Barack Obama's California College Days

California has a rich maritime history and has been at the forefront of naval warfare since the beginning. In this special one-hour adventure, Huell visits two aircraft carriers that are now museums in the waters of California.

Huell learns about the machines that clean the ice at ice rinks and professional hockey events. The machine is called a Zamboni and was invented right here in California. Huell meets the son of the inventor and visits the factory where they were invented. Huell tops off the day with a trip to the Anaheim Pond, home of the Mighty Ducks to see the Zamboni in action at a professional hockey game.

Huell visits the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County to explore its famous animal dioramas. He meets with Robert Reid, the museum's resident artist of 20 years who's responsible for creating all of the beautiful exhibits. Reid manages to capture everything from deserts to beaches with nothing more than a paint brush. He works closely with taxidermist Tim Bovard to make the animals appear as lifelike as possible.

We’ve all heard the expression “Frick & Frack”, but how many of us know where it really came from? Well in this episode Huell travels to Palm Springs to meet Frick, and get the lowdown on Frack. You see they were a pair of famous ice-skaters who have performed in front of literally millions of people over the years.

Huell goes to Koreatown with L.A. Times reporter Connie Kang and goes shopping at the Hannam market, where he learns about many exotic and tasty foods found there. 

Join Huell Howser as he visits the Oasis Senior Center in Newport Beach, CA to meet with the Oasis Ukulele Strummers.

Huell visits a man who raised a giant goldfish that's now three-feet long. Too big for his tank, the goldfish was moved to its new home in the lush koi ponds at the Lake Shrine Temple.

Originally the set for silent films in the 1920s, the Lake Shrine ended up in the hands of a construction superintendent for 20th Century Fox who built a double decker Mississippi houseboat and an authentic reproduction of a 16th century Dutch windmill. Today, the spot is an open air shrine to all religions.

Huell visits Lily Farms and Quicksilver Ranch. Lily Farms is the home of the happy chickens. These are free range chickens whose eggs are the best. Quicksilver Ranch is the home of some very sweet miniature horses.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Huell tours the Vincent Price Art Museum, which opened in May 2011 at East Los Angeles College in Monterey Park. The museum contains 9,000 items, many of which were donated by the late actor. Victoria Price leads the tour of her father’s vast collection of fine art and shows why this gallery is one of Los Angeles’s best kept secrets. We also look back at Huell’s original 1989 ‘Videolog’ interview with Vincent Price himself.

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Huell climbs to the top of the tallest building west of the Rockies, the U.S. Bank Building -- located in downtown Los Angeles.

A unique adventure to two of California's rarely seen natural wonders: the Bristlecone Pine, the oldest, continuously living thing on this planet found in the White Mountains of the Eastern Sierra, and magnificent Le Conte Falls deep in the rocky and steep terrain of Yosemite National Park.

Huell spends the day at the Los Angeles Super Show, one of the largest lowrider car shows in the world. He sees some amazing vehicles and speaks with the artists who created them, as well as their owners.

 

Once barren, but now planted with trees and shrubs, Amir's Garden in Griffith Park is an oasis. Huell learns all about the garden and its creator Amir Dialameh.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Photo: Cameron Mitchell Tucker

Huell has produced thousands of shows, and there have been many fan favorites. One of the all-time greats has to be the old "Videolog" episode "Rubel's Castle."

Michael Rubel took Huell on a grand tour of his handmade home and charmed us all. Rubel has since passed away, and the castle is now managed by the Glendora Historical Society with the help of Rubel's nephew, Scott. Huell gets a new tour of this iconic location.

Photo courtesy of Amparo Rios

Huell's hot adventure begins in downtown Los Angeles' Grand Central Market, where we discover some of the spiciest peppers and chili sauces around. But you won't find anything hotter than Moe Newaz's backyard variety of ghost peppers and devil's tongue peppers in Santa Clarita. We also learn about the Scoville Heat Scale, developed in 1912 by chemist Wilbur Scoville, which has become the standard for measuring spicy food.

 

Lucky Baldwin was one of the great characters of Southern California history during the late 19th century and early 20th century. He was a pioneer and real estate tycoon who owned the land that would become Arcadia, Monrovia, and Baldwin Hills.

Huell visits the Queen Anne Cottage at the Los Angeles Arboretum, which was built on his former property in 1885, and is now on the National Register of Historic Places.

Photo courtesy of USC Digital Archive

Since its doors opened in 1926, Los Angeles' Hall of Justice has been the site for the city's famous and felonious. Bugsy Siegel, Charles Manson, and Sirhan Sirhan have all spent time behind bars here. Join Huell as he tours this now-empty part of L.A. history.

READ MORE: Restoring the Hall of Justice. Remembering Los Angeles.

Photo by Richard Ross with the courtesy of the J. Paul Getty Trust

J. Paul Getty acquired a Malibu retreat in 1945. Today, this spot includes a Romanesque gallery full of priceless art. Huell tours the property and its historically accurate ancient Roman crop garden.

Huell visits the family run Gills Onions, which is not only the largest onion processing plant in California but its also the greenest. Each day they convert over 150 tons of onion peel and juice waste to power fuel cells on site that provide enough power to run the lights and refrigeration.

