Where's Huell? -- The Week Before Christmas Edition
What's a week without the continued adventures of KCET's Golden State-trotting hero, Huell Howser? It's like a California winter without fake snow, that's what. Find out where Huell's heading this week.
Monday @ 7:30PM -- "L.A. Remembered"
Huell looks back at Clifton's Cafeteria, Leader's Beauty Salon, Sunset Plaza, and more.
Tuesday @ 7:30PM -- "Holiday Classic: Poinsettias"
Albert Ecke immigrated from Germany to Southern California in 1902 and opened a roadside stall selling fruits and vegetables. By the 1920s his son Paul started selling some of the wild poinsettia plants that grew in the hills above their stall. From these small beginnings, it is now estimated that over 90 percent of all flowering poinsettias get their start at the Paul Ecke Ranch. Join Huell and Luis as they meet Paul, Paul Jr. & Paul III, who give them a tour of this amazing and brightly colored piece of California's Christmas Gold.
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Wednesday @ 7:30PM -- "Holiday Classic: Cornish Christmas"
In this holiday special, Huell celebrates the holidays with the descendants of the original Cornish Carol Choir of Grass Valley. Join them as they reenact their 1940 concert of traditional Cornish Christmas Carols, which took place 2,000 feet below ground in a gold mine, and was broadcast nationally on network radio.
Thursday @ 7:30PM -- "Photoplayer"
Huell meets Joe Rinaudo whose passion is a 1926 Fotoplayer, which uses music rolls like those for player pianos to provide music and sound effects to silent films. Joe spent thousands of hours restoring his Fotoplayer and although the "talkies" made them obsolete in the late 1920s, Huell discovers there is still no better way to enjoy a silent movie than with Joe, his hand cranked projector and his Fotoplayer.
Friday @ 7:30PM -- "See's Candy"
It started back in 1921 and quickly became one of California's biggest and "sweetest" success stories. The little shop on Western Avenue featured the favorite candy recipes of Mary See and focused on farm-fresh ingredients and homemade goodness. Before long this little shop had grown into a chain of stores serving loyal customers, and See's Candies had become famous around the world. In this calorie-laden edition of "California's Gold," host Huell Howser gets a firsthand taste of the See's story. First he visits one of the earliest shops to open in San Francisco and meets with current and past employees. While there, Huell also talks with regular customers who come in to purchase their particular favorite type of See's Candy. Then he travels to Los Angeles for a tour of the inner sanctum of the See's Candy factory where the historic candies are actually made. It's an assembly line like none other in the world, manned by employees who have been with the company for years. The story of See's Candy is indeed a true California success story -- one of which Mary See surely would be proud!
Sunday @ 7PM -- "Nacimientos"
Huell visits two Los Angeles-area families that faithfully create elaborate Nacimientos, or Nativity scenes, which are a focal point of many Mexican American homes during the Christmas season.