Famed Directors of Schlock: Coleman Francis

Virtually unknown to those outside the world of bad film aficionados, Coleman Francis is one of the most inept directors ever to get put in charge of directing a film. Amazingly, he directed three of them- a trilogy of error. In The Beast of Yucca Flats, he forgot to turn on the microphone, which necessitated the use of an overbearing narrator. Red Zone Cuba was needlessly sleazy and incomprehensible. The Skydivers was simply a mess.

 

Coleman sleazing it up in Red Zone Cuba

The best known (relatively speaking) of his films is The Skydivers. A lifeless bore of a film that was obviously financed by its talentless extras who must have "invested" good money for a role in this film, The Skydivers is full of lifeless skydiving scenes and features a sleazy script. There are affairs, loose woman, giantesses and lots and lots of coffee. Its endless flaws aside, it is a veritable Citizen Kane compared to his other two films.

 

Every leap brings us closer to the lord!

Coleman later became an alcoholic, allegedly down on his luck when fellow director Russ Meyer hired him to play a drunk in Beyond the Valley of the Dolls. He passed away just a few years after that.