Wendell James Franklin (1916 – July 22, 1994) was an American film executive, who was the first Black member of the Directors Guild of America starting in 1960.[1] He held several job roles in his career including film and television series director, assistant director, producer, and as a stage manager for live television series.[1][2][3][4][5]
Wendell James Franklin | |
|---|---|
| Born | November 13, 1916 Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Died | July 22, 1994 Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Film director, television director, assistant film director, producer, stage manager |
Career
editIn his early career Franklin was the parking lot attendant for a film studio,[6] followed by work as a stage manager for television series such as The Jerry Lewis Show, The Nat King Cole Show, This is Your Life, and Queen for a Day.[7] He served as an assistant director to over forty three Hollywood films and television series, including Funny Girl (1968), The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965),[6] and The Bill Cosby Show (from 1969 to 1971).[8][7] In 1971, Franklin directed the Blaxploitation genre film, Ghetto Revenge (1971).[8][9][10]
Filmography
edit- Ghetto Revenge (1971), also known as The Bus Is Coming, as film director[11][9][12]
See also
edit- Living Between Two Worlds, 1963 film
References
edit- ^ a b Oliver, Myrna (August 20, 1994). "Wendell James Franklin, 78; Pioneering Hollywood Executive". Los Angeles Times.
- ^ Black Creation. Institute of Afro-American Affairs at New York University. 1971. p. 9.
- ^ Thomas, Bob (1973). Directors in Action: Selections from Action: The Official Magazine of the Directors Guild of America. Merrill. p. 205. ISBN 978-0-672-51714-3.
- ^ Young, A.S. (Doc) (August 5, 1971). "Franklin Pays Heavy Dues". Southwest News. p. 26 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Assistant Director Is 'First' In Flimdom". Pittsburgh Courier. January 30, 1965. p. 9 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b Schumach, Mary (January 31, 1963). "Negro Assistant Film Director Solves Problems of Protocol: Subject Helped Adjustment Parking Lot Attendant Previous Experience". New York Times. p. 4. ISSN 0362-4331. ProQuest 116554615.
- ^ a b "Notable Deaths: Wendell James Franklin". North County Times. 1994-08-21. p. 2. Retrieved 2023-06-09.
- ^ a b Jaynes, Gregory (1974-05-25). "Money Hampers Serious Black Filmmakers". The Atlanta Constitution. p. 68. Retrieved 2023-06-09 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b Walker, David; Rausch, Andrew J.; Watson, Chris (2009). Reflections on Blaxploitation: Actors and Directors Speak. Scarecrow Press. p. 199. ISBN 978-0-8108-6706-2.
- ^ "Black director sees end of racial stereotypes". The Atlanta Voice. 1971-12-04. p. 22. Retrieved 2023-06-09 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Heller-Nicholas, Alexandra (2021-04-12). Rape-Revenge Films: A Critical Study, 2d ed. McFarland. p. 63. ISBN 978-1-4766-8649-3.
- ^ Martin, Mick; Porter, Marsha (1994). Video Movie Guide 1995. Random House Publishing Group. p. 472. ISBN 978-0-345-39027-1.
External links
edit
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