Paul Monash (June 14, 1917 – January 14, 2003) was an American television and film producer and screenwriter.

Life and career

Paul Monash was born in

Harlem Harlem is a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is bounded roughly by the Hudson River on the west; the Harlem River and 155th Street (Manhattan), 155th Street on the north; Fifth Avenue on the east; and 110th Street (Manhattan), ...

, New York, in 1917, and grew up in

The Bronx The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New Y ...

. His mother, Rhoda Melrose, acted in silent films. Monash earned a bachelor's degree in journalism from the

University of Wisconsin–Madison A university () is an educational institution, institution of higher education, higher (or Tertiary education, tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. Universities ty ...

and a master's degree in education from

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

. An aspiring novelist, he rode the rails across the United States, served in the merchant marine, lived as an expatriate in Paris and studied art.North, Gary
Paul Monash: Writer, producer
''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'', January 15, 2003 Monash won early acclaim for his writing for television, including his work on the pioneer anthology series '' Studio One'', ''

Suspense Suspense is a state of mental uncertainty, anxiety, being undecided, or being doubtful. In a dramatic work, suspense is the anticipation of the outcome of a plot or of the solution to an uncertainty, puzzle, or mystery, particularly as it aff ...

'' and ''

Playhouse 90 ''Playhouse 90'' was an American television anthology series, anthology drama series that aired on CBS from 1956 to 1960 for a total of 133 episodes. The show was produced at CBS Television City in Los Angeles, California. Since live anthology dr ...

''. He received an

Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...

for "The Lonely Wizard," a 1957 episode of ''

Schlitz Playhouse of Stars ''Schlitz Playhouse of Stars'' is an anthology series that was telecast from 1951 until 1959 on CBS. Offering both comedies and drama, the series was sponsored by the Joseph Schlitz Brewing Company. The title was shortened to ''Schlitz Playhouse ...

'' that starred

Rod Steiger Rodney Stephen Steiger (; April 14, 1925July 9, 2002, aged 77) was an American actor, noted for his portrayal of offbeat, often volatile and crazed characters. Cited as "one of Hollywood's most charismatic and dynamic stars," he is closely assoc ...

. Monash wrote and produced the pilot for the TV series ''

The Untouchables Untouchables or The Untouchables may refer to: American history * Untouchables (law enforcement), a 1930s American law enforcement unit led by Eliot Ness * ''The Untouchables'' (book), an autobiography by Eliot Ness and Oscar Fraley * ''The U ...

'' (1959), shown in two parts on

Desilu Playhouse ''Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse'' is an American television anthology series produced by Desilu Productions. The show ran on the Columbia Broadcasting System between 1958 and 1960. Three of its 48 episodes served as pilots for the 1950s television ...

and edited as a feature film for distribution in Europe. He also wrote some episodes of the 1958–1959

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an Television in the United States, American English-language Commercial broadcasting, commercial television network, broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Enterta ...

docudrama Docudrama (or documentary drama) is a genre of television and film, which features dramatized re-enactments of actual events. It is described as a hybrid of documentary and drama and "a fact-based representation of real event". Docudramas typic ...

about the

Cold War The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because the ...

, '' Behind Closed Doors'', hosted and starring Bruce Gordon. After the success of ''The Untouchables'', Monash was asked to create '' Peyton Place'' (1964–1969), an

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

-TV series that was the first prime-time serialized drama on American television. His film production credits include ''

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid ''Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid'' is a 1969 American Western buddy film directed by George Roy Hill and written by William Goldman. Based loosely on fact, the film tells the story of Wild West outlaws Robert LeRoy Parker, known as Butch C ...

'' (1969), ''

Slaughterhouse-Five ''Slaughterhouse-Five, or, The Children's Crusade: A Duty-Dance with Death'' is a 1969 semi-autobiographic science fiction-infused anti-war novel by Kurt Vonnegut. It follows the life and experiences of Billy Pilgrim, from his early years, to h ...

'' (1972), ''

The Front Page ''The Front Page'' is a Broadway comedy about newspaper reporters on the police beat. Written by former Chicago reporters Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur, it was first produced in 1928 and has been adapted for the cinema several times. Plot The ...

