View source for Fred C. Newmeyer

{{short description|American actor (1888–1967)}}
{{Distinguish|Frederick Newmeyer}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2024}}
{{Infobox person
|name           = Fred C. Newmeyer
|image          = Fred C. Newmeyer (1888–1967).png
|caption        = Portrait in ''[[The Moving Picture World]]'', {{Nowrap|February 1927}}
|birth_date     = {{Birth date|1888|8|9|mf=y}}
|birth_place    = [[Central City, Colorado]], U.S. 
|death_date     = {{Death date and age|mf=yes|1967|4|24|1888|8|9}}
|death_place    = [[Woodland Hills, California]], U.S.
|occupation     = [[Actor]], [[film director]], [[film producer]]
|birthname      = 
}}

'''Fred C. Newmeyer'''{{efn|Newmeyer's draft registration card of June 1917, which he signed, lists his name as "Fred R. Newmeyer".<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.fold3.com/image/557901799 |title=Draft Registration Card |date=June 1917 |publisher=[[Selective Service System]] |accessdate=October 24, 2021 |via=fold3.com |url-access=subscription}}</ref> He also is listed with a middle initial of "R" in the [[1930 United States census]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.fold3.com/image/166697827?rec=166698187&terms=r,fred,newmeyer |title=Sheet 17A Census - US Federal 1930 |date=April 1930 |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |accessdate=October 24, 2021 |via=fold3.com |url-access=subscription}}</ref>}} (August 9, 1888 – April 24, 1967) was an American [[actor]], [[film director]] and [[film producer]].

==Biography==
[[File:Captain_Kidd's_Kids_(Harold_Lloyd_and_Fred_Newmeyer).png|thumb|right|200px|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 (director)|Sam Taylor]], Newmeyer co-directed Lloyd in films including ''[[Safety Last!]]'' (1923), ''[[Girl Shy]]'' (1924), and ''[[The Freshman (1925 film)|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 in film|1914]] and [[1923 in film|1923]].

Prior to his film career, Newmeyer played [[professional baseball]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0628345/bio?ref_=nm_ov_bio_sm |title=Biography: Fred C. Newmeyer |website=[[IMDb]] |accessdate=October 24, 2021 |quote=Fred C. Newmeyer was a professional baseball player from 1909-13 before beginning his career as an extra at Universal Pictures.}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/87709047/bunnies-have-to-pay-income-tax/ |title=Bunnies Have to Pay Income Tax |newspaper=[[Quad-City Times]] |location=[[Davenport, Iowa]] |page=8 |date=March 9, 1914 |accessdate=October 24, 2021 |via=newspapers.com |quote=Fred Newmeyer, who pitched for Muscatine last season ... will continue in the motion picture business, which he started this winter.}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/87711170/from-pitching-to-movies/ |title=From Pitching to Movies |first=Speed |last=Kendall |newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]] |page=III-1 |date=May 12, 1929 |accessdate=October 24, 2021 |via=newspapers.com}}</ref> Partial statistics exist for his time as a left-handed [[pitcher]] in [[Minor League Baseball]] at the [[Class D (baseball)|Class D]] level from 1911 to 1913 in the [[Southwest Texas League]], [[Michigan State League]], and [[Central Association]].<ref name=brm/> He made at least 66 appearances and was the [[winning pitcher]] of at least 26 games.<ref name=brm>{{cite web |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=newmey001fre |title=Fred Newmeyer Minor Leagues Statistics & History |website=[[Baseball-Reference.com]] |accessdate=October 24, 2021}}</ref>

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 F. McGowan|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 (film)|Arbor Day]]'', ''[[Mail and Female]]'' and the [[feature film]] ''[[General Spanky]]''.

Newmeyer and his wife, Berna, had a son, Fred W.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/87711877/towel-clerk-works-way-into-hearts-of-uni/ |title=Towel Clerk Works Way Into Hearts of Unihi Students |first=Ken |last=Shane |newspaper=Independent |location=[[Los Angeles, California]] |page=1 |date=February 13, 1958 |accessdate=October 25, 2021 |via=newspapers.com}}</ref> After his film career, Newmeyer worked with the athletic department of [[University High School (Los Angeles)|University High School]] in Los Angeles.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/87712139/towel-contd/ |title=Towel (cont'd) |first=Ken |last=Shane |newspaper=Independent |location=[[Los Angeles, California]] |page=4 |date=February 13, 1958 |accessdate=October 25, 2021 |via=newspapers.com}}</ref> Newmeyer died on April 24, 1967, in [[Woodland Hills, California]],<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/87708638/obituary-fred-newmeyer/ |title=Obituary: Fred Newmeyer |newspaper=Evening Vanguard |location=[[Venice, Los Angeles|Venice, California]] |page=2 |date=April 26, 1967 |accessdate=October 24, 2021 |via=newspapers.com}}</ref> at the age of 78.
{{Clear right}}

