Fred Newmeyer Movies

Having successful moved his top comedians Laurel & Hardy from short subjects to features, producer Hal Roach endeavored to do the same with the Our Gang Kids in 1936's General Spanky. Set in the South during the Civil War, the story focuses on Spanky (George "Spanky" McFarland), an orphaned shoeshine boy who works his way down the Mississippi by riverboat. After messing up the activities of crooked gambler Simmons (Irving Pichel), Spanky is forced to jump ship, along with his newfound buddy, fugitive slave child Buckwheat (Billy Thomas). The kids find shelter in the home of handsome Marshall Valiant (Phillips Holmes), who just before marching off to war instructs Spanky and Buckwheat to protect Marshall's sweetheart Louella Blanchard (Rosina Lawrence) in his absence. Taking his responsibilities seriously, Spanky forms a "home guard" consisting of Alfalfa (Carl Switzer), Porky (Eugene Lee) and several other local kids. In this capacity, they manage to fend off a clumsy Northern regiment commandeered by Spanky's old nemesis Simmons, thereby earning the lasting friendship of a kindly Yankee general (Ralph Morgan). The Civil War setting is not entirely appropriate to the antics of Our Gang, and as a result General Spanky is more peculiar than funny. The film's lukewarm box-office performance might have spelled the end of "Our Gang" had not Hal Roach's distributor, MGM, demanded that the series continue in short-subject form. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Spanky tries to escape his "command performance" at the Spring Street School's annual Arbor Day show, but local truant officer Smithers (George Guhl) is a little too fast for him. Meanwhile, a pair of wisecracking midgets (George and Olive Brasno) take an unauthorized day off from their performance schedule at a local sideshow. Disguised as children, the midgets are spotted by the indefatigable Smithers, who assumes that they're also trying to duck out of the Arbor Day festivities. Forceably dragged into the School, the midgets are told to sit down and keep quiet while the show proceeds. After an endearingly clumsy kiddie ensemble piece and Carl "Alfalfa" Switzer's ear-piercing rendition of "Trees, the midgets decide to get even with Smithers by putting on a show that no one will ever forget. In addition to the aforementioned adult cast members, the film is also graced by the presence of Maurice Cass as the pompous principal, future Oscar winner Hattie McDaniel as the mother of Billy "Buckwheat" Thomas, and Rosina Lawrence in her first appearance as the Gang's pretty schoolteacher Miss Lawrence. Originally released on May 2, 1936, "Arbor Day" was the last two-reel "Our Gang" comedy; thereafter, with the special exception of "Our Gang Follies of 1938," all of the series' releases would be one reel (approximately ten minutes) in length. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Although released after The Shadow of Silk Lennox, this ultra low-budget mystery thriller was the first film in which Creighton Chaney used the billing Lon Chaney, Jr. The actor was persuaded to change his name by producer Ray Kirkwood, who promised to make 24 action melodramas with him as the star. Only two were actually made, however, and Scream in the Night did not enjoy a wide release until 1943, when Chaney had become Universal's newest horror sensation. Detectives Jack Wilson (Chaney) and Wu Ting (Philip Ahn) are tracking the famous jewel thief Johnny Fly (Manuel Lopez) to Singapore, where Fly has stolen a priceless ruby belonging to lovely Edith Bentley (Sheila Terry). Wu Ting is murdered by one of Fly's underlings, the deformed Butch Curtain (also Chaney), and Edith gets herself kidnapped. Bearing some resemblance to the killer, Wilson manages to infiltrate the gang and free the girl. Kirkwood and director Fred Newmeyer obviously counted on Chaney, Jr. to deliver the goods as the deformed Butch Curtain, but Lon was not in a league with his legendary father no matter how hard he tried. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide

Ship's cooks Fuller and Gordon accidentally get involved in the Foreign Legion where their adventures lead them to rescue 2 maidens from an Arab's harem. ~ All Movie Guide

