Fred C. Newmeyer(1888-1967)

Fred C. Newmeyer was a professional baseball player from 1909-13 before beginning his career as an extra at Universal Pictures. He worked his way up the ladder to become a prop man, then assistant director and, finally, director. Notable among his films are Seven Keys to Baldpate (1925) with Douglas MacLean and Papa spécule (1927), starring W.C. Fields. His interest in baseball never waned and sometimes surfaced as a theme in his films, particularly with Pan dans le mille (1928), a vehicle for Jean Arthur and Richard Dix.

Newmeyer specialized almost exclusively in comedy, first as an actor and then as a very capable director. He turned out several entries in the "Our Gang" series, as well as numerous other shorts for Hal Roach. He actually helmed the very first "Our Gang" effort, but it was deemed unsatisfactory and the piece was eventually remade by Robert F. McGowan. However, Newmeyer later worked on some of Harold Lloyd's best films, either as solo director (Le talisman de Grand-mère (1922), Et puis ça va (1922)) or in collaboration with Sam Taylor (Vive le sport! (1925), Monte là-dessus! (1923)).

With the advent of sound Newmeyer, ill-advisedly, forsook daredevil comedy for more serious subjects. Subway Express (1931), a "thriller" he made for Columbia, was plain dull, and General Spanky (1936) (starring ex-"Our Gang" star George 'Spanky' McFarland) was mushy melodrama at its worst. After that, Newmeyer's directing career quietly petered out.