Find out what classic episodes of "Visiting" are airing on KCET this week! Read more about KCET's Huell-centric programming here and share your memories of Huell with other fans here.

Monday @ 7:30PM -- "Lint Art"

Huell visits his artist friend Slater Barron to witness the beauty of art made from lint!

Watch a preview:

Tuesday @ 7:30PM -- "Vincent Price Art Museum"

Huell visits the Vincent Price Art Museum in East Los Angeles. Price and his wife, Mary Grant Price, donated a total of 9,000 pieces of art from their collection to create this museum featuring Mesoamerican, African, Native American, and European works.

Watch a preview:

In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, KCET will feature specials throughout the month of September, beginning September 15. Ranging from topics of dance and art to issues of politics and law, these programs highlight the dynamic Hispanic life and culture. Check out the list below:

Sunday, September 15 @ 4:30PM -- "Cruz Reynoso: Sowing The Seeds of Justice"

This documentary in observance of Hispanic Heritage Month paints a portrait of a man touched by injustice as a child who dedicated his life to fighting discrimination and inequality as a lawyer, judge and teacher. The compelling biography, told through a combination of archival footage and interviews, charts Cruz Reynoso's humble origins, his appointment to the California Supreme Court (the first Latino justice to serve in the state's highest court) and more recently, his leadership on the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights.

Friday, September 22 @ 4PM -- "KCETLink Presents: Sotomayor & Longoria -- A Conversation With the U.S. Supreme Court Justice"

In this KCETLink special being rebroadcast in observance of Hispanic Heritage Month, United States Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor talks to actress/activist Eva Longoria about Sotomayor's new book, "My Beloved World". Justice Sotomayor, the first Hispanic -- and third woman -- to sit on the United States Supreme Court, speaks of her humble beginnings in the Bronx housing projects, her struggles to learn English and to overcome financial hardships, as well as her courageous choices and inspiring successes.

Monday, September 29 @ 4:30PM -- "Vamos Al Baile (Let's Go to the Dance)"

In this third program commemorating Hispanic Heritage Month, a stellar lineup of Mexican-American musicians take the stage in front of a live audience. Enjoy performances by award winning artists Little Joe y La Familia, Ruben Ramos and the Mexican Revolution, and Joel Guzman with Sarah Fox plus special guests. Interspersed with interviews. Vamos al Baile (Let's go to the Dance) captures the different styles of Mexican-American music and the family atmosphere of the dance halls in which they are performed.

Tuesday, October 1 @ 9PM -- "Papers: Stories of Undocumented Youth"

"Papers" is the story of undocumented youth and the challenges they face as they turn 18 without legal status. Eleven million undocumented immigrants live in the United States. Of those, four and a half million were brought to the U.S. as children. These are young people who were educated in American schools, hold American values, know only the U.S. as home and who, upon high school graduation, find the door to their future slammed shut. 65,000 undocumented students graduate every year from high school without "papers." It is against the law to work or drive. It is difficult, if not impossible in some states, to attend college. They live at risk of arrest, detention and deportation to countries they may not even remember. Currently, there is no path to citizenship for most of these young people. Graham Street Productions produced this film in association with El Grupo Juvenil (the "Papers" Youth Crew). These youth producers were actively involved in all aspects of the production. They have worked in collaboration with immigrant youth around the country who want to tell their stories and change immigration policy.

Thursday, October 3 @ 9:35PM -- "Johnny 'Chano' Martinez: El Padrino Salsero"

Johnny Martinez was known as the Godfather of Salsa in Los Angeles, but his influence ranged everywhere. In this documentary, the audience learns how he was part of a wave of Cuban-Style Music that brought all the exciting Latin sounds of the1950s. He started playing bass in the 1940s and worked with the great bands of Perez Prado, Chuy Reyes, Celia Cruz, Noro Morales, Tito Rodriguez, Carmen Cavallero, Migalito Valdez, and many more. Johnny's orchestra recorded albums for Capitol Records, RCA, Liberty, Columbia, Decca, Tropicana, Fiesta, and Musimex/Sono Tropic. Besides music, his career also included movies, commercials and radio and television appearances. In this documentary Johnny recalls the pivotal moments of his career, and how much he loved people dancing to his music.

