Required viewing: https://youtu.be/kWVFEVWJMz8

Huell’s show had a real loose feeling without a budget. I loved that. At one point he had a phone call with the owner of a cafe to ask about a photo of Burt Lancaster on the wall. The other half of the call wasn’t recorded and the conversation went nowhere but they still aired it.

I cherish the authenticity of it all.

Personal favorites

"Salt" about the salt ponds around the South Bay. https://blogs.chapman.edu/huell-howser-archives/1999/01/08/s...

"Drawbridge" about a ghost town in the marshes of the South Bay. To me, it was more interesting as a glimpse into how people lived a hundred years ago. https://blogs.chapman.edu/huell-howser-archives/2002/01/08/d...

And because I think it's important to remember the ugly parts of history, lest it be repeated, I'd recommend "Manzanar" https://blogs.chapman.edu/huell-howser-archives/2002/01/08/m..., "A Tale of Two Cities" about Colonel Allensworth State Park https://blogs.chapman.edu/huell-howser-archives/1992/12/10/a..., and "Weedpatch" about the 'Okies' https://blogs.chapman.edu/huell-howser-archives/1995/12/10/w....

I used to watch his programs on cable TV, back when he was still alive. Even after death, I recall that his videos were still being sold by his company/estate, both on VHS at one point and DVD. But I can no longer find evidence of these direct sales, so I guess only used copies for sale are available now.

Trivia: the character on TV series "Breaking Bad" named Huell was a nominal reference to Huell Howser, according to the video commentary.

Huell Howser was a big part of my childhood - he had this authentic "aww shucks" way about him, while also asking the questions most people would probably ask, seeing a given thing.

Any Huell link gets a instant upvote from this guy.

"Now, now hold on a minute. You say there's a cayhhuve down there? And you can just go walk in the cayhhuve?"

"Well ahhve just about seen everything now. Come on folks, we're gonna have some fun today."

I had the good fortune to meet him and he was just as warm, gracious and personable off camera as he was on camera.

His archives are a treasure. At the 12:30 mark in the linked video, Huell visits NASA's Deep Space Network complex in Goldstone, CA. https://blogs.chapman.edu/huell-howser-archives/1998/01/08/b...

Gotta love the bunny museum episode! https://youtu.be/1D5LCd5ytRc

I love these shows. Huell’s joyful child-like curiosity would light up and elucidate even the most arcane attraction or monument. It’s good that they are saving these for posterity. They truly are… California’s Gold.

And in case you haven't seen his Simpsons appearance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OOnbVbgrZms

This brings back good memories as a kid watching Huell with my parents