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Fred C. Newmeyer (August 9 1888 - April 24 1967) was an American actor and film director. A native of Central City, Colorado, he is best known for directing a handful of films in the Our Gang series, but also had an extensive directing and acting resume in other comedy short films away from that series. 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... MORE

Fred C. Newmeyer (August 9 1888 - April 24 1967) was an American actor and film director. A native of Central City, Colorado, he is best known for directing a handful of films in the Our Gang series, but also had an extensive directing and acting resume in other comedy short films away from that series. 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, would return to the Our Gang series in 1936 to direct The Pinch Singer, Arbor Day, Male and Female and the feature film General Spanky. He co-directed (together with Sam Taylor) Harold Lloyd's famous silent "Safety Last!". He died on April 24 1967 in Woodland Hills, California, at the age of 86. LESS