Huell Howser

Huell Howser Lives!

One Chronicler of Our State Offers His Take on Another

Zócalo is celebrating its 20th birthday! As part of the festivities, we’re publishing reflections and responses that revisit and reimagine some of our most impactful stories and public programs. Connecting California columnist Joe Mathews revisits Southern California author D.J. Waldie’s 2012 essay “The Darkness Behind Huell Howser” and considers why, over a decade after Howser’s death, the public TV’s great California chronicler retains such a hold on us.

“Do you know Huell Howser?”

I got that question recently while chatting with a counter guy at Erick Schat’s …

by Joe Mathews |

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It’s Chinatown, Son, and I Love It

Finding French Dips and Community on the Gold Line

by Joe Mathews |

It should have been a quiet, forgettable Tuesday night at home. That’s all I wanted it to be. My wife was out of town. I had to pick up both …

The Darkness Beneath Huell Howser

Reveling In California’s Joys Has Always Been Partly About Making Up For Broken Dreams

by D. J. Waldie |

Huell Howser has retired after nearly 30 years of producing and hosting programs for KCET, ending his career in Garbo-esque disappearance within almost ubiquitous presence. California’s Gold, California’s Green, Downtown, …


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