A special one hour show all about the 270,000 acre Tejon Ranch. Huell sees the diverse beauty of this enormous ranch and learns about its rich history.

 

 

 

 

 

Huell heads south to the small town of Heber to visit Ormat Technologies geothermal plant. From the earliest native peoples to the mud loving “spa’ enthusiasts, this area has a rich history in harnessing the “heat” bubbling up from the ground. We’ll get an education in how Ormat is harnessing this energy and using it to power our lives.

Huell meets Jeanie, a Santa Barbara woman who has turned her home into a sanctuary for over 300 turtles.

Have you ever wondered what one of the largest egg collections in the world looks like? Well the San Bernardino County Museum has just an exhibit. Huell takes a close-up look at some very unusual eggs.

It's off to Santa Monica Beach to the site of the very first Hot Dog On A Stick stand. It all started in 1946 when Dave Barham opened his first stand by Muscle Beach. The company has become a California tradition with Dave's daughter at the helm. We get a behind the scenes look at Hot Dog on a Stick.

Huell visits Doheny State Beach in Orange County to help celebrate the 75th anniversary of the park. Doheny is famous for its surfing and laid back California atmosphere. We'll visit with families who have multiple generations that have grown up on the great waves of Doheny. We'll also learn about camping throughout years at this idyllic spot.

Huell visits the Salvation Army for a lesson in donut history, which begins on the battlefields of World War I. Then it’s off to Stan’s Donuts in Westwood, where Stan cooks up his “peanut butter pockets,” a high-calorie confection which has been officially renamed “The Huell”.

Falconry is an ancient sport that has a small, but enthusiastic following in California. Huell learns about the sport, as well as an array of beautiful raptors from a master falconer and studio animal trainer. 

Huell heads to the “greenest” fair in California. The Marin County Fair has made a huge effort to make a very small footprint on the environment. The carousel and the main stage are both powered by solar. Another stage is powered by a 99% vegetable oil biodiesel generator and the lighting at the entrance to the fair is powered by a wind turbine. There is even an all-electric, solar-powered trackless train to take guests on excursion rides. Even the animal’s straw and manure from the Barnyard is collected and trucked to an organic farm in West Marin after the fair.

After seeing a web site devoted to all the great cultural and historic sites to view along the original Route 66 in the Newberry Springs area, Huell prints out the map and hops in his car--eager to start his next Road Trip. He doesn't find the Buffalo Ranch, Big Al's Pistachio Plant, or the Ostrich Farm he was looking for, but Huell does meet a group of warm, interesting and generous Newberry Springs locals.

The Desert View Tower stands 3,000 feet above sea level, three miles east of Jacumba in the Imperial Valley. The four-story, cut-stone structure was built in the 1920s by Bert Vaughn, who owned the town of Jacumba. The pre-highway trek to the Pacific Coast was arduous so Vaughn commemorated the pioneers who struggled across the arid desert. Join Huell as he climbs to the top of the tower to see the spectacular views of the desert below.

Huell starts this update with clips from the original episode, then heads to the new home of the panorama to see what's changed and what you can expect if you choose to visit.

 

 

 

 

 

Every spring, California blooms anew, bringing forth a striking display of flowers. Huell visits three places across the state where the splendor of California is in full bloom: Daffodil Hill in the Gold Country, the Ranunculas fields of Carlsbad Ranch, and the California Poppy Reserve in Antelope Valley--all amazing vistas where swaths of color stretch as far as the eye can see.

Family owned and operated since 1939, this L.A. institution has been serving up some of the best chili cheese hot dogs this side of Coney Island. Huell get the lowdown from Mrs. Pink and a handful of enthusiastic patrons, many whom have been eating at Pink's since their childhood.

Huell interviewed Tony Danza in the original 1981 episode. Danza, who was only two years into the run of "Taxi" at the time, showed off his '57 Porsche Speedster and reminisced about his old New York stomping grounds in the episode.

Huell visits with 5 ladies who were all actresses in the 40s and have remained friends and walked together every Saturday for 50 years. 

“Outpost” was once the largest neon sign in the world and stood above Runyon Canyon near Hollywood during the 1920s. The neon sign was a rival at that time to the Hollywoodland sign, and amazingly has been brought out of the past by Huell. Discover this California landmark, as it currently lies covered by weeds and dirt above the modern day Runyon Canyon Hills

California's rich history has been documented in many ways, but the tradition of quilting is an expression of California life through beautiful and intricate pieces of art. Join Huell as he visits an exhibit of California quilts covering a 100-year history and the Foothill Quilters who keep this tradition alive.

 

 

 

 

 

Bakersfeild is Huell's next Road Trip where he samples Basque food, visits a Tule Elk reserve and tours country music legend Buck Owen's Crystal Palace.

It began in 1958 in the back room of Boots Beer's Real Estate Office with a couple of old records and some instruments. Almost fifty years later it has become one of the countries premier folk music destinations. Filled with instruments from all over the world and staffed by wonderful people who really know their music, the Folk Music Center is a wonderful place to lose yourself. Huell gets a very special tour from the family that still owns the center