LOS ANGELES, Dec. 19 (UPI) -- Television scriptwriter Eric Monte recently returned home to Chicago after a life and career full of ups and downs in Hollywood.
The Los Angeles Times says Monte, who co-created the 1970s hit sitcom "Good Times" is excited about returning to the Windy City and surrounding himself with family.
Monte, 62, left Chicago's Cabrini Green housing project almost 40 years ago. Moving to Hollywood, he became a successful scriptwriter, penning an episode of "All in the Family" as well as the groundbreaking 1975 film "Cooley High." But in the late 1970s, Monte developed a crack cocaine habit that drained him of money and Hollywood friends. An attempt to sell a self-published book proved unsuccessful, draining him of further funds.
Eventually, Monte took up residence in a Salvation Army homeless shelter, where he paid $300 a month for housing, meals and counseling.
But in returning to Chicago from L.A., Monte said he wants to get back on his feet. His friends and family are reportedly helping him with new clothes for Chicago winters and a nice place to live.
The Times reports Monte is still writing, saying he is "never that far away from a blockbuster hit."
