Jake Thorne (Bruce Campbell) is a storm chaser whose friend and former graduate school advisor, Dr. Joe Branson (Ernie Hudson), has developed a machine that may be able to provide earlier tornado warnings. Samantha Callen (Shannon Sturges) is a government auditor who must determine whether Dr. Branson's project warrants more funding. Jake has to try to convince Samantha that the machine is worthwhile. During the process, Jake and Samantha become romantically attracted to each other, but powerful tornadoes threaten the lives of all the major characters. The film ends with Jake's father, Ephram, sacrifices himself to save his son by locking the storm cellar by nailing the door shut to make sure everyone is safe. The tornado takes Ephram, while everyone in the storm cellar starts to clean up and to look for survivors. Jake becomes upset that his father died, but Samantha tells him that he saved their lives, and that Jake must never let anything like this happen again.
Cast
| Actor | Character |
|---|---|
| Bruce Campbell | Jake Thorne |
| Ernie Hudson | Dr. Joe Branson |
| Shannon Sturges | Samantha Callen |
| Bo Eason | Tex Fulton |
| L.Q. Jones | Ephram Thorne |
| Shannon Woodward | Lucy |
Filming
Tornado! was filmed primarily in Austin, Texas, including scenes at local Fox Broadcasting Company affiliate KTBC. The production company hired the KTBC Assistant Chief Engineer Brian Zwiener, who is also a local Austin, Texas musician/comedian, to assist in technical setup of the Panaflex cameras, among other duties. Brian was also asked to appear in a cameo during the climax of the film. The film runs 89 minutes, and has been released on VHS, DVD and Netflix. It is rated PG for some perilous weather sequences and mild language.
See also
- Twister, a 1996 theatrical release