Despite his ultimately unfulfilled desire to pen the "great American novel," Emmy-winning screenwriter/producer Paul Monash nevertheless offered movie lovers a wealth of entertainment through his work on such classic films as Touch of Evil (1958) and such popular made-for-television movies as Salem's Lot (1979) and V (1984). Monash was born the son of silent film starlet Rhoda Melrose in New York City, in June 1917, and spent most of his childhood in the Bronx. After receiving his bachelor's from the University of Wisconsin and his master's from Columbia University, Monash spent his early post-college years traveling, studying art in Paris, and harboring life experience in hopes that he would pen his dream novel by age 21. Filtering his experiences into his writings, the eager young scribe found the gates of Hollywood, and the uncharted realms of television in particular, opening for him after writing a screenplay for Foreign Intrigue. Monash would subsequently flourish as a renowned writer for such television drama series as Playhouse 90, Kraft Theater, and Studio One. Working double time as writer and producer for Peyton Place and Judd for the Defense, Monash began to expand his role in television and eventually into film, where he would produce such classics as Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969), Slaughterhouse Five (1972), and Carrie (1976). The writer/producer would be recognized for his efforts when awarded an Emmy for The Lonely Wizard and a Golden Globe for All Quiet on the Western Front. In early 2003, about a month after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, Paul Monash died on Los Angeles, CA. He was 85.
by Jason Buchanan
biography
