Wendell James Franklin
BornNovember 13, 1916
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
DiedJuly 22, 1994
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Occupation(s)Film director, television director, assistant film director, producer, stage manager

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]

Career

In 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

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Oliver, Myrna (August 20, 1994). "Wendell James Franklin, 78; Pioneering Hollywood Executive". Los Angeles Times.
  2. ↑ Black Creation. Institute of Afro-American Affairs at New York University. 1971. p. 9.
  3. ↑ 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.
  4. ↑ Young, A.S. (Doc) (August 5, 1971). "Franklin Pays Heavy Dues". Southwest News. p. 26 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ↑ "Assistant Director Is 'First' In Flimdom". Pittsburgh Courier. January 30, 1965. p. 9 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. 1 2 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.
  7. 1 2 "Notable Deaths: Wendell James Franklin". North County Times. 1994-08-21. p. 2. Retrieved 2023-06-09.
  8. 1 2 Jaynes, Gregory (1974-05-25). "Money Hampers Serious Black Filmmakers". The Atlanta Constitution. p. 68. Retrieved 2023-06-09 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. 1 2 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.
  10. ↑ "Black director sees end of racial stereotypes". The Atlanta Voice. 1971-12-04. p. 22. Retrieved 2023-06-09 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ↑ Heller-Nicholas, Alexandra (2021-04-12). Rape-Revenge Films: A Critical Study, 2d ed. McFarland. p. 63. ISBN 978-1-4766-8649-3.
  12. ↑ Martin, Mick; Porter, Marsha (1994). Video Movie Guide 1995. Random House Publishing Group. p. 472. ISBN 978-0-345-39027-1.


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