Night of the Twisters
Encyclopedia
Night of the Twisters is a film directed by Timothy Bond, released by MTM Enterprises
, and distributed by PorchLight Entertainment
about a family's struggle to survive a night with a bizarre and terrible storm passing over their town. The TV movie is based on the novel by Ivy Ruckman
, which centers around 1980 Grand Island tornado outbreak. It was shot in Kleinburg, Ontario
.
It was the first original motion picture made for The Family Channel
, and it appeared on the channel (and its successor channels) until 2004.
. Bob Iverson, a storm chaser
, is driving down the road and manages to save a family from an oncoming tornado.
Meanwhile, Dan Hatch lives in fictional Blainsworth, Nebraska
, along with his stepfather Jack, mother
Laura, and baby half-brother, Ryan. Dan is an aspiring and practicing artist
, but is constantly pushed by Jack to be an athlete.
The characters in the movie are Dan's family, along with Dan's friend Arthur. Arthur has two sisters, Stacey and Ronnie. Jack's mother, Belle, and Laura's sister, Jenny, are more secondary characters. Bob Iverson, arrives in Blainesworth tracking a massive storm that is arriving near the town.
The action begins when Jack comes home and sits down to watch TV and his show is interrupted by a severe weather announcement about a tornado sighting 14 miles northwest of Blainsworth, near the town of Dannebrog.
The excitement continues as Dan and Arthur struggle to find their family, while Laura and Jenny are trapped inside the local diner
. Dan finds Jack on a closed road covered in fallen power line
s, and pulls him from his overturned truck
, and sees this as an opportunity for his father to finally see him as reliable. However, Jack just gives a simple thank-you to the fact that Dan saved him from multiple dangers and the fact that Dan may have been the only one down the road as it was blocked by policemen saying it was unsafe. They then go save their grandmother, Belle, at her farm.
Eventually Jack, Dan, Stacey, Arthur, and Ryan leave the shelter
to go home and look for Laura. Just as Jack's truck pulls into the driveway Jenny, Bob, and Laura also drive up, and the family is reunited. As soon as everyone reunites, three tornadoes touch down near them. Bob, realizing no adequate shelter is available, advises the group to make a run for it. They, along with Bob and Jenny, make it to an overpass as the twister nearly sucks up Dan before it dissipates into the air. They walk out from under the overpass just as the sun rises on a clear day and the storm has passed. At the end of the film, Dan explains that he is going out with Arthur's sister, Stacey, while Arthur became class president
, and Bob and Jenny got married and pregnant with twins. He also tells that his grandma, Belle, died the following year in '97.
MTM Enterprises
MTM Enterprises was an American independent production company established in 1969 by Mary Tyler Moore and her then-husband Grant Tinker to produce The Mary Tyler Moore Show for CBS...
, and distributed by PorchLight Entertainment
PorchLight Entertainment
PorchLight Entertainment, Inc. is an American production company founded in 1995 by Bruce D. Johnson and William T. Baumann. It dedicates in television production and animation...
about a family's struggle to survive a night with a bizarre and terrible storm passing over their town. The TV movie is based on the novel by Ivy Ruckman
Ivy Ruckman
Ivy Ruckman is an award-winning author of books for children and young adults. Her works include Melba the Brain and Night of the Twisters, which was made into a 1996 movie. Ruckman lives in Salt Lake City, Utah.-External links:...
, which centers around 1980 Grand Island tornado outbreak. It was shot in Kleinburg, Ontario
Kleinburg, Ontario
-External links:* * *...
.
It was the first original motion picture made for The Family Channel
The Family Channel
The Family Channel may refer to:* Television networks preceding ABC Family, an American cable television network that ran from 1988 to 1998 by Christian Broadcasting Network...
, and it appeared on the channel (and its successor channels) until 2004.
Plot
The prologue of the movie is set in rural farmland in Dannebrog, NebraskaNebraska
Nebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....
. Bob Iverson, a storm chaser
Storm chaser
Storm chaser can refer to:*Storm chasing, the pursuit of any severe weather condition*Storm Chaser, registered US Service Mark for Warren Faidley confirmed by the US Trademark Office as the first, full-time, professional storm chasing journalist...
, is driving down the road and manages to save a family from an oncoming tornado.
Meanwhile, Dan Hatch lives in fictional Blainsworth, Nebraska
Nebraska
Nebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....
, along with his stepfather Jack, mother
Mother
A mother, mum, mom, momma, or mama is a woman who has raised a child, given birth to a child, and/or supplied the ovum that grew into a child. Because of the complexity and differences of a mother's social, cultural, and religious definitions and roles, it is challenging to specify a universally...
Laura, and baby half-brother, Ryan. Dan is an aspiring and practicing artist
Artist
An artist is a person engaged in one or more of any of a broad spectrum of activities related to creating art, practicing the arts and/or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse is a practitioner in the visual arts only...
, but is constantly pushed by Jack to be an athlete.
The characters in the movie are Dan's family, along with Dan's friend Arthur. Arthur has two sisters, Stacey and Ronnie. Jack's mother, Belle, and Laura's sister, Jenny, are more secondary characters. Bob Iverson, arrives in Blainesworth tracking a massive storm that is arriving near the town.
The action begins when Jack comes home and sits down to watch TV and his show is interrupted by a severe weather announcement about a tornado sighting 14 miles northwest of Blainsworth, near the town of Dannebrog.
The excitement continues as Dan and Arthur struggle to find their family, while Laura and Jenny are trapped inside the local diner
Diner
A diner, also spelled dinor in western Pennsylvania is a prefabricated restaurant building characteristic of North America, especially in the Midwest, in New York City, in Pennsylvania and in New Jersey, and in other areas of the Northeastern United States, although examples can be found throughout...
. Dan finds Jack on a closed road covered in fallen power line
Power Line
Power Line is an American political blog, providing news and commentary from a conservative point-of-view. It was originally written by three lawyers who attended Dartmouth College together: John H. Hinderaker, Scott W. Johnson, and Paul Mirengoff...
s, and pulls him from his overturned truck
Truck
A truck or lorry is a motor vehicle designed to transport cargo. Trucks vary greatly in size, power, and configuration, with the smallest being mechanically similar to an automobile...
, and sees this as an opportunity for his father to finally see him as reliable. However, Jack just gives a simple thank-you to the fact that Dan saved him from multiple dangers and the fact that Dan may have been the only one down the road as it was blocked by policemen saying it was unsafe. They then go save their grandmother, Belle, at her farm.
Eventually Jack, Dan, Stacey, Arthur, and Ryan leave the shelter
Shelter
Shelter is a basic architectural structure or building that provides cover. The word may also refer to:-Places:*Port Shelter, Hong Kong*Shelter Bay , various locations*Shelter Cove , various locations...
to go home and look for Laura. Just as Jack's truck pulls into the driveway Jenny, Bob, and Laura also drive up, and the family is reunited. As soon as everyone reunites, three tornadoes touch down near them. Bob, realizing no adequate shelter is available, advises the group to make a run for it. They, along with Bob and Jenny, make it to an overpass as the twister nearly sucks up Dan before it dissipates into the air. They walk out from under the overpass just as the sun rises on a clear day and the storm has passed. At the end of the film, Dan explains that he is going out with Arthur's sister, Stacey, while Arthur became class president
Class President
A class president is usually the leader of a student body class, and presides over its class cabinet or organization within a student council, in a grade school class presidents are generally elected by the class, a constituency composed of all students in a grade level.The practice of electing a...
, and Bob and Jenny got married and pregnant with twins. He also tells that his grandma, Belle, died the following year in '97.