Tuesday, October 8 @ 9PM -- "Immigrant Nation: The Battle For The Dream"

Immigrant Nation! is a feature documentary film about the modern immigrant rights movement. In particular, it is the story of the struggle of Elvira Arellano, a single mother from Chicago, who fought her deportation. The film also interweaves the stories of individuals,organizations, activists and community leaders united by passion and a concern for justice. This film illustrates the opposition to the controversial HR4437 immigration bill as well as the ongoing struggle and demand for comprehensive immigration reform.

Tuesday, October 8 @ 10PM -- "Explore: Southwest Borderlands"

The American Southwest is a complex region where cultures transcend political borders. Join Charlie and the explore Team as they meet people pursuing a life in the United States while struggling to maintain their cultural heritage and longstanding traditions.

Tuesday, October 15 @ 9PM -- "Linda Ronstadt: In Conversation"

Climbing to the top of the music industry is a feat for any artist, especially if you're a woman in the male-dominated music industry. Linda Ronstadt is one of the few female rock icons who not only broke through the glass ceiling, but remains one of the most adored performers of our era. KCETLink, in partnership with the literary series Writers Bloc, will televise a special interview on Oct. 15 at 9PM. with Ronstadt and award-winning journalist and radio personality Patt Morrison, discussing the rocker's latest memoir, "Simple Dreams." Ronstadt exposes the long and difficult road to becoming the most successful rock singer of the '70s and also reveals her inability to sing again due to her recent diagnosis of Parkinson's disease. The live event, filmed by KCETLink, took place on Sept. 24 at the Ann and Jerry Moss Theater at New Roads School in Santa Monica.

Fans of the late Huell Howser may be interested to know that there's a petition making the rounds to name Highway 62 in Howser's honor. The road is officially known as California State Route 62, and it stretches east-west from the Arizona border to Interstate 10 near Palm Springs, where Howser was living when he died on January 7, 2013.

The petition was started by Twentynine Palms magazine The Sun Runner. The accompanying text reads in part,

Huell Howser may be gone, but he's definitely not forgotten. Huell, who truly was "Mr. California," with his shows "California's Gold," "Road Trips with Huell Howser," and others, remains a friend to all that is good in the Golden State. ... Route 62 is ideal for this designation as it runs from Palm Springs (where Huell had a home, and where he died earlier this year), through Twentynine Palms, where Huell had a home and a wonderful relationship with the community. It is our intent to remember this wonderful man who spent so much time on the road discovering and sharing the best of California with his own road -- the Huell Howser Highway.

Photo by Flickr user Quinn Dombroski, under a Creative Commons license.

Find out what classic episodes of "Visiting" are airing on KCET this week! Read more about KCET's Huell-centric programming here and share your memories of Huell with other fans here.

Monday @ 7:30PM -- "Gauldin Dolphins"

When Huell discovers that the students he spoke with at Gauldin Elementary School had never actually seen a dolphin--their school mascot--he decided to do something about it. Join Huell as he reunites with Gauldin Elementary School students and treats them to a day filled with real live dolphins.

Watch a preview:

Tuesday @ 7:30PM -- "Hummingbirds"

Huell visits the Los Angeles Co. Natural History Museum and the lush backyard of a Woodland Hills resident to learn about hummingbirds in Southern California.

We've been posting these "Retro Huell" posts for weeks now. They've been a great reminder for us -- and maybe you too -- that though Huell Howser was a journalist, a historian and an ambassador to all sorts of cool information, he was also a really quirky guy. He clearly liked veering off the beaten path, turning over rocks to see what unusual treasures might be beneath them. This, combined with this eternally sunny disposition, made him the great TV host that he was.

There's maybe no better example of how quirky Huell could be than the video posted above: a pilot episode that he produced at Nashville's WSM back in 1977. It's a fast-paced montage of Huell's work in Nashville, and as it skips from one thing to the other, you too may be struck with how wonderfully weird it can get.

A "skip ahead" guide for those of you too busy to enjoy all 20 minutes of the clip:

0:11 -- I hope it's okay if the opening text makes me think of "Star Wars." For what it's worth, it's pretty epic: "What you are about to see is a new concept in television. Not even the names have been changed to protect the innocent. There will be no flashing lights, no electronic gimmicks, no scripted lines. Just one camera and one reporter who listened."

