Martin Grams Jr. (born April 19, 1977) is an American popular culture historian who wrote and co-wrote over thirty books about network broadcasting and motion-pictures.[1] Born in Baltimore, Maryland, Grams is the son of a magician, Martin Grams Sr.[2] and Mary Patricia Grams, a librarian.[3] Grams is also the author of more than 100 magazine articles.
Grams is the recipient of the 1999 Ray Stanich Award,[citation needed] the 2005 Stone/Waterman Award,[citation needed] and the 2004 Parley Baer Award for his contribution to preserving the arts.[citation needed] In February 2022, he received the Stan Cawelti award from the Metro Washington OTR Club.[citation needed]
In an interview for USA Today in April 2011, Grams stood his ground on a controversial subject regarding research in a digital age. In November 2010, Grams publicly stated: "I know of no serious researcher or scholar who uses the internet as reference for their studies. They should use the internet as a 'tool' for research... Myths begin when mistakes in prior publications carry over into new publications. Reprinted many times, a myth becomes the gospel... proving that fifteen books can be wrong and 100 websites are definitely wrong."[citation needed]
Many of his books include forewords by celebrities including Patricia Hitchcock, daughter of Alfred Hitchcock, contributing to his The Alfred Hitchcock Presents Companion;[4] Joe Dante for Way Out: A History and Episode Guide to Roald Dahl's Spooky 1961 Television Program; George Clayton Johnson for his award-winning The Twilight Zone: Unlocking the Door to a Television Classic; and Bob Barker for Truth or Consequences, The Quiz Show That was a National Phenomenon.
Martin Grams provided audio commentary for The Twilight Zone Blu-ray release. He wrote and narrated a video documentary for the Inner Sanctum Mystery Blu-ray Release. He also wrote the liner notes for over fifty DVD and Blu-ray releases including the VCI entertainment release of The Green Hornet (1940) and The Green Hornet Strikes Again (1941), reviewed as "wonderfully detailed liner notes by writers Martin Grams Jr., and Terry Salomonson".[5]
Martin served as the editor of Radio Recall, a bi-monthly newsletter for the Metro Washington OTR Club, from 2017 to April 2021.[6]
Martin was nominated twice for the Rondo award, winning the 2008 award for ‘Best Book of the Year’ for The Twilight Zone: Unlocking the Door to a Television Classic.[7]
Martin and his wife are volunteers for the annual non-profit film festival known as the Mid-Atlantic Nostalgia Convention.[8][9] Martin also volunteers for the WIlliamsburg Film Festival, which began in 1997.
