Fred C. Newmeyer

Fred C. Newmeyer
Portrait in The Moving Picture World, February 1927
Born(1888-08-09)August 9, 1888
Central City, Colorado, U.S.
DiedApril 24, 1967(1967-04-24) (aged 78)
Woodland Hills, California, U.S.
OccupationsActor, film director, film producer

Fred C. Newmeyer[a] (August 9, 1888 – April 24, 1967) was an American actor, film director and film producer.

Biography

Newmeyer (at right) with Harold Lloyd in the 1919 short film Captain Kidd's Kids

A native of Central City, Colorado, Newmeyer is best known for directing a handful of films in the Our Gang series and for directing several Harold Lloyd movies, eight of them being features. With Sam Taylor, Newmeyer co-directed Lloyd in films including Safety Last! (1923), Girl Shy (1924), and The Freshman (1925). Newmeyer also had an extensive directing and acting resume in other comedy short films. He appeared as an actor in 71 films between 1914 and 1923.

Prior to his film career, Newmeyer played professional baseball.[3][4][5] Partial statistics exist for his time as a left-handed pitcher in Minor League Baseball at the Class D level from 1911 to 1913 in the Southwest Texas League, Michigan State League, and Central Association.[6] He made at least 66 appearances and was the winning pitcher of at least 26 games.[6]

Newmeyer was the original director of the first short in the Our Gang series, also titled Our Gang; his version tested poorly, and producer Hal Roach scrapped most of the footage and remade the short with Robert McGowan as the director. Newmeyer, after directing numerous other shorts at Roach, returned to the Our Gang series in 1936 to direct The Pinch Singer, Arbor Day, Mail and Female and the feature film General Spanky.

Newmeyer and his wife, Berna, had a son, Fred W.[7] After his film career, Newmeyer worked with the athletic department of University High School in Los Angeles.[8] Newmeyer died on April 24, 1967, in Woodland Hills, California,[9] at the age of 78.

Selected filmography

Year Title
1916 (all as actor)
  • Luke's Shattered Sleep
  • Luke Locates the Loot
  • Luke's Fireworks Fizzle
  • Luke, Rank Impersonator
  • Luke's Movie Muddle
  • Luke's Newsie Knockout
  • Luke, Patient Provider
  • Luke, the Gladiator
  • Luke's Preparedness Preparations
  • Luke, the Chauffeur
  • Luke and the Bang-Tails
  • Luke's Speedy Club Life
  • Luke and the Mermaids
  • Luke Joins the Navy
  • Luke Does the Midway
  • Luke's Lost Lamb
  • Luke, Crystal Gazer
  • Luke Rides Roughshod
  • Luke's Society Mixup
  • Luke's Late Lunchers
  • Luke, the Candy Cut-Up
Year Title
1917
  • The Big Idea
  • Step Lively
  • Bashful
  • Move On
  • We Never Sleep
  • All Aboard
  • Clubs Are Trump
  • Love, Laughs and Lather
  • Rainbow Island
  • From Laramie to London
  • Birds of a Feather
  • By the Sad Sea Waves
  • Pinched
  • Lonesome Luke Loses Patients
  • Over the Fence
  • Lonesome Luke's Wild Women
  • Lonesome Luke, Messenger
  • Lonesome Luke on Tin Can Alley
Year Title
1918
  • Two-Gun Gussie
  • It's a Wild Life
  • Pipe the Whiskers
  • The Tip
Year Title
1919
  • From Hand to Mouth
  • Captain Kidd's Kids
  • Bumping Into Broadway
  • His Only Father
  • Pay Your Dues
  • Count the Votes
  • Soft Money
  • He Leads, Others Follow
  • The Rajah
  • Be My Wife
  • Don't Shove
  • Heap Big Chief
  • Chop Suey & Co.
  • Count Your Change
  • Spring Fever
  • Off the Trolley
  • Swat the Crook
  • Pistols for Breakfast
  • The Marathon
  • Si, Senor
  • Ring Up the Curtain
  • Crack Your Heels
  • Young Mr. Jazz
  • A Sammy in Siberia
  • On the Fire
Year Title
1920
  • Number, Please?
Year Title
1921
  • A Sailor-Made Man
Year Title
1922
  • Doctor Jack
Year Title
1923
  • Safety Last!
  • Why Worry?
Year Title
1924
  • Girl Shy
Year Title
1925
  • The Perfect Clown
  • The Freshman
Year Title
1927
  • On Your Toes
Year Title
1928
Year Title
1929
  • It Can Be Done
Year Title
1930
  • Queen High
  • The Grand Parade
Year Title
1931
  • Subway Express
Year Title
1932
  • The Gambling Sex
  • The Fighting Gentleman
Year Title
1933
  • Easy Millions
Year Title
1934
  • No Ransom
Year Title
1935
  • Secrets of Chinatown
Year Title
1936
  • The Pinch Singer
  • Arbor Day
Year Title
1937
  • Mail and Female

Notes

  1. ^ Newmeyer's draft registration card of June 1917, which he signed, lists his name as "Fred R. Newmeyer".[1] He also is listed with a middle initial of "R" in the 1930 United States census.[2]

References

  1. ^ "Draft Registration Card". Selective Service System. June 1917. Retrieved October 24, 2021 – via fold3.com.
  2. ^ "Sheet 17A Census - US Federal 1930". United States Census Bureau. April 1930. Retrieved October 24, 2021 – via fold3.com.
  3. ^ "Biography: Fred C. Newmeyer". IMDb. Retrieved October 24, 2021. Fred C. Newmeyer was a professional baseball player from 1909-13 before beginning his career as an extra at Universal Pictures.
  4. ^ "Bunnies Have to Pay Income Tax". Quad-City Times. Davenport, Iowa. March 9, 1914. p. 8. Retrieved October 24, 2021 – via newspapers.com. Fred Newmeyer, who pitched for Muscatine last season ... will continue in the motion picture business, which he started this winter.
  5. ^ Kendall, Speed (May 12, 1929). "From Pitching to Movies". Los Angeles Times. p. III-1. Retrieved October 24, 2021 – via newspapers.com.
  6. ^ a b "Fred Newmeyer Minor Leagues Statistics & History". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved October 24, 2021.
  7. ^ Shane, Ken (February 13, 1958). "Towel Clerk Works Way Into Hearts of Unihi Students". Independent. Los Angeles, California. p. 1. Retrieved October 25, 2021 – via newspapers.com.
  8. ^ Shane, Ken (February 13, 1958). "Towel (cont'd)". Independent. Los Angeles, California. p. 4. Retrieved October 25, 2021 – via newspapers.com.
  9. ^ "Obituary: Fred Newmeyer". Evening Vanguard. Venice, California. April 26, 1967. p. 2. Retrieved October 24, 2021 – via newspapers.com.
  • Media related to Fred C. Newmeyer at Wikimedia Commons
  • Wikisource logo Works by or about Fred C. Newmeyer at Wikisource
  • Fred C. Newmeyer at IMDb
  • Career statistics from Baseball Reference (Minors)
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