'' (1974) and ''

Carrie Carrie may refer to: People * Carrie (name), a female given name and occasionally a surname Places in the United States * Carrie, Kentucky, an unincorporated community * Carrie, Virginia, an unincorporated community * Carrie Glacier, Olympic Nati ...

'' (1976). Monash produced the feature film ''

The Friends of Eddie Coyle ''The Friends of Eddie Coyle'' is a 1973 American neo-noir crime film starring Robert Mitchum and Peter Boyle and directed by Peter Yates. The screenplay by Paul Monash was adapted from the 1970 novel '' The Friends of Eddie Coyle'' by George ...

'' (1973), a dark, critically acclaimed crime drama starring

Robert Mitchum Robert Charles Durman Mitchum (August 6, 1917 – July 1, 1997) was an American actor. He rose to prominence with an Academy Award nomination for the Best Supporting Actor for ''The Story of G.I. Joe'' (1945), followed by his starring in ...

, and also adapted the

George V. Higgins George V. Higgins (November 13, 1939 – November 6, 1999) was an American author, lawyer, newspaper columnist, raconteur and college professor. He authored more than thirty books, including ''Bomber's Law,'' ''Trust,'' and ''Kennedy for the De ...

novel A novel is a relatively long work of narrative fiction, typically written in prose and published as a book. The present English word for a long work of prose fiction derives from the for "new", "news", or "short story of something new", itsel ...

for the screen. Monash wrote the 1979

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...

-TV adaption of ''

All Quiet on the Western Front ''All Quiet on the Western Front'' (german: Im Westen nichts Neues, lit=Nothing New in the West) is a novel by Erich Maria Remarque, a German veteran of World War I. The book describes the German soldiers' extreme physical and mental trauma du ...

'', a

Hallmark Hall of Fame ''Hallmark Hall of Fame'', originally called ''Hallmark Television Playhouse'', is an anthology program on American television, sponsored by Hallmark Cards, a Kansas City-based greeting card company. The longest-running prime-time series in t ...

production that received a

Golden Globe Award The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 2022, there are 105 members of t ...

for Best Motion Picture Made for Television. His screenplay for the

HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American premium television network, which is the flagship property of namesake parent subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is ba ...

film ''

Stalin Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (born Ioseb Besarionis dze Jughashvili; – 5 March 1953) was a Georgian revolutionary and Soviet political leader who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until his death in 1953. He held power as General Secretar ...

'' (1992) was nominated for an Emmy Award; and Monash received the

Humanitas Prize The Humanitas Prize is an award for film and television writing, and is given to writers whose work explores the human condition in a nuanced and meaningful way. It began in 1974 with Father Ellwood "Bud" Kieser—also the founder of Paulist P ...

for his teleplay for the

TNT Trinitrotoluene (), more commonly known as TNT, more specifically 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene, and by its preferred IUPAC name 2-methyl-1,3,5-trinitrobenzene, is a chemical compound with the formula C6H2(NO2)3CH3. TNT is occasionally used as a reagen ...

film ''

George Wallace George Corley Wallace Jr. (August 25, 1919 – September 13, 1998) was an American politician who served as the 45th governor of Alabama for four terms. A member of the Democratic Party, he is best remembered for his staunch segregationist and ...

'' (1997). His final credit was the

A&E Network A&E is an American basic cable network, the flagship television property of A&E Networks. The network was originally founded in 1984 as the Arts & Entertainment Network, initially focusing on fine arts, documentaries, television drama, dramas, and ...

original film, '' The Golden Spiders: A Nero Wolfe Mystery'' (2000), a critically praised adaption of the

Rex Stout Rex Todhunter Stout (; December 1, 1886 – October 27, 1975) was an American writer noted for his detective fiction. His best-known characters are the detective Nero Wolfe and his assistant Archie Goodwin, who were featured in 33 novels and ...

. The TV movie first aired March 5, 2000, the same day that the

Writers Guild of America, west The Writers Guild of America West (WGAW) is a labor union representing film, television, radio, and new media writers. It was formed in 1954 from five organizations representing writers, including the Screen Writers Guild. It has around 20,000 m ...