KCET has been graced with more than its fair share of strong, British female characters -- from the mystery-cracking Brenda Blethyn character on "Vera" to the unflappable Helen Mirren character on "Prime Suspect." (And there's always Louisa of "Doc Martin," the only woman in pop culture who's tough enough to put up with Martin.) Starting Sunday, Sept. 8, KCET is celebrating those characters a new Sunday event, The Leading Ladies of KCET!

(And before you ask, no -- this won't interfere with the Sunday broadcast of "Foyle's War." It's staying put in its regular 8PM timeslot.)

First up, at 9PM, it's "Scott & Bailey," an ITV detective series featuring Detective Contsable Rachel Bailey (Suranne Jones -- "Coronation Street") and DC Janet Scott (Lesley Sharp -- "Clocking Off"). The show is gritty and may remind viewers of series such as "DCI Banks."

Immediately following "Scott & Bailey" is the longtime favorite "Rosemary & Thyme" -- perhaps the only series that combines beautiful gardens with murder mysteries. Join Laura Thyme (Pam Ferris -- "The Darling Buds of May," "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban") and Rosemary Boxer (Felicity Kendall -- "The Camomile Lawn," "The Good Life") as they see some of the greatest gardens of England and Europe and then solve mysteries while they're admiring the scenery. Sept. 8 kicks off with the first episode in the series.

And finally, get ready for "Miranda," a 30-minute BBC sitcom starring Miranda Hart, a talented comedienne whose had her hand in British laughers as wide-ranging as "Call the Midwife," "Smack the Pony" and, yes, one episode of "William & Mary." The 6-foot-1-inch Miranda repeatedly stumbles into one awkward situation after another, and Hart's award-winning performance will delight any fans of off-beat British comedy.

Check out the schedule for KCET's new Leading Ladies of KCET Sundays!

Sept. 8, 2013
9PM: Scott & Bailey (#101)
9:4PM: Rosemary & Thyme (#101)
10:39PM: Miranda (#101)
Sept. 15, 2013
9PM: Scott & Bailey (#102)
9:47PM: Rosemary & Thyme (#102)
10:37PM: Miranda (#102)
Sept. 22, 2013
9PM: Scott & Bailey (#103)
9:48PM: Rosemary & Thyme (#103)
10:38PM: Miranda (#103)
Sept. 29, 2013
9PM: Scott & Bailey (#104)
9:48PM: Rosemary & Thyme (#104)
10:38PM: Miranda (#104)

Find out what classic episodes of "Visiting" are airing on KCET this week! Read more about KCET's Huell-centric programming here and share your memories of Huell with other fans here.

Tuesday @ 7:30PM -- "Ukulele"

Join Huell at the Oasis Senior Citizen Center for a morning you wont forget. The Oasis Ukulele Strummers are a group of about 30 guys who have been strumming their ukulele's together every week for a long time.

The majority of our "Retro Huell" posts have explored his career before he came to Los Angeles. Today's post, however, focuses the "People Watcher" segments Huell did for L.A.'s own CBS-2 back in 1982. They're not all the different from certain "California's Gold" segments, really: Huell heads out to talk to quirky characters that his viewers might not know about. He gives you that trademark "slice of life" moment and you walk away feeling all fuzzy -- all Huelly.

This collection has Huell meeting a beloved philosopher-mailman, a troupe of developmentally challenged actors and a Watts grandmother teaching younger generations the art of sewing. All of these segments will make you feel better about life, but the absolute stand-out, in my opinion, has to be Skateboard Mama, a L.A. personality who wouldn't be out of place alongside "California's Gold" characters such as the Lint Lady and the Whistler. "Who is Skateboard Mama?" you may be asking. She's Liz Bevington, and at the time the segment was produced, Liz was a 59-year-old Westside resident who jammed around Venice Beach on her skateboard.

She'd only been skating for five years, but you can't tell by her awesomely 1982 moves. Let me tell you: You haven't seen anything this week until you watch Skateboard Mama skateboard-dance to the beat of Yaz's "Situation."

If you're in a rush and only have time for one segment at the moment, I strongly urge you to skip ahead to the 2:51 mark to watch Skateboard Mama in all her glory.

