Coleman Chambers Francis (January 24, 1919 – January 15, 1973) was an American actor, writer, producer and director. He was best known for his film trilogy consisting of '' The Beast of Yucca Flats'' (1961), '' The Skydivers'' (1963) and '' Red Zone Cuba'' (1966), all three of which were filmed in the general vicinity of

Santa Clarita, California Santa Clarita (; Spanish for "Little St. Clare") is a city in northwestern Los Angeles County, California, United States. With a 2020 census population of 228,673, it is the third-most populous city in Los Angeles County, the 17th-most popul ...

Early life

Francis was born in

Greer County, Oklahoma Greer County is a county located along the southwest border of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of the 2020 census, the population was 5,491. Its county seat is Mangum. From 1860 to 1896, the state of Texas claimed an area known as Greer Cou ...

in 1919. He was the son of William F. Francis and Scytha Estes. During the

Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...

, he moved to

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

Career

In 1940, Francis headed for

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood ...

to start an acting career. His plans were initially interrupted by the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, during which he served in the medical detachment of the 49th Field Artillery Battalion, 7th Infantry Division. He played minor parts in several films from the late 1940s to early 1970s, often without credit, including '' Blondie's Reward'' (1948), '' Scarlet Angel'' (1952), '' The Girl in White'' (1952), '' She Couldn't Say No'' (1954), '' This Island Earth'' (1955), '' Twilight for the Gods'' (1958), ''

Motorpsycho Motorpsycho may refer to: * Motorpsycho (band) Motorpsycho is a Norwegian rock band from Trondheim. Their music can generally be defined as progressive or psychedelic rock, but they also mix in elements from alternative, jazz, post-rock, po ...

'' (1965) and '' P.J.'' (1968). 1958 brought his first credited role, '' Stakeout on Dope Street'', where he played a detective. During March 1958, Francis portrayed Matthew Harrison Brady opposite

Sidney Blackmer Sidney Alderman Blackmer (July 13, 1895 – October 6, 1973) was an American Broadway theatre, Broadway and film actor active between 1914 and 1971, usually in major supporting roles. Biography Blackmer was born and raised in Salisbury, ...

as Henry Drummond in '' Inherit the Wind'' at the Sombrero Playhouse in

Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Arizona#List of cities and towns, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona. With over 1.6 million residents at the 2020 census, it is the ...

. In 1959, Francis formed a partnership with Anthony "Tony" Cardoza, a welder by trade, and together they created three films: '' The Beast of Yucca Flats'' (1961), '' The Skydivers'' (1963) and ''Night Train to Mundo Fine'', aka '' Red Zone Cuba'' (1966). Francis wrote and directed the films, while Cardoza handled production duties. Toward the end of his life, Francis had a small role in

Ray Dennis Steckler Raymond Dennis Steckler (January 25, 1938 – January 7, 2009), also known by the pseudonym Cash Flagg, was an American film director, Film producer, producer, screenwriter and actor best known as the low-budget auteur of such cult films as ''Th ...

's 1969 movie '' Body Fever''. His last work in the film industry was in 1970, when he played a drunk in

Russ Meyer Russell Albion Meyer (March 21, 1922 – September 18, 2004) was an American filmmaker. He was primarily known for writing and directing a successful series of sexploitation films featuring campy humor, sly satire and large-breasted women, wh ...

's ''

Beyond the Valley of the Dolls ''Beyond the Valley of the Dolls'' is a 1970 American satire (film and television), satirical Musical film, musical melodrama film starring Dolly Martin, Dolly Read, Cynthia Myers, Marcia McBroom, Phyllis Davis, John LaZar, Michael Blodgett, Er ...

''.

Personal life

Francis married Barbara Francis, and while the two had divorced prior to the filming of ''The Beast of Yucca Flats'', she was cast as Lois Radcliffe in ''Beast'' and appeared as the wife of a spectator (played by Coleman) in its follow-up, ''The Skydivers''. They had two sons, Alan and Ronald, who appeared as Art and Randy Radcliffe in ''The Beast of Yucca Flats'' and the spectator's sons in ''The Skydivers''.