, presented the 83-year-old Monash with the Paddy Chayefsky award for lifetime achievement. It is the guild's highest award, given to writers who have "advanced the literature of television through the years."WGAW fetes Monash with Chayefsky award
''

'', January 10, 2000 Paul Monash died of pancreatic cancer January 14, 2003, in Los Angeles.

Filmography

Writer

*''

Foreign Intrigue ''Foreign Intrigue'' (also known as ''Foreign Assignment'') is a syndicated espionage drama television series produced in Europe by Sheldon Reynolds. The 30-minute series ran for four seasons from 1951 to 1955, producing 156 episodes. It was th ...

'' (TV) :"Berlin to Frankfurt" (1952) :"The Radio Message" (1952) :"Sun Lamp" (1952) :" The Living Corpse" (1952) :"The Perfect Plan" (1952) *'' Atom Squad'' (1953) *''

'' (TV) :"Needle in a Haystack" (1953) :"The Man Who Wouldn't Talk" (1954) *''Operation Manhunt'' (1954) *''Danger'' (TV) :"Last Stop Before Albany" (1953) :"Return Flight" (1953) :"Five Minutes to Die" (1953) :"Cornered" (1954) :"Menace from the East (1954) *'' Studio One'' (TV) :"Stan, the Killer" (1952) :"Blow Up at Cortland" (1955) *''

Climax! ''Climax!'' (later known as ''Climax Mystery Theater'') is an American television anthology series that aired on CBS from 1954 to 1958. The series was hosted by William Lundigan and later co-hosted by Mary Costa. It was one of the few CBS programs ...

'' (TV) :"Sailor on Horseback" (1955) :"Bailout at 43,000 Feet" (1955) *''

Big Town ''Big Town'' is a popular long-running radio drama featuring a corruption-fighting newspaper editor initially played from 1937 to 1942 by Edward G. Robinson in his first radio role, with echoes of the conscience-stricken tabloid editor he had ...

'' (TV) :"Hung Jury" (1956) *''

Colonel March of Scotland Yard Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge o ...

'' (TV) :"The Sorcerer" (1956) :"The Strange Event at Roman Fall" (1956) :"The Deadly Gift" (1956) *''Studio 57'' (TV) :" Outpost" (1956) *''

General Electric Theater ''General Electric Theater'' was an American anthology series hosted by Ronald Reagan that was broadcast on CBS radio and television. The series was sponsored by General Electric's Department of Public Relations. Radio After an audition show ...

'' (TV) :"The Shadow Outside" (1956) *''Assignment Foreign Legion'' (TV) :"The Stripes of Sergeant Schweiger" (1956) :"The Sword of Truth" (1956) :"The White Kepi" (1957) :"The Testimonial of a Soldier" (1957) *''

Kraft Television Theatre ''Kraft Television Theatre'' is an American anthology drama television series running from 1947 to 1958. It began May 7, 1947 on NBC, airing at 7:30pm on Wednesday evenings until December of that year. It first promoted MacLaren's Imperial Chees ...

'' (TV) :"Boy in a Cage" (1956) :"The Singin' Idol" (1957) *''Bailout at 43,000'' (1957) *''

'' (TV) :"The Lonely Wizard" (1957) (

) *''Sing, Boy, Sing'' (1958) (story "The Singin' Idol") *''

The Safecracker ''The Safecracker'' is a 1958 British crime film noir directed by Ray Milland and starring Milland, Barry Jones and Victor Maddern. Plot Colley Dawson lives a quiet life at home with his mother, but he is an expert safecracker at weekends, b ...

'' (1958) *''

Touch of Evil ''Touch of Evil'' is a 1958 American film noir written and directed by Orson Welles, who also stars in the film. The screenplay was loosely based on the contemporary Whit Masterson novel ''Badge of Evil'' (1956). The cast included Charlton Hes ...

'' (1958) (uncredited) *''

'' (TV) :"The Country Husband" (1956) :"The Helen Morgan Story" (1957) :"The Death of Manolete" (1957) :"Nightmare at Ground Zero" (1958) *''

The Gun Runners ''The Gun Runners'' is a 1958 American film noir crime film directed by Don Siegel, is the third adaptation of Ernest Hemingway's 1937 novel ''To Have and Have Not'', and starring Audie Murphy. Everett Sloane essays the part of the alcoholic side ...