Showmen's Productions, a miniscule poverty-row firm, issued its one-and-only release The Big Race in 1934. Heading the cast is Boots Mallory, a lively blonde starlet who later retired to marry James Cagney's producer brother William Cagney. Most of the heavy dramatics are carried not by Mallory but by John Darrow and Phillips Smalley, father-and-son horse trainers who have a serious falling-out just before the big handicap race. Darrow and Smalley are reconciled when both discover that they've been betrayed by a third party. The Big Race really takes off in the action sequences, courtesy of onetime Harold Lloyd director Fred Newmeyer. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this mystery a sensual starlet suddenly dies. Though she was popular with the public, behind the scenes she had many enemies. The story opens on a movie set. Few mourned her passing, but because the circumstances were suspicious, several suspects are placed under surveillance. One of them is a secretary. Thanks to a telephone tip-off to the police, chief MacDonald, goes to the studio screening room to view the rushes of the opening scene. There he discovers the killer's identity. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

No one suffered more magnificently in the early-talkie era than the inimitable Helen Twelvetrees. In Grand Parade, the actress is cast as Molly, the sweetheart of minstrel-show performer Jack Kelly (Fred Scott). Rising to the top of his profession, Kelly plummets to the bottom thanks to his fondness for intoxicating beverages. Molly nurses and coddles Kelly back to health, giving nary a thought for her own comfort or happiness. Our hero finally makes a spectacular comeback -- but will he cast off Molly in favor of seductive burlesque queen Polly (Marie Astaire)? In the typical fashion of early talkies, The Grand Parade contains way too many musical numbers, though the title tune is rather pleasant. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this musical comedy, two partners in the garter business fight for control and decide to play a round of poker to settle their differences. The winner will get to run the company for a year while the loser will serve as his butler. Meanwhile a pretty girl falls in love with one of their sons. Songs include: "Everything Will Happen for the Best" (B.G. DeSylva, Lewis E. Gensler), "Brother, Just Laugh It Off" (Arthur Schwartz, Ralph Rainger), "It Seems to Me", "I'm Afraid of You" (Dick Howard, Rainger), "I Love the Girls in My Own Peculiar Way" (E.Y. Harburg, Henry Souvain). ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

In this mysterious comedy, two free-spirited sailors and their parrot find themselves involved in a series of mishaps. The trouble begins when they begin helping a young woman find her brother. To help her, they must first dodge their cruel boatswain who is out to get them. The boys look and look, but cannot find the brother; they therefore conclude that she was lying. Then they discover that the brother has been right under their noses all along. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Directed by Fred C. Newmeyer, Warming Up is an early baseball film starring Richard Dix and Jean Arthur. After pitcher Bert Tolliver (Dix) is heckled by the members of a major-league team he's trying out for, he comes to believe that one of the players has hexed him. Luckily, a pretty girl named Mary (Arthur), who happens to be the daughter of the man who owns the Green Sox, discovers Bert at the local park, where he's amazing concession stand customers with his pitching accuracy. When it's time for the Green Sox to play the last game of the series, the team manager is forced by unforseen circumstances to let Bert pitch. As he faces the batter, Mary signals her love for him, in doing so giving Bert the inspiration he needed to end the jinx. Warming Up also features Claude King, Philo McCullough, and Billy Kent. ~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide

One of several "lost" W.C. Fields silent comedies, The Potters was based on a play by J.P. McEvoy. Pa Potter (Fields) puts his family's financial well-being in dire jeopardy when he invests $4000 in some oil stock. The stock turns out to be worthless, whereupon Ma Potter (Mary Alden) takes great delight in ringing variations on the them "I told you so." On the verge of losing everything they own, the Potters are saved when a new supply of oil is found in the previously dried-up wells. The best scene -- at least according to critics of the period -- was when Pa Potter literally performed handsprings in his living room upon discovering he'd struck it rich. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide