Screenwriter Monte L Merrick dies

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Most recently, Merrick wrote the screenplay for the indie “Skating to New York,” released in December 2014.

He also penned the 1997 Disney TV version of “Oliver Twist,” starring Richard Dreyfuss and Elijah Wood; films including 1994 rodeo story “8 Seconds,” 1992 Tom Selleck starrer “Mr. Baseball” and the Lee Grant-directed 1989 dramedy “Staying Together”; and the TV movie “Miracle at Midnight.”

His plays, produced Off Broadway in New York and throughout the country at regional theaters, include “Starry Night,” “Open Heart,” “Hell of a Town” and “Cat Feet.”

His novels include “Shelter,” published in many languages, and two recent works, “The Merlin Pool” and “The Crimson Vortex,” published by Amazon.

Merrick was born in Portland, Oregon, and graduated from Lewis & Clark College in Portland. He had a master’s degree in theatre from the University of Colorado in Boulder.

He is survived by two brothers and two sisters; a nephew; and niece.

A celebration of Merrick’s life will take place Sunday, July 26 at 1909 North Topanga Canyon Boulevard.