Martin Grams, Jr.
is an American pop culture historian who has written extensively on radio, television and films. Under the guidelines of his profession Grams provided audio commentary for commercial releases of DVDs and Blu-ray Discs, written hundreds of magazine articles for scholarly journals, provided commentary for filmed documentaries and delivers lectures at various institutions including ARSC, SPERDVAC, REPS and the Library of Congress. This website features a catalog of his books, including news of his latest projects.
LATEST NEWS
THE LONE RANGER: The Early Years, 1933 - 1937
Following the publication of THE GREEN HORNET book, fans expected authors Terry Salomonson and Martin Grams, Jr. to produce an additional volume on the masked vigilante's family relation, THE LONE RANGER. Often-rumored and talked about for more than a decade, news of the book's up-coming publication reached social media last month. Combined, both authors accumulated a total of four decades of research to create what is expected to be a definitive treatment to the history of the radio program.
The demand for readers to pre-order their copy today (rather than wait until April when the book is tentatively scheduled for release) was so strong we added the book on this website. You can now pre-order your copy today and pay no postage! (Free postage offer expires in April.)
INNER SANCTUM MYSTERIES
Get ready for unlimited thrills and chills as all six classic Inner Sanctum Mysteries come to Blu-ray for the first time ever. Based on the popular radio shows of the 1940's, this collectible set is a must-own for every classic mystery and horror fan.
You'll have a hauntingly good time with horror icon Lon Chaney, Jr., as he gives timeless performances in six spooky feature-length films from 1943 to 1945.
Among the tantalizing bonus features are three audio commentaries with historical perspectives, including one from Martin Grams, Jr.
Due in stores such as Amazon, Target, Best Buy and Wal-Mart, on October 20, 2020, just in time for Halloween.
RENFREW of the MOUNTED
The popularity of Canadian Mountie fiction peaked through the 1920s and 1930s, thanks to such literary giants as James Oliver Curwood, James Hendryx and Laurie York Erskine. The latter created Inspector Douglas Renfrew in 1921, in a series of short stories for American Boy magazine. The character was so popular that Renfrew of the Mounted expanded to ten novels, a healthy run on network radio and eight motion-pictures.
Renfrew of the Mounted inspired imitation and by the 1940s made way for fictional Mounties that became more popular (such as Sergeant Preston of the Yukon). Bound for orphan status, few today are familiar with Renfrew's heroic exploits as depicted on the printed page. Martin's latest book, due for publication in November 2020, is meant to rectify that oversight and preserve Laurie York Erskine's legacy.
Best Book of the Year
Martin's book, The Twilight Zone: Unlocking the Door to a Television Classic, won "Best Book of the Year Award." Congrats!
Surprise! Surprise!
Sportscaster Bob Costas and USA Today journalist Christine Brennan were spotted at a celebrity signing to have actor James Darren sign a copy of Martin's book on the history of The Time Tunnel, the television program.
CAUGHT IN PROVIDENCE
A nationally-syndicated television program, Caught in Providence, recently featured a professor who confessed he was reading one of Martin's books and planned to use Martin's book as the groundwork for a course he is teaching. You can view the YOUTUBE video here.
SVENGOOLIE on ME-TV
One of Martin's books, I Led Three Lives, was recently featured on Svengoolie during a recent screening of It Came From Outer Space on ME-TV. Svengoolie's program airs every Saturday night and is worth checking out! Thank you, Mr. Svengoolie.
2020 APPEARANCES
For obvious reasons, Martin's book signings at conventions and comic cons have been cancelled for 2020. When we have a list of the 2021 events, we will post them here.
Martin's slide show lecture on the history of The Green Hornet, originally scheduled to be presented at the Library of Congress, was also cancelled and will be presented at a later date.