William Roberts; Screenwriter of ‘The Magnificent Seven’

William Roberts, 83, writer of motion pictures and television shows who was adept at Westerns. On television, he wrote screenplays for such TV movies as “SST--Death Flight” and was credited with creating the long-running “Donna Reed Show.” His film screenplays ranged from such Westerns as “The Magnificent Seven” and “The Sheepman” to “The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm” and “The Last American Hero.” A lifelong resident of Los Angeles, Roberts graduated from USC and worked for the Office of War Information during World War II. On Wednesday in Los Angeles of respiratory failure.