Martin Grams is the author and co-author of more than twenty books about classic television and old-time radio. One critic claimed Martin as being one of the ten most influential historians and scholars in the field. This web-site offers a glimpse of the books that have been published, books soon to be published, and a monthly glimpse of his travels.
The April 1999 issue of Sperdvac's Radiogram commented: "Probably no other series has had such a thorough job of research done on it as Mr. Grams as done in this book . . ."
The February 2004 issue of NECROPSY: The Review
of Horror Fiction commented:
"It's no mystery why radio fans love Grams . . ."
"Mr. Grams is well known by now among fans of old-time radio as a prolific author and publisher of books detailing the life and times of a number of shows that were revered during the golden age of radio. All of his books provide welcome detail about the creation and life of these shows but they are more noteworthy for the extensive logs that make up the bulk of each volume."
Quoted Charles R. Sexton of the RLL ON THE AIR, September 2003 issue
"Martin Grams, Jr. is a name easily recognized by OTR buffs, primarily due to his prolific writing of books on the subject of old-time radio. I like to refer to him as "the Issac Asimov of OTR," as testimony to his amazingly voluminous output."
Quoted Ivan Schreve, Jr. of THRILLING DAYS OF YESTERYEAR, Nov. 7, 2003
Martin has written magazine articles for such publications as SCARLET STREET, FILMFAX, RADIOGRAM, THE OTR DIGEST, ON THE AIR, RADIO RECALL, RETURN WITH US NOW, NOSTALGIA DIGEST and many others.
He is the recipient of the 1999 Ray Stanich Award, the 2005 Stone/Waterman Award, and the 2004 Parley Baer Award for his contribution to preserving the arts. In May of 2009, Martin was made an official honorary friend of SPERDVAC and his recent book on the TWILIGHT ZONE received the Rondo Award for "Best Book of the Year."
Along with his wife, Martin is active in environmental protection programs and helps support the funding and physical labor that goes into planting new trees, recycling, and alternative resources for electrcity including solar and wind. He is a proud supporter of the St. Jude Children's Hospital in the Mid-Atlantic area.
Martin has also contributed chapters, appendixes and essays for . . .
VINCENT PRICE (2000, ed. Gary and Susan Svehla)
THE ALFRED HITCHCOCK STORY (2001, ed. Ken Mogg)
IT'S THAT TIME AGAIN (2003, ed. Ben Ohmart)
IT'S THAT TIME AGAIN 2 (2004, ed. Ben Ohmart)
LET'S PRETEND (2004, ed. Arthur Anderson)
IT'S THAT TIME AGAIN 3 (2006, ed. Jim Harmon)
YABBA, DABBA, DOO: The Alan Reed Story (2009, Alan Reed and Ben Ohmart)
Mr. Grams is also active with the Mid-Atlantic Nostalgia Convention
held annually every September in Hunt Valley, Maryland.
(Click on the banner below for more information.)
This annual gathering of nostalgia fans features lectures and seminars, celebrities signing autographs and a charity auction to benefit the St. Jude Children's Hospital.
Martin will be a guest at the Cinefest Convention in Syracuse, New York on the last weekend of March. This will be his first appearance in up-state New York so if you live within the area, come by and say hello!
Martin will be a guest on the EZHelp, You and More Radio Show (http://ezhelp.org/blog) on the evening of March 28, talking about THE TWILIGHT ZONE.
Martin's recent book on THE GREEN HORNET is featured on a limited-edition collector card set for the Baltimore Non-Sports Card Convention on March 21, 2010. The collector card will be given away to the attendees. Martin and co-author Terry will also be signing copies of their book at the same event!
Martin's latest book has gone public! October 2010 will welcome a new book! THE SHADOW: The History and Mystery of the Radio Program, 1930-1954. Like many of Martin's previous books, this is sure to dismiss all the mistakes printed in previous guides, correct the glaring errors, and offer an in-depth look at the history of the program plus a detailed episode guide for every episode!
Martin's TWILIGHT ZONE book recently won the Rondo Award for "Best Book of the Year" and has received praise from science fiction legend William F. Nolan remarked, "I'm blown away by the mass fo data... by the attention to the smallest detail. You deserve the highest praise for this book. It puts everything else written about Twilight Zone in the shade. Monumental and fascinating, and hugely informative."
At the recent Mid-Atlantic Nostalgia Convention, in Aberdeen, Maryland, Martin received the honors of hosting Academy Award winning actress Celeste Holm. The event salutes the by-gone days of Hollywood, Radio and Television. Martin was also on stage to help assist with the charity auction that helps benefit the St. Jude Children's Hospital. Martin also had his photo taken with stars Johnny Whitaker and Lee Meriwether. Next year's event will be held at the Hunt Valley Marriott in Hunt Valley, Maryland. The dates are Sept. 23-25, 2010. Martin and his co-author Terry Salomonson will be co-hosting The History of The Green Hornet. The event will also host Van Williams, TV's Green Hornet, so don't miss this!
Martin was recently among the guests at the recent SPERDVAC Convention in Hollywood, California. Martin was a participant in a number of panels including a presentation about The Green Hornet!
Photo on the left shows Martin with Leonard Maltin.
Speaking of travels, Martin was a recent visitor of the University at Buffalo, and was given a rare glimpse of personal papers and bound volumes of scripts formerly owned by the prolific Fran Striker.
(Photo of the fascilities on the left).
Martin was a guest at the 34th Annual FOTR Convention in Newark, New Jersey. Pictured on the left: Martin talks with Prof. Mike Biel and his daughter Leah, as they broadcast live over the radio, briefly following the presentation of THE HISTORY OF THE GREEN HORNET with his co-author, Terry Salomonson.
On October 30, 2009, Martin Grams, along with a number of historians and experts, paid a visit to Grovers Mill, NJ, where the Martians supposedly attacked during that famous 1938 broadcast. Photo on the left reveals Martin posing next to the town's now-historic monument. Photo above features Neal Ellis, Ken Stockinger and Leah Biel. Prof. Mike Biel was holding the camera. For three and a half hours, the crew broadcasted live from Grovers Mill over the Yesterday USA radio network.
