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Huell Howser Retiring California's Gold

Thank goodness! His corn pone shtick had gotten old years ago. Howser has this uncanny ability to take the insignificant and uninteresting and stretch it out to gargantuan proportions.

Huell: So a caramel apple is basically an apple on a stick that you dip in caramel sauce.

Woman: That's right.

Huell: Now let me get this straight; you shove this here stick into this here apple and then dunk it into this here caramel sauce?

Woman: That's right.

Huell: Well, Golly! Let's watch how you do this. (She demonstrates). And how long you been doing this?

Woman: 45 years

Huell: You mean, you've shoving sticks into apples and dipping them into caramel sauce for 45 years?!

Woman: That's right.

Huell: Well, golly! Let me shake your hand. (turning to a man beside the woman) And what do you do?

Man: I wash the apples

Huell: Now let me get this straight.....



And on it goes for another ten minutes.
 
Carmine5 said:
Thank goodness! His corn pone shtick had gotten old years ago. Howser has this uncanny ability to take the insignificant and uninteresting and stretch it out to gargantuan proportions.

Huell: So a caramel apple is basically an apple on a stick that you dip in caramel sauce.

Woman: That's right.

Huell: Now let me get this straight; you shove this here stick into this here apple and then dunk it into this here caramel sauce?

Woman: That's right.

Huell: Well, Golly! Let's watch how you do this. (She demonstrates). And how long you been doing this?

Woman: 45 years

Huell: You mean, you've shoving sticks into apples and dipping them into caramel sauce for 45 years?!

Woman: That's right.

Huell: Well, golly! Let me shake your hand. (turning to a man beside the woman) And what do you do?

Man: I wash the apples

Huell: Now let me get this straight.....



And on it goes for another ten minutes.
Click to expand...

CLassic!
 
sdwulfdawg said:
Carmine5 said:
Thank goodness! His corn pone shtick had gotten old years ago. Howser has this uncanny ability to take the insignificant and uninteresting and stretch it out to gargantuan proportions.

Huell: So a caramel apple is basically an apple on a stick that you dip in caramel sauce.

Woman: That's right.

Huell: Now let me get this straight; you shove this here stick into this here apple and then dunk it into this here caramel sauce?

Woman: That's right.

Huell: Well, Golly! Let's watch how you do this. (She demonstrates). And how long you been doing this?

Woman: 45 years

Huell: You mean, you've shoving sticks into apples and dipping them into caramel sauce for 45 years?!

Woman: That's right.

Huell: Well, golly! Let me shake your hand. (turning to a man beside the woman) And what do you do?

Man: I wash the apples

Huell: Now let me get this straight.....



And on it goes for another ten minutes.
Click to expand...

CLassic!
Click to expand...

I left out the word "been".

But when Huell says that he can go out in an afternoon and shoot a 30 minute show, I believe it. (It's all 1-take, turn the camera over and don't stop till the tape runs out or the P2 card fills up, stuff). In a way, the success of "California's Gold" is a testimony to the economical process Huell's developed to produce these shows: a videographer, an editor and him (and his outsized personality). There's also a front office person and a producer.

If nothing else, "California's Gold" has truly been 'gold' for Howser.
 
Robnoxious said:
All that you were missing Carmine5 was "That's amazing!" in place of "golly" otherwise you nailed it.
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I forgot about "That's amazing." I don't live in the L.A. area anymore and so haven't watched his show in ages. But it's great to hear that, like the turning of the earth, Huell's formula hasn't changed in all these years.
 
I enjoyed Huell Howser's programs even though he could have easily played the lead in the stage version of No Time For Sergeants. The "Aw-shucks" style did get a bit tiresome but Howser always seemed truly interested in whatever location he was doing a story about. In July of 2011, Disney released a new Winnie The Pooh movie. The storyline---the dumb storyline---involved Pooh and his friends searching for Christopher Robin. He had left a note saying "Back soon" and they misread it and thought he had been captured by a creature known as a "Backson." Moviegoers who sat through the credits were treated to the best scene in the movie: There was a real "Backson" and the creature was voiced by Huell Howser and even used some of Howser's familiar expressions. The movie is worth buying or renting, just for that one scene.
 
ercjncpr said:
ShawnHill1 said:
Howser passed away today age at 67...

http://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/Huell-Howser-Death-California-Gold-185922911.html
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And those who poked fun of him here are probably celebrating :mad:
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Oh, please! Just because someone doesn't like a certain broadcaster's style doesn't mean he wishes him dead. That's nonsense.

As one broadcaster noted, Huell was his own character and as such many watched his show because they enjoyed his outsized personality and unique style as much as they enjoyed the subject matter. There will never be another Huell Howser. He was one-of-a-kind. So it's not unusual if he was lampooned by many broadcasters such as Adam Carolla (and Huell's voice being used for a cartoon character is very fitting).

It was reported that he had no immediate family. But, if you consider the thousands he interviewed in the past 25 years and the millions who were fans of Huell and his show, you could say that he left behind an entire state of "kin" who loved and will miss him.
 
Huell Howser always insisted on carrying an old-fashioned microphone which he could move back and forth between himself and the person he was speaking with. He thought that wearing a clip-on microphone would have disconnected him from the other person and turned each program into merely a "television show." He often would put his hand on someone's shoulder and chat as if he and the other person were old friends. He also liked the cameramen to make long panoramic shots so the viewers could see what he saw. What a contrast to other programs that won't stay on a shot for more than two seconds!

Until I read the obituary, I never knew the origin of his first name: it was a combination of the names of his parents, Harold and Jewel. If his parents had been named Idi and Harriet, he could have been Idiot. :D
 
On January 15, a Huell Howser memorial service was held at Griffith Observatory. It started at 3:30. Fans began showing up at 9 am. Many drove hundreds of miles, coming from the remote towns that Howser had visited. Los Angeles City Councilman Tom LaBonge arranged the service. There were lots of speeches and a helicopter circling overhead. The service concluded with a tape of Howser singing California Here I Come. It was played several times while everyone sang along. That same tape (or a copy thereof) was played by KFI evening host Tim Conway Jr. on last night's show.
 
Huell Howser never married and he lived near Palm Springs. That led to all kinds of rumors about the cause of his death. The Riverside County death certificate has been filed with the Department of Health and the cause was not what many of us suspected. He died of prostate cancer. His body was cremated and the ashes were scattered over the Pacific Ocean.
 
LARadioRewind said:
Huell Howser never married and he lived near Palm Springs. That led to all kinds of rumors about the cause of his death. The Riverside County death certificate has been filed with the Department of Health and the cause was not what many of us suspected. He died of prostate cancer. His body was cremated and the ashes were scattered over the Pacific Ocean.
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Oh that's to bad. I lost my dad about a year ago with a long battle of prostate cancer.He was 79 two months shy to turn 80.

BTW thanks for the Chapman University website .I enjoyed some of Huell's greatest moments.
 
What a difference two days makes! (That sounds almost like a song title.) Two days ago there was a big public memorial service for Huell Howser. It was organized by City Councilman Tom LaBonge. Today a lot of Huell Howser fans are angry with LaBonge because, as it turns out, one of Howser's last wishes was that he not be given a memorial service. Oopsie!
 
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