Tornado!
Encyclopedia
Tornado! is a made for TV movie starring Bruce Campbell
and Shannon Sturges
, released on May 7, 1996. It was written by John Logan
and directed by Noel Nosseck.
Jake Thorne (Bruce Campbell
), whose friend and former graduate school advisor. Dr. Joe Branson (Ernie Hudson
), has developed a machine that may be able to provide earlier tornado warning
s. Samantha Callen (Shannon Sturges
) is a government auditor who must determine whether Dr. Branson's project warrants more funding. Jake must try to convince Samantha that the machine is worthwhile. During the process, Jake and Samantha become romantically attracted to each other, but powerful tornado
es threaten the lives of all the major characters.
"Whoa! It's like a tornado out here!" is a famous quote by the well-known actor, Scott Hodges
.
, including scenes at local Fox television 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 DVD
. It is rated PG
for some perilous weather sequences and mild language.
Bruce Campbell
Bruce Lorne Campbell is an American film and television actor. As a cult movie actor, Campbell starred as Ashley J. "Ash" Williams in Sam Raimi's Evil Dead series of films and he has starred in many low-budget cult films such as Crimewave, Maniac Cop, Bubba Ho-tep, Escape From L.A. and Sundown:...
and Shannon Sturges
Shannon Sturges
Shannon Sturges is an American daytime and prime-time soap veteran actress. She played Molly Brinker on Days of our Lives, Reese Burton on Savannah, as well as recurring roles on Passions, Once and Again, and Port Charles....
, released on May 7, 1996. It was written by John Logan
John Logan (writer)
John David Logan is an American screenwriter, playwright and film producer.-Personal life:Logan was born in San Diego on September 24, 1961. His parents emigrated to the US from Northern Ireland via Canada. The youngest of three children, he has an older brother and sister...
and directed by Noel Nosseck.
Plot
The movie's main character is storm chaserStorm 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...
Jake Thorne (Bruce Campbell
Bruce Campbell
Bruce Lorne Campbell is an American film and television actor. As a cult movie actor, Campbell starred as Ashley J. "Ash" Williams in Sam Raimi's Evil Dead series of films and he has starred in many low-budget cult films such as Crimewave, Maniac Cop, Bubba Ho-tep, Escape From L.A. and Sundown:...
), whose friend and former graduate school advisor. Dr. Joe Branson (Ernie Hudson
Ernie Hudson
Ernest Lee "Ernie" Hudson is an American actor known for his roles as Winston Zeddemore in the Ghostbusters film series, Sergeant Albrecht in The Crow, and Warden Leo Glynn on HBO's Oz.-Early life:...
), has developed a machine that may be able to provide earlier tornado warning
Tornado warning
A tornado warning is an alert issued by government weather services to warn that severe thunderstorms with tornadoes may be imminent. It can be issued after a tornado or funnel cloud has been spotted by eye, or more commonly if there are radar indications of tornado formation...
s. Samantha Callen (Shannon Sturges
Shannon Sturges
Shannon Sturges is an American daytime and prime-time soap veteran actress. She played Molly Brinker on Days of our Lives, Reese Burton on Savannah, as well as recurring roles on Passions, Once and Again, and Port Charles....
) is a government auditor who must determine whether Dr. Branson's project warrants more funding. Jake must try to convince Samantha that the machine is worthwhile. During the process, Jake and Samantha become romantically attracted to each other, but powerful tornado
Tornado
A tornado is a violent, dangerous, rotating column of air that is in contact with both the surface of the earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. They are often referred to as a twister or a cyclone, although the word cyclone is used in meteorology in a wider...
es threaten the lives of all the major characters.
"Whoa! It's like a tornado out here!" is a famous quote by the well-known actor, Scott Hodges
Scott Hodges
Scott Lyall Hodges is a former Australian rules footballer and champion goal kicker who holds the SANFL record for most goals kicked in a league season when he kicked 153 goals in 1990...
.
Cast
| Actor | Character |
|---|---|
| Bruce Campbell Bruce Campbell Bruce Lorne Campbell is an American film and television actor. As a cult movie actor, Campbell starred as Ashley J. "Ash" Williams in Sam Raimi's Evil Dead series of films and he has starred in many low-budget cult films such as Crimewave, Maniac Cop, Bubba Ho-tep, Escape From L.A. and Sundown:... |
Jake Thorne |
| Ernie Hudson Ernie Hudson Ernest Lee "Ernie" Hudson is an American actor known for his roles as Winston Zeddemore in the Ghostbusters film series, Sergeant Albrecht in The Crow, and Warden Leo Glynn on HBO's Oz.-Early life:... |
Dr. Joe Branson |
| Shannon Sturges Shannon Sturges Shannon Sturges is an American daytime and prime-time soap veteran actress. She played Molly Brinker on Days of our Lives, Reese Burton on Savannah, as well as recurring roles on Passions, Once and Again, and Port Charles.... |
Samantha Callen |
| Bo Eason Bo Eason Bo Eason is a former professional American football player who played safety for four seasons for the Houston Oilers. He is currently an actor and playwright. His show "Runt of the Litter" is now being performed in multiple cities. His brother is former NFL quarterback, Tony Eason.-External links:*... |
Tyler Launer |
| L.Q. Jones | Epham Thorne |
Filming
Tornado! was filmed primarily in Austin, TexasAustin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
, including scenes at local Fox television affiliate KTBC
KTBC
KTBC, channel 7, is the Fox owned-and-operated television station in Austin, Texas. Studios are located in downtown Austin at the corner of 10th and Brazos Streets , and its transmitter is located in the city....
. The production company hired the KTBC
KTBC
KTBC, channel 7, is the Fox owned-and-operated television station in Austin, Texas. Studios are located in downtown Austin at the corner of 10th and Brazos Streets , and its transmitter is located in the city....
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
Cameo appearance
A cameo role or cameo appearance is a brief appearance of a known person in a work of the performing arts, such as plays, films, video games and television...
during the climax of the film. The film runs 89 minutes, and has been released on DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
. It is rated PG
MPAA film rating system
The Motion Picture Association of America's film-rating system is used in the U.S. and its territories to rate a film's thematic and content suitability for certain audiences. The MPAA system applies only to motion pictures that are submitted for rating. Other media may be rated by other entities...
for some perilous weather sequences and mild language.