Death

Francis died in

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

on January 15, 1973, at the age of 53. Though

arteriosclerosis Arteriosclerosis, literally meaning "hardening of the arteries", is an umbrella term for a vascular disorder characterized by abnormal thickening, hardening, and loss of elasticity of the walls of arteries; this process gradually restricts th ...

is listed as the official cause of death, Cardoza says Francis' body was found in the back of a

station wagon A station wagon (American English, US, also wagon) or estate car (British English, UK, also estate) is an automotive Car body style, body-style variant of a Sedan (automobile), sedan with its roof extended rearward over a shared passenger/cargo ...

at the Vine Street Ranch Market with "a plastic bag over his head and a tube going into his mouth or around his throat". Francis is interred at the Columbarium of Remembrance in the

Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery Pierce Brothers Westwood Village Memorial Park and Mortuary is a cemetery and Morgue, mortuary located in the Westwood, Los Angeles, Westwood area of Los Angeles. It includes a crematory for cremation services. Its location is at 1218 Glendon Av ...

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

Legacy

After fading into obscurity for decades, Francis' three directed films gained cult status after being featured on the TV show ''

Mystery Science Theater 3000 ''Mystery Science Theater 3000'' (abbreviated as ''MST3K'') is an American science fiction comedy television series created by Joel Hodgson. The show premiered on WUCW, KTMA-TV (now WUCW) in Saint Paul, Minnesota, on November 24, 1988. It then ...

'' in the mid-1990s, where they became infamous for their poor production values, repetitive plot devices, meandering and incomprehensible storylines, and stilted acting. Jim Vorel of '' Paste'' magazine characterized Francis as being the worst director of all-time, even suggesting that he may surpass

Ed Wood Edward Davis Wood Jr. (October 10, 1924 – December 10, 1978) was an American filmmaker, actor, and pulp novelist. In the 1950s, Wood directed several B movie, low-budget science fiction, crime and horror films that later became cult c ...

in terms of ineptitude. Hallmarks of Francis' films include preoccupation with light aircraft and parachuting, coffee or cigarettes serving as props or centers of conversation and vigilante-style gunning down of suspects without trial at the films' conclusions.

Filmography

Actor (films)

* '' Blondie's Reward'' (uncredited, 1948) * '' The Girl in White'' (1952) * '' Scarlet Angel'' (uncredited, 1952) * '' Killers from Space'' (uncredited, 1954) * '' She Couldn't Say No'' (uncredited, 1954) * '' This Island Earth'' (uncredited, 1955) * '' The Phantom Stagecoach'' (uncredited, 1957) * '' Stakeout on Dope Street'' (1958) * '' Twilight for the Gods'' (uncredited, 1958) * '' T-Bird Gang'' (1959) * '' The Jailbreakers'' (1960) * ''Spring Affair'' (1960) * '' Cimarron'' (uncredited, 1960) * '' The Beast of Yucca Flats'' (uncredited, 1961) * '' The Skydivers'' (uncredited, 1963) * '' The Thrill Killers'' (uncredited, 1964) * ''

Lemon Grove Kids Meet the Monsters ''Lemon Grove Kids Meet the Monsters'' is a trilogy of short films released during 1965. The films are homages to the The Bowery Boys, Bowery Boys film series which lasted from the mid-1940s to the late 1950s. Each film of the trilogy features ...

'' (1965) * ''

'' (1965) * '' Red Zone Cuba'' (1966) * ''The Last American Hobo'' (1967) * '' P.J.'' (uncredited, 1968) * '' Body Fever'' (1969) * ''The Dirtiest Game'' (1970) * ''

'' (1970)

Actor (television)

* ''

Sergeant Preston of the Yukon ''Challenge of the Yukon'' is an American radio adventure series that began on Detroit, Michigan, Detroit's WXYT (AM), WXYZ and is an example of a Northern (genre), Northern genre story. The series was first heard on January 3, 1939. The title ...

'' (4 episodes, 1955–1957) * ''

Highway Patrol A highway patrol is a police unit, detail, or law enforcement agency created primarily for the purpose of overseeing and enforcing traffic safety compliance on roads and highways within a jurisdiction. They are also referred to in many countri ...

'' (1 episode, 1959) * '' Dragnet'' (3 episodes, 1957–1959) * '' M Squad'' (1 episode, 1960) * ''

Tales of Wells Fargo ''Tales of Wells Fargo'' is an American Westerns on television, Western television series starring Dale Robertson in 201 episodes that aired from 1957 to 1962 on NBC. Produced by Revue Productions, the series aired in a half-hour format until i ...

'' (1 episode, 1961)

Director

* ''The Beast of Yucca Flats'' (1961) * ''The Skydivers'' (1963) * ''Red Zone Cuba'' (1966)

References

External links

*
Interview with Anthony Cardoza
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Francis, Coleman 1919 births 1973 deaths American male film actors American male television actors Burials at Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery 20th-century American male actors Film directors from California Film directors from Oklahoma People from Greer County, Oklahoma