Scriptwriter Paul Monash, the son of silent film actress Rhoda Melrose,
was born in New York on June 14, 1917. Although he was more interested
in writing the Great American Novel, he wrote scripts for the early
days of television, including the pilot for 'The Untouchables', which
he also produced, and the hit soap
Peyton Place (1964), which starred Ryan O'Neal
and Mia Farrow.
He later graduated to films and scripts for classics such as
Carrie (1976)
and
Slaughterhouse-Five (1972). In addition, he scripted the television movie
All Quiet on the Western Front (1979),
which won a Golden Globe Award for the best television film of 1980.
In 2000, the Writers' Guild of America gave him a lifetime achievement
award. Accepting the award, he lamented: "I have not written the Great
American Novel. It is in its first draft." He died in Los Angeles
January 14, 2003, aged 85.