Where's Huell? (June 1-4)
From neon to ladybugs, from earthquake epicenters to "The World's Lemon Capitol", California 's terrain is as rich as it is surprising.
Tuesday - June 1, 7:30pm: California Testers - Huell visits the Los Angeles-based Smith-Emery Company and their staff of inspectors and engineers that put all sorts of construction materials through rigorous tests. In business since 1904, the company began performing inspection and testing on commercial building structures following the San Francisco Earthquake-Fire of 1906. Watch as a bustling 1905 Market Street transforms into a decimated, post-earthquake cityscape.
Wednesday - June 2, 7:30pm: Ladybugs - Huell goes on a honest-to-goodness ladybug hunt in a secret location and answers the burning question, Just where do ladybugs come from? Think you know all there is to know about coccinellids (or ladybugs, as we laymen like to call them)? This ultra-slow footage of a ladybug unfolding its wings shows us all what we miss when looking at the world in real-time.
Thursday - June 3, 7:30pm: Grocery Store Stories - Huell meets two nice ladies at his local grocery store and sees where the story takes him. Hint: think pawn shop and neon! Huell didn't end up at the Museum of Neon Art in downtown, but this quick tour of the gallery space will whet your appetite for light.
Friday - June 4, 7:30pm: Corona Road Race - In the early 1900s Corona was known for its citrus, and even dubbed "The World's Lemon Capitol." Legend has it that Corona was laid out to resemble a wagon wheel with Grand Boulevard as the rim. This circular street is one of the most unusual thoroughfares in the world, and from 1913 to 1916 was even used as a racetrack. Join Huell Howser as he steps back in time to recreate the Corona Road Races complete with vintage race cars and even an attendee from the 1916 race. This vintage roll is not as vintage as 1916 (filmed in the late seventies), but it reveals Corona California's long-standing love-affair with automobile race tracks.
