Eric Monte
Encyclopedia
Eric Monte is an American
screenwriter
who has written for and created notable shows depicting 1970s African American
culture.
and raised in the Cabrini–Green housing project, Monte dropped out of high school and hitchhiked to Hollywood. His first big break came five years later with a script written for and accepted by All in the Family
. From there, he went on to produce work responsible for two 1970s sitcoms: Good Times
(which he co-created with The Jeffersons
star Mike Evans) and What's Happening!!
which was based on his screenplay for the motion picture Cooley High
.
According to the Los Angeles Times, in 1977 he filed a lawsuit accusing ABC
, CBS, producers Norman Lear
and Bud Yorkin
and others of stealing his ideas for Good Times, The Jeffersons (an All in the Family spinoff) and What's Happening!! Eventually, he says, he received a $1-million settlement and a small percentage of the residuals from Good Times, but the industry retaliated against him denying him the opportunity to pitch new scripts. Since Good Times ended, the only scripts he's written that have been produced by Hollywood are a single episode of The Wayans Bros.
and a single episode of Moesha
, the latter of which Monte has called "the absolute worst script I've ever written."
Monte used the bulk of the settlement money to finance the production of a play he had written titled If They Come Back. The play proved to be a commercial failure, leading to Monte's financial ruin. After falling on hard times, by 2003, he had developed an addiction to crack cocaine
. He later declared bankruptcy
and, by 2006, found himself living in a Salvation Army
homeless shelter
in Bell, California
. He appeared to be maintaining sobriety there, as the shelter required regular drug tests
, and he was actively pursuing further attempts to sell television and film scripts, as well as a self-published book called Blueprint for Peace. Late in 2006, Monte moved back to Chicago.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
screenwriter
Screenwriter
Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
who has written for and created notable shows depicting 1970s African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
culture.
Early life and career
Born Kenneth Williams in ChicagoChicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
and raised in the Cabrini–Green housing project, Monte dropped out of high school and hitchhiked to Hollywood. His first big break came five years later with a script written for and accepted by All in the Family
All in the Family
All in the Family is an American sitcom that was originally broadcast on the CBS television network from January 12, 1971, to April 8, 1979. In September 1979, a new show, Archie Bunker's Place, picked up where All in the Family had ended...
. From there, he went on to produce work responsible for two 1970s sitcoms: Good Times
Good Times
Good Times is an American sitcom that originally aired from February 8, 1974, until August 1, 1979, on the CBS television network. It was created by Eric Monte and Michael Evans, and developed by Norman Lear, the series' primary executive producer...
(which he co-created with The Jeffersons
The Jeffersons
The Jeffersons is an American sitcom that was broadcast on CBS from January 18, 1975, through June 25, 1985, lasting 11 seasons and a total of 253 episodes. The show was produced by the T.A.T. Communications Company from 1975–1982 and by Embassy Television from 1982-1985...
star Mike Evans) and What's Happening!!
What's Happening!!
What's Happening!! is an American television sitcom that aired on ABC from August 5, 1976 to April 28, 1979. The show premiered as a summer series. With good ratings and reviews, and after the failure of several other shows on the network, What's Happening!! returned in November 1976 as a weekly...
which was based on his screenplay for the motion picture Cooley High
Cooley High
Cooley High is a 1975 American film based upon the real high school located on the near north side of Chicago produced and released by American International Pictures and written by Eric Monte...
.
According to the Los Angeles Times, in 1977 he filed a lawsuit accusing ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
, CBS, producers Norman Lear
Norman Lear
Norman Milton Lear is an American television writer and producer who produced such 1970s sitcoms as All in the Family, Sanford and Son, One Day at a Time, The Jeffersons, Good Times and Maude...
and Bud Yorkin
Bud Yorkin
Bud Yorkin is an American film and television producer, director, writer and actor.Yorkin was born Alan David Yorkin in Washington, Pennsylvania. He earned a degree in engineering from Carnegie Tech, now Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsbugh, Pennsylvania...
and others of stealing his ideas for Good Times, The Jeffersons (an All in the Family spinoff) and What's Happening!! Eventually, he says, he received a $1-million settlement and a small percentage of the residuals from Good Times, but the industry retaliated against him denying him the opportunity to pitch new scripts. Since Good Times ended, the only scripts he's written that have been produced by Hollywood are a single episode of The Wayans Bros.
The Wayans Bros.
The Wayans Bros. is a situation comedy that aired from 1995 to 1999 on The WB. The series starred real-life brothers Shawn Wayans and Marlon Wayans. Both brothers were already well-known from the sketch comedy show In Living Color...
and a single episode of Moesha
Moesha
Moesha is an American sitcom series that aired on the UPN network from January 23, 1996 to May 14, 2001. The series stars R&B singer Brandy Norwood as Moesha Mitchell, a high school student living with her family in the Leimert Park neighborhood of South Central Los Angeles.-Overview:The show...
, the latter of which Monte has called "the absolute worst script I've ever written."
Monte used the bulk of the settlement money to finance the production of a play he had written titled If They Come Back. The play proved to be a commercial failure, leading to Monte's financial ruin. After falling on hard times, by 2003, he had developed an addiction to crack cocaine
Crack cocaine
Crack cocaine is the freebase form of cocaine that can be smoked. It may also be termed rock, hard, iron, cavvy, base, or just crack; it is the most addictive form of cocaine. Crack rocks offer a short but intense high to smokers...
. He later declared bankruptcy
Bankruptcy
Bankruptcy is a legal status of an insolvent person or an organisation, that is, one that cannot repay the debts owed to creditors. In most jurisdictions bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debtor....
and, by 2006, found himself living in a Salvation Army
Salvation Army
The Salvation Army is a Protestant Christian church known for its thrift stores and charity work. It is an international movement that currently works in over a hundred countries....
homeless shelter
Homeless shelter
Homeless shelters are temporary residences for homeless people which seek to protect vulnerable populations from the often devastating effects of homelessness while simultaneously reducing the environmental impact on the community...
in Bell, California
Bell, California
Bell is a city in Los Angeles County, California. Its population was 35,477 at the 2010 census, down from 36,664 in the 2000 census. Bell is located on the west bank of the Los Angeles River and is a suburb of the city of Los Angeles...
. He appeared to be maintaining sobriety there, as the shelter required regular drug tests
Drug test
A drug test is a technical analysis of a biological specimen – for example urine, hair, blood, sweat, or oral fluid / saliva – to determine the presence or absence of specified parent drugs or their metabolites...
, and he was actively pursuing further attempts to sell television and film scripts, as well as a self-published book called Blueprint for Peace. Late in 2006, Monte moved back to Chicago.