'' (1958) *''Behind Closed Doors'' (TV) :"The Cape Canaveral Story" (1958) *''Pursuit'' (TV) :"The Silent Night" (1958) *''

Goodyear Theatre ''Goodyear Theatre'' (also known as ''Award Theatre'' and ''Golden Years of Television'') is a 30-minute dramatic television anthology series telecast on NBC from 1957 to 1960 for a total of 55 episodes. The live show was directed by many notable ...

'' (TV) :"The Guy in Ward 4" (1958) :"Afternoon of the Beast" (1959) *''The Scarface Mob'' (TV) (1959) (pilot for ''

'') *''

Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse ''Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse'' is an American television anthology series produced by Desilu Productions. The show ran on the Columbia Broadcasting System between 1958 and 1960. Three of its 48 episodes served as pilots for the 1950s television ...

'' (TV) :Debut (1958) :"The Untouchables: Part 1" (1959) :"The Untouchables: Part 2" (1959) *''The Crimebusters'' (1961) *''

The Asphalt Jungle ''The Asphalt Jungle'' is a 1950 American film noir heist film directed by John Huston. Based on the 1949 novel of the same name by W. R. Burnett, it tells the story of a jewel robbery in a Midwestern city. The film stars Sterling Hayden and Lo ...

'' (TV) :"The Lady and the Lawyer" (1961) :"The Fighter" (1961) :"The Kidnapping" (1961) *'' The Lawbreakers'' (1961) *''

Cain's Hundred ''Cain's Hundred'' is an American crime drama series that aired on NBC from 1961 to 1962. The series was produced by Vanadas Productions, Inc. in association with MGM Television. Synopsis ''Cain's Hundred'' follows the life of Nicholas Cain (Pete ...

'' (TV) (1961–1962) *''

Twelve O'Clock High ''Twelve O'Clock High'' is a 1949 American war film about aircrews in the United States Army's Eighth Air Force, who flew daylight bombing missions against Germany and Occupied France during the early days of American involvement in World War II ...

'' (TV) :"Follow the Leader" (1964) (uncredited) *''Braddock'' (TV) (1968) *''

Judd, for the Defense ''Judd, for the Defense'' is an American legal drama originally broadcast on the ABC network on Friday nights from September 8, 1967, to March 21, 1969. Synopsis The show stars Carl Betz, who had previously spent eight years in the role of Dr. Al ...

'' (TV) (1967–1969) *'' Peyton Place'' (TV) (1964–1969) *''

'' (1973) *''

(TV) (1979) *''

Salem's Lot ''Salem's Lot'' is a 1975 horror novel by American author Stephen King. It was his second published novel. The story involves a writer named Ben Mears who returns to the town of Jerusalem's Lot (or 'Salem's Lot for short) in Maine, where he ...

'' (TV) (1979) *'' V'' (TV) :" Liberation Day" (1984) *''

'' (TV) (1992) *''Killer Rules'' (TV) (1993) *''Kingfish: A Story of Huey P. Long'' (TV) (1995) *''

'' (TV) (1997) *''Rescuers: Stories of Courage – Two Couples'' (TV) (1998) (segment "Aart and Johtje Vos") *'' The Golden Spiders: A Nero Wolfe Mystery'' (TV) (2000)

Producer

*''

'' (TV) (1961–1962) (executive producer) *''Braddock'' (TV) (1968) *'' Deadfall'' (1968) *''

'' (TV) (1967–1969) (executive producer) *'' Peyton Place'' (TV) (1964–1969) (executive producer) *''

'' (1969) (executive producer) *''

'' (1972) *''

'' (1973) *''

'' (1974) *''The Trial of Chaplain Jensen'' (TV) (1975) (executive producer) *''

'' (1976) *''The Day the Loving Stopped'' (TV) (1981) (executive producer) *''

Child Bride of Short Creek ''Child Bride of Short Creek'' is a 1981 American made-for-television drama film written by Joyce Eliason, starring Christopher Atkins, Diane Lane, Conrad Bain, Helen Hunt and Dee Wallace. The film is a dramatization loosely based upon the ...

