Wendell James Franklin on AllMovie

Wendell James Franklin holds the distinction of being the first African-American to gain membership into the Directors Guild of America. He launched his career as a stage director on such 1950s live television shows as The Jerry Lewis Show and Queen for a Day. As a director he helmed episodes of The Green Hornet, Bill Cosby (the 1969 edition), and McMillan and Wife. In feature films, Franklin worked as an assistant director on such films as The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965) and Funny Girl (1968). Franklin directed one feature film by himself, The Bus Is Coming (1971).