When poor health ended her acting career in the late 1930's,producer Edgar Selwyn persuade her to try short story writing and submitted her first effort to a national magazine,which led to a five year contract at Paramount-studio's as a scenarist.
After leaving Warner Bros., Martha Merrill signed with Columbia, who changed her name to Ann Merrill, but she never received screen credit under her new name, only uncredited work.
Martha Merrill suffered from poor health during her film-career.