'' (TV) (1981) *''

Big Trouble in Little China ''Big Trouble in Little China'' (also in known as ''John Carpenter's Big Trouble in Little China'') is a 1986 American fantasy action comedy film directed by John Carpenter and starring Kurt Russell, Kim Cattrall, Dennis Dun and James Hong. ...

'' (1986) (executive producer) *'' The Rage: Carrie 2'' (1999) *''

'' (TV) (2002) (consulting producer)

Awards

*1958, Winner,

'' (episode "The Lonely Wizard")
Best Teleplay Writing – Half Hour or Less

Academy of Television Arts & Sciences The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), also colloquially known as the Television Academy, is a professional honorary organization dedicated to the advancement of the television industry in the United States. It is a 501(c)(6) non-prof ...

*1980, Nominee,

Edgar Award The Edgar Allan Poe Awards, popularly called the Edgars, are presented every year by the Mystery Writers of America, based in New York City. Named after American writer Edgar Allan Poe (1809–1849), a pioneer in the genre, the awards honor the bes ...

''
Best Television Feature or Miniseries

Mystery Writers of America Mystery Writers of America (MWA) is an organization of mystery and crime writers, based in New York City. The organization was founded in 1945 by Clayton Rawson, Anthony Boucher, Lawrence Treat, and Brett Halliday. It presents the Edgar Award ...

*1993, Nominee,

''
Outstanding Individual Achievement in Writing in a Miniseries or a Special

*1997, Nominee,

CableACE Award The CableACE Award (earlier known as the ACE Awards; ACE was an acronym for "Award for Cable Excellence") is a defunct award that was given by what was then the National Cable Television Association from 1978 to 1997 to honor excellence in Amer ...

''
Writing a Movie or Miniseries
Shared with

Marshall Frady Marshall Bolton Frady (January 11, 1940 – March 9, 2004) was an American Emmy Award-winning journalist and author particularly known for his work on the civil rights movement in the American South. In 1968, he published ''Wallace'', a biog ...

National Cable Television Association NCTA – The Internet & Television Association (formerly the National Cable & Telecommunications Association, and commonly known as the NCTA) is the principal trade association for the U.S. broadband and pay television industries. It represents ...

*1998, Winner,

''
PBS/Cable Category
Shared with Marshall Frady *1998, Nominee,

WGA Award WGA may refer to: In arts and entertainment: * Web Gallery of Art * Writers Guild of Alberta * Writers Guild of America, an American union ** Writers Guild of America, East ** Writers Guild of America, West Other uses: * Wagga Wagga Airport ...

''
Adapted Long Form
Shared with Marshall Frady

Writers Guild of America The Writers Guild of America is the joint efforts of two different US labor unions representing TV and film writers: * The Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE), headquartered in New York City and affiliated with the AFL–CIO * The Writers Guil ...

*1999, Nominee,

''Rescuers: Stories of Courage – Two Couples'' (segment "Aart and Johtje Vos")
60 Minute Category
Shared with

Cy Chermak Seymour "Cy" Chermak (September 20, 1929 – January 29, 2021) was an American producer and screenwriter. He is best known for producing ''CHiPs'', '' Ironside'', and '' Kolchak: The Night Stalker''. Career Chermak started his career at ...

and Francine Carroll *2000, Winner, Paddy Chayefsky Laurel Award for Lifetime Achievement

References

External links

*
Paul Monash, Writer, producer
(obituary); ''

'', January 15, 2003
Paul Monash, 85, Television Screenwriter
(obituary); ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'', January 16, 2003
Paul Monash, Film Producer and Screenwriter
(obituary); ''

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...

'' (London), January 17, 2003 {{DEFAULTSORT:Monash, Paul 1917 births 2003 deaths American male screenwriters American television writers American film producers American television producers Emmy Award winners University of Wisconsin–Madison School of Journalism & Mass Communication alumni American male television writers Teachers College, Columbia University alumni 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American screenwriters Deaths from pancreatic cancer Deaths from cancer in California