Fred figured out the secret to success as a black man in Hollywood. He wrote, starred in and produced his own movies rather than wait for Hollywood to cast or bankroll him. He had a method of casting named actors to play opposite him, shoot on a tight schedule and release both domestic and foreign. I worked on several with him as his 2nd. set of director's eyes. "Mr. Mean" and "The Last Fight" being two of them. He did it his way, and by the looks of things, still does.