For those of you unfamiliar with it, History Detectives is a show on PBS in which researchers track down the stories behind odd artifacts that people bring to their attention. For example, on the episode aired last night (at least on Cincy’s PBS sation), someone had a bizarre 1920’s-era contraption called a “Psycho-Phone”, and the researchers* learned what the hell it was and who made it. Along the way, they found out some interesting things about Thomas Edison and about early self-help gurus.
I love this show. I always learn some interesting, quirky, little-known piece of history; I love how they make it seem so interesting to pore over old documents in libraries and out-of-the-way museums; and sometimes it’s surprisingly moving. The segment when Wes Cowan brought the one guy to the grave of the guy’s grandfather, and said, “I’ll give you a minute” … that kind of choked me up.
I also like it because the four main presenters* are pretty interesting and engaging in one way or another.
Gwen Wright strikes me as someone trying a little too hard to hang on to her hipster cred, and I think she’d annoy me if we spent any length of time together, but I could see myself meeting her for a pleasant, if short, conversation over coffee. My wife covets Gwen’s eyeglasses.
Tukufu Zuberi manages to be a garrulous, put-'er-there kind of guy while still rocking the cool wardrobe. When he comes on camera in his long coat and cool hat, I expect him to announce, “Hi, I’m Tukufu Zuberi, and I’m the coolest guy on this show.”
Elyse Luray doesn’t show the most outgoing and entertaining personality. She seems like more of a brass-tacks kind of person. The website says she’s “Capable of charming anyone into revealing clues and sharing secrets.” I don’t see that myself. I still have a crush on her, though. My wife understands.
Which brings me to my favorite History Detective, Wes Cowan. He just seems like a nice guy. Tukufu and Gwen seem to want attention on them a little more; Elyse seems kind of businesslike and aloof; but Wes seems like he’s having a good time and he wants the person he’s talking to to be the center of attention. Maybe I’m projecting. He just seems like regular folks. Plus, he’s from Cincinnati, so he can’t be all bad. After meeting Gwen for coffee and borrowing a few CDs from Tukufu, but before having dinner with Elyse, I want to shoot a couple games of pool with Wes.
Anybody else here love History Detectives? Who’s your favorite?
*I just learned that Wes, et al., don’t do the actual research. The show has other researchers do the leg work, sometimes with input from the presenters. That’s not too surprising, I suppose. But it does crush my fantasy of strolling into the library someday and seeing Wes Cowan in the stacks, working a case. Maybe if I hang out in the right bar in Clifton, I can still have that game of pool, though…
I have a huge crush on Wes Cowan, have since his original Antiques Roadshow days.
I hate Elyse Luray. Not personally, but her nasal speech, to the point of almost being a speech impediment, makes me think she shouldn’t be on TV. She also mispronounces important words a lot.
I like Gwen and Tukufu just fine.
As the for the show overall … the building-of-suspense, slow-reveal, story construction gets on my nerves.
Yeah, the way they end each segment – “And then I found something that I knew Bob would be interested in” – could use some variation. Doesn’t bother me too much, though.
Oh I’m so glad you all like Wes! He is a nice guy! I wrote a story about him (I work for Kentucky’s public television network, KET) last summer and he’s all that and a sack of doughnuts. I’d share but the story’s not online.
Ellen Cherry, that is very cool. I love all of the History Detectives. I don’t think I have a favorite. They all seem to have their little quirks and work their own areas of expertise very well.
But if this were a thread about my favorite case (and it isn’t but that’s not gonna stop me) it would be a toss up between the silver ingot and the sad Asain immigrant poetry.
Loved the show from day one. Don’t have a favorite. Wes has been to town on two different occasions (both times the question involved the Mexican Revolution) and he is a nice guy*. What you see on the TV is what he is.
*No, I didn’t get to meet him (BOO!) but I knew a couple of the folks who took him on his tours.
Ellen, very cool. Wes just seems like he’s genuinely nice and interesting. And, I read somewhere he was an anthropology major in college, and that was my major, so … instant bond.
You know what? You may have just shown why each person gets assigned what they get assigned. For example, doesn’t Gwen seem to get it when the question concerns historical buildings?
I like the way they make frequent decisions on what is most likely, what avenues to take next, and how credible and connected the evidence is. It’s a textbook example of how to tackle the unknown in a logical manner. The multi-disciplined approach requires a broad knowledge so any one researcher doesn’t miss something obvious to another.
Oh, hey, that episode mentioned in the OP is on right now on PBS World. I enjoyed it last night. I liked the guest history detective - Eduardo Pagan, a professor at Arizona State University.
Wes is my favorite, but I also like Tukufu and Gwen. I’m not a big fan of Elyse. She did a story on women who impersonated men to fight in the Civil War at some point and she sounded vacant - she didn’t really seem to understand what was going on. I don’t think I would want her to do my story, if I had one.
I particularly like how each detective has their own way of approaching stories and will talk about their own doubts and sometimes their personal take on stories. I remember a story Gwen did on a house once where she spoke of feeling forced into a housewife mold, and they played with that for the rest of the story.
Got news for you. If it weren’t at least a little bit interesting, they wouldn’t put it in the show. Research isn’t just for colorless drones (although they’ll always have their place).
Huh? I meant that poring over old documents is pretty interesting, and I’m glad they show it that way in the show. Maybe I didn’t phrase that very well.
Yeah, I got the feeling you were arguing the opposite position.
Tukufu is my fave, BTW. He seems to genuinely like the work and the people he meets thru it. I also admire his wardrobe, which I suspect may make some think he is self-aggrandizing (this is not the best era in history to be a well dressed man).
Elyse…ah, Elyse. She doesn’t seem to come from history at all. History, fascinating though it is, is a musty, indoor thing. It comes down to awkward, slightly dull people, fluorescent lighting, fragile artifacts, and stale air. Elyse is from a world of money and moonlit beaches, where everything and everybody smells good, and people stay up late and drink and laugh and anything is possible, and there is no yesterday.
