Tornado Range
Brief Synopsis
Cast & Crew
Ray Taylor
Eddie Dean
Copper
Roscoe Ates
Jennifer Holt
George Chesebro
Film Details
Technical Specs
Synopsis
After rancher Lance King is warned that homesteaders are moving into the area, he rounds up other ranchers to stop them. His daughter Mary tells him that under the provisions of Homestead Act, the homesteaders are protected by the government and that he should resolve the issue in a court of law, but King is not dissuaded. U.S. Marshal Eddie Dean and his sidekick, Soapy Jones, meanwhile, are escorting Pop Sawyer and his son Jebby, who as representatives of the settlers are seeking to make peace with the ranchers. Although Mary warns Eddie of the impending trouble, she is contemptuous of homesteaders. When King and the other ranchers confront Eddie's small group, Eddie presents King with a document from the U.S. Land Office which states that certain portions of land west of Texas have been thrown open to homesteading, and that the new settlers are protected by the law. Crooked rancher Thayer, who seeks to profit by pitting ranchers and homesteaders against one another, tells his men that the ranchers will soon be so busy fighting that it will be easy to rustle their cattle across the border. Notorious Killer Dorgan, who is a new member of Thayer's gang and has an old score to settle with Eddie, starts trouble by shooting Pop. Pop manages to wound Dorgan in the arm before he dies, and when when Eddie and Jebby ride up, Dorgan claims to be a settler and says some rancher named King shot the old man. After Jebby rides off to settle matters with King, Dorgan escapes, and Eddie rides off to stop Jebby. Meanwhile, Mary asks her father to make a deal with the settlers and tells him that she has all the ranchers' wives up in arms and vowing to keep their men alive by not permitting them to fight. Just then, Jebby confronts King, but Dorgan shoots King as Eddie rides up. Jebby and Eddie carry the wounded King into the house, but when Eddie tries to send Jebby to town for a doctor, Mary draws a gun on them. Other ranchers arrive and Eddie and Jebby are taken to town to stand trial. They are found guilty and sentenced to be hanged, even though Mary complains to Thayer that he has railroaded Eddie and Jebby. Later, after Soapy helps Eddie and Jebby escape from the jail, Eddie discovers who Dorgan really is from a "wanted" poster, which he also shows to Mary and explains how Thayer has been manipulating the conflict. When Thayer learns that Eddie and the others are loose inside the sheriff's office, he and his men surround it and a gun battle erupts. Eddie captures Dorgan, and he and Soapy head out to the King ranch. Mary has overheard Thayer admit to having hired Dorgan to create trouble and rounds up the ranchers to help Eddie. Thayer's plan to incriminate the homesteaders in the ambush of a group of ranchers misfires when Eddie and Soapy intervene. While the ranchers round up Thayer's men, Eddie chases after Thayer and captures him. Later, the homesteaders' wagon train moves into the area, and Eddie and Soapy head off to another assignment.
Director
Ray Taylor
Cast
Eddie Dean
Copper
Roscoe Ates
Jennifer Holt
George Chesebro
Brad Slavin
Marshall Reed
Terry Frost
Lane Bradford
Russell Arms
Steve Clark
Andy Parker
Crew
Joe Bonner
James Brown Jr.
Dick Carruth
Eddie Dean
Glen Glenn
Joseph Gluck
Walter Greene
William Lively
Allen Massey
Curt Massey
Ray Mercer
William L. Nolte
Gene Redd
Jerry Thomas
Ira S. Webb
Film Details
Technical Specs
Quotes
Trivia
Notes
Although the film bore a 1947 copyright statement, it was not registered until February 21, 1948. Modern sources add Hank Bell, Jack Hendricks and Ray Jones to the cast.
