Screenwriter A.J. Carothers dead at 75

LOS ANGELES, April 14 (UPI) -- Film and television screenwriter A.J. Carothers has died of cancer at the age of 75 at his home in Los Angeles.

Carothers, who had been in the writing business since the 1940s, was the writer behind the 1980s comedies "The Secret of My Success," starring Michael J. Fox, and "The Happiest Millionaire," starring Fred MacMurray, the Los Angeles Times reported Saturday.

He began his career as a story editor for "Studio One," and later moved on to "Playhouse 90" and "General Electric Theater."

By the early 1960s, Carothers had become a contract writer for Walt Disney studios. He wrote numerous film scripts for the company, including 1963's "Miracle of the White Stallions," based on the rescue of the Lipizzaner show horses from Vienna during World War II.

He is survived by his wife and three sons, as well as a brother, a sister and four grandchildren.