==Selected filmography==
{{div col|colwidth=22em}}
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! 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]]'' 
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! Title
|-
| 1917
| 
* ''[[The Big Idea (1917 film)|The Big Idea]]'' 
* ''[[Step Lively (1917 film)|Step Lively]]'' 
* ''[[Bashful (film)|Bashful]]'' 
* ''[[Move On (1917 film)|Move On]]'' 
* ''[[We Never Sleep (film)|We Never Sleep]]'' 
* ''[[All Aboard (1917 film)|All Aboard]]'' 
* ''[[Clubs Are Trump]]'' 
* ''[[Love, Laughs and Lather]]'' 
* ''[[Rainbow Island (1917 film)|Rainbow Island]]'' 
* ''[[From Laramie to London]]'' 
* ''[[Birds of a Feather (1917 film)|Birds of a Feather]]'' 
* ''[[By the Sad Sea Waves]]'' 
* ''[[Pinched]]'' 
* ''[[Lonesome Luke Loses Patients]]'' 
* ''[[Over the Fence (1917 film)|Over the Fence]]'' 
* ''[[Lonesome Luke's Wild Women]]'' 
* ''[[Lonesome Luke, Messenger]]'' 
* ''[[Lonesome Luke on Tin Can Alley]]'' 
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! Title
|-
| 1918
| 
* ''[[Two-Gun Gussie]]'' 
* ''[[It's a Wild Life]]'' 
* ''[[Pipe the Whiskers]]'' 
* ''[[The Tip (film)|The Tip]]'' 
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! 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 (film)|Soft Money]]'' 
* ''[[He Leads, Others Follow]]'' 
* ''[[The Rajah (1919 film)|The Rajah]]'' 
* ''[[Be My Wife (1919 film)|Be My Wife]]'' 
* ''[[Don't Shove]]'' 
* ''[[Heap Big Chief]]'' 
* ''[[Chop Suey & Co.]]'' 
* ''[[Count Your Change]]'' 
* ''[[Spring Fever (1919 film)|Spring Fever]]'' 
* ''[[Off the Trolley]]'' 
* ''[[Swat the Crook]]'' 
* ''[[Pistols for Breakfast]]'' 
* ''[[The Marathon (film)|The Marathon]]'' 
* ''[[Si, Senor]]'' 
* ''[[Ring Up the Curtain]]'' 
* ''[[Crack Your Heels]]'' 
* ''[[Young Mr. Jazz]]'' 
* ''[[A Sammy in Siberia]]'' 
* ''[[On the Fire]]'' 
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! Title
|-
| 1920
| 
* ''[[Number, Please? (1920 film)|Number, Please?]]'' 
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! Title
|-
| 1921
|
*''[[A Sailor-Made Man]]''
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! Title
|-
| 1922
| 
* ''[[Doctor Jack]]'' 
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! Title
|-
| 1923
| 
* ''[[Safety Last!]]'' 
* ''[[Why Worry?]]'' 
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! Title
|-
| 1924
| 
* ''[[Girl Shy]]'' 
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! Title
|-
| 1925
| 
* ''[[The Perfect Clown]]'' 
* ''[[The Freshman (1925 film)|The Freshman]]'' 
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! Title
|-
| 1927
| 
* ''[[On Your Toes (1927 film)|On Your Toes]]'' 
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! Title
|-
| 1928
| 
* ''[[Warming Up (1928 film)|Warming Up]]'' 
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! Title
|-
| 1929
| 
* ''[[It Can Be Done (1929 film)|It Can Be Done]]'' 
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! Title
|-
| 1930
| 
* ''[[Queen High]]'' 
* ''[[The Grand Parade]]'' 
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! Title
|-
| 1931
| 
* ''[[Subway Express]]'' 
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! Title
|-
| 1932
| 
* ''[[The Gambling Sex]]'' 
* ''[[The Fighting Gentleman]]'' 
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! Title
|-
| 1933
| 
* ''[[Easy Millions]]'' 
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! Title
|-
| 1934
| 
* ''[[No Ransom]]'' 
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! Title
|-
| 1935
| 
* ''[[Secrets of Chinatown]]'' 
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! Title
|-
| 1936
| 
* ''[[The Pinch Singer]]'' 
* ''[[Arbor Day (film)|Arbor Day]]'' 
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! Title
|-
| 1937
| 
* ''[[Mail and Female]]'' 
|}
{{div col end}}

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

==External links==
*{{Commons category-inline|Fred C. Newmeyer}}
*{{wikisource author-inline}}
*{{IMDb name|id=0628345|name=Fred C. Newmeyer}}
*{{baseballstats |brm=newmey001fre}}

{{Fred C. Newmeyer}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Newmeyer, Fred R.}}
[[Category:1888 births]]
[[Category:1967 deaths]]
[[Category:People from Central City, Colorado]]
[[Category:American male film actors]]
[[Category:Hal Roach Studios filmmakers]]
[[Category:20th-century American male actors]]
[[Category:American comedy film directors]]
[[Category:Film directors from Colorado]]
[[Category:Baseball players from Colorado]]
[[Category:Baseball pitchers]]
[[Category:Corpus Christi Pelicans players]]
[[Category:Bay City Rice Eaters players]]
[[Category:Ludington Mariners players]]
[[Category:Muscatine Wallopers players]]
[[Category:20th-century American sportsmen]]