Some viewing notes:

• 0:01: Connie Chung!
• 0:29: Can you tell where in West L.A. this neighborhood is? It looks familiar but I can't place it.
• 3:00: Connie Chung!
• 3:25: It's important for our nation's children to realize how comically large portable music players were back in the early '80s.
• 4:08: This quote is great anyway, but it sounds all the better with a German accent -- "Some kids call me Skateboard Mama. The others ones say 'Hi, Grandma!' The other ones say 'Sidewalk surfer! Right on!'"
• 4:20: Why isn't the Grandma Slalom an Olympic sport yet? It really should be.
• 6:05: Not Connie Chung. And wow -- this lady is putting all shirt collars everywhere to shame. Can we reflect on this for a moment?

• 9:05: Connie Chung!
• 10:14 Something about her pronunciation of the sentence "That's my middle name" tickles me. She has just the hint of a smile when she does it.

Read previous "Retro Huell" posts:

• Dolly Parton
• George Burns
• Zelda Rubinstein
• Luciano Pavarotti
• Richard Simmons
• John Ritter
• Tony Danza
• a leopard
• Hulk Hogan & Mr. T
• The Eagles
• Minnie Pearl and Porky the Pet House Pig
• Dolly Parton (again)
• David Hockney
• Tammy Wynette
• The Junebug Lady
• Ed Koch
• Barbi Benton
• Huell in Nashville, 1979
• Dolly Parton (a third time), Willie Nelson and Honey Alexander

Read on to find out what shows are premiering on KCET this September as well as what specials are scheudled for air.

"In From the Cold -- A Portrait of Richard Burton" -- Sunday, September 1, 9PM

Few great actors have been so unfairly represented in the public image as Richard Burton. Drunk, a wastrel, uncontrollable, unprofessional, besotted with glamour and wealth -- these are just a few of the epithets describing the popular star of stage and screen. "In From the Cold -- A Portrait of Richard Burton," a documentary made at his widow Sally Hay's request, is a celebration of an extraordinary man whose public image may have been seen as much different.

The program is "double-pumped," with another broadcast at about 11:05 p.m.

"Explore" -- Tuesdays at 10PM, premiering September 3

Explore.org is a philanthropic media organization and a multimedia division of the Annenberg Foundation. Created by filmmaker and philanthropist Charles Annenberg Weingarten to champion the selfless acts of others, inspire lifelong learning and help people fall in love with the world again, explore.org is home to more than 300 original films and a massive library of world-class photography from all over the globe. As an advertising-free philanthropic media organization, explore.org prides itself on purity and regularly provides grants to organizations focused on improving the human condition and the planet.

"Doc Martin" continues to be one of the most popular series on KCET, but starting September 5, we have good news for viewers who can't get enough of series star Martin Clunes: We're airing the second season of "William & Mary"! The ITV sitcom shows a different side of Clunes. He's not a grumpy town physician but a romantic guy who finds new love with Mary (Julia Graham). She's a midwife. He's an undertaker. Somehow they make it work.

(In case you didn't catch KCET's airing of the first season of "William & Mary," catch up with our synopsis here.)

Check out the schedule for KCET's new Bad Martin/Good Martin Thursdays!

Thursday, Sept. 5
8PM: Doc Martin (episode: "The Departed")
8:46PM: William & Mary (#201)
9:35PM: Produced by George Martin
10:40PM: Girls of Daraja

Thursday, Sept. 12

8PM: Doc Martin ("Midwife Crisis")
8:46PM: William & Mary (#202)
9:33PM: Amy Winehouse at Her Best: When Amy Came to Dingle

Thursday, Sept. 19

8PM: Doc Martin ("Do Not Disturb")
8:46PM: William & Mary (#203)
9:34PM: Live @ The Ford (The Angel City Jazz Festival)
10:30PM: City Walk

Sept. 26
8PM: Doc Martin ("The Wrong Goodbye")
8:47PM: William & Mary (#204)
9:35PM: Lindsey Buckingham -- Songs from the Small Machine

Oct. 3, 2013

8PM: Doc Martin ("Preserve the Romance")
8:47PM: William & Mary (#205)
9:35PM: Artbound