In the 1980s, Kramer retired to Bellevue and took on a new role in the Seattle media scene. From 1980 to 1996, he wrote a movie column for The Seattle Times and hosted a weekly movie show on KCPQ 13, then an independent television station. This show, often referred to as part of KCPQ’s branding as “The Northwest’s Movie Channel,” featured Kramer introducing films, likely drawing on his extensive film expertise to provide context and commentary. His hosting role aligned with KCPQ’s programming strategy in the early 1980s, which emphasized uncut movies with limited commercial interruptions, such as their broadcast of The Deer Hunter in 1980.
Kramer’s time in Seattle also included teaching filmmaking at the University of Washington, reflecting his continued passion for cinema education. He published his autobiography, A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World: A Life in Hollywood, in 1997, and passed away in 2001 at age 87 from pneumonia in Woodland Hills, California.
