The Huell Howser appreciation thread

If you’ve watched Public Television in California at all in the last 25 years, you know about Huell Howser. Mostly famous for his show California’s Gold, Huell is the most enthusiastic TV personality you’re ever likely to see. In fact, this infoMania story calls him The Happiest Man on TV. He travels all over the state and brings back stories about interesting people and places in his down-home “Aw shucks, this is AMAZING!” style.

You could plan a whole California vacation based on his shows: he’s been to just about every attraction/place of interest in the state—and then some. His name gets mentioned a lot when I’m out on the road. Just last week I was on a tour of a gold mine and someone said, “Has Huell Howser been up here? He needs to do a story on this place!”

Huell has even made it into the Simpson’s pantheon of characters, as Howell Huser. I suspect that his over the top enthusiasm might be off-putting to some, but he has tons of fans. I was in Palm Springs one time and saw him riding a moped on the main drag and people were lining up to say hello and shake his hand. I’m sure other states have road-tripping TV hosts, but Huell is one of a kind, and California is lucky to have him as a cheerleader/reporter.
Non-Californians can check out some of his stuff on Howser’s official youtube page.

I know someone who sat next to him on an airplane once. He asked him where exactly his accent was from, and Huell reportedly replied, “What are you talking about? I don’t have any accent!”

The interviews he does are hilarious.

HUELL: So, what do we have here? Some sort of old time ice-cream machine? You use this crank here and it churns the milk and sugar and ice? And that makes the ice cream? And you’re the owner? And your name is Cindy? And you’ve worked here for 25 years?

CINDY: Umm…yes.

HUELL: Well that’s great! Thank you Cindy!!!

Mrs. McLady: This is the chair Geo. Washington sat in.

Huell: So this is the chair Geo.Washing sat in.

Mrs. McLady: Yes, in 1778

Huell: So Geo. Washington sat in this chair in 1778.

Mrs. McLady: Yes.

Huell: Well folks, we’re looking at the chair Geo. Washington sat in in 1778.

I love his enthusiasm and the places he goes. I love watching his shows.

I don’t like the lack of historical detail or context sometimes. Some of his shows could use more depth such as a narrative on state or local history by way of background.

I also get a kick out of his redundant interviewing, as mentioned above, but that gets annoying sometimes.

Guide: The exterior steps of the state capitol were originally planned to up the second floor, but the state ran out of money due to an economic downturn, so the steps only go up to the main entrance on the first floor today.

HH: Wait a minute! These steps right here?

Guide: Yes, these steps right here.

HH: Now, these steps only go up the the entrance on the first floor.

Guide: That’s right.

HH: This is the main entrance on the first floor.

Guide: Yes.

HH: But in the original plans, the steps were supposed to go up to the second floor?

Guide: Yes, that’s right.

HH: So, if the plans were followed, the main entrance would have been on the second floor?

Guide: Yes.

HH: But the state ran out of money when the capitol was being built?

Guide: Yes, there was an economic downturn at the time.

HH: I see, so due to the money problems, the state couldn’t afford to make steps up to the second floor?

Guide: That’s right.

HH: So, they changed the plans to make the steps to only go up to the door on the first floor.

Guide: Yes.

HH: … and they made the main entrance on the first floor instead.

Guide: Yes.

HH: So, look at that, folks. When you look at these steps right here, just think of what it would be like if they went up to the second floor. When you walk on these steps, you’ll know that the reason they only go to the first floor is because the state ran out of money when the capitol was being built and they had to change the plans! That’s AMAZING!

Guide: :smack::smack::smack::smack::smack:


Another one of his interview gimmicks is to ask people, “What do you mean by that?” The problem is that the meaning of the statement for which he seeks clarification is usually so blindingly obvious that there’s no need for further clarification.

HH: What do you mean, “The state ran out of money due to an economic downturn?”

Guide: Just what I said, you dumb hick! :smack:

HH: I see.

One thing I don’t get is why he has 7 shows all doing roughly the same stuff.

He use to do the news in Nashville, ages ago.

There’s a comic named James Adomian (finished 10th on this year’s Last Comic Standing) that does a lot of great impressions (most famously GW Bush and Jesse Ventura). He often appears on the Comedy Death Ray Radiopodcast as Huell Howser and it’s incredible.

His impressions are more than just sounding like somebody, he embodies that person as a very distinct character giving them all kinds of great quirks and oddities that he’s mostly invented for the character. For example, in the context of the CDR podcast Huell and Jesse Ventura have joined together to form an elite conspiricy-breaking team called “Enigma Force 5.” Good stuff.

Here’s an audio clip of Adomian’s Huell. Also, here is a link to Adomian’s bio pageon the CDR site which also has a clip of Huell you can hear. It’s good stuff.

So true. He took a good deal of abuse from Dan Miller and the female anchor of the day. Loni Lardner, maybe? It was before Demetria’s time, for sure.

Same schtick as these days in California, just a little more “down home.”

That’s funny! :smiley:

When Huell was a kid, he and the guy who eventually became the best man at my wedding used to sit in the balcony at the theater and throw malted milk balls down on an unsuspecting audience. Given his age and what I know about Nashville, I would guess that was at the old Tennessee Theater downtown which used to draw quite a crowd. No telling how many ladies hats he ruined.

Come home, Huell. All is forgiven.