An Ideal Traveling Companion

Somewhere out there, there’s got to be an outtake reel of film that reveals a very different Huell Howser.

Not the relentlessly sunny host of KCET’s “Road Trip,” but someone who screams at the cameraman, yawns during a local official’s anecdote and spits out the blue-plate special at the town diner. Could that be the real Howser?

Don’t count on it. Either he’s the finest actor working today or Howser’s warmth and sincerity are the real deal, the cornerstones that make his weekly travelogue a pleasure to watch regardless of the destination.

Tonight at 8, Howser sets off for exotic Riverside, where he mines enough interesting nuggets to keep the hourlong program rolling merrily along. His easy drawl and infectious enthusiasm carry the day during stops at a citrus park, the Mission Inn and the historic downtown district. And he caps segments the way only Huell can: “You never know what you’re going to find when you come to the Museum of Photography in Riverside!”

The show, written and produced by Howser, is preceded at 7:30 p.m. on KCET by one of his new efforts, “Our Neighborhoods,” a monthly program that showcases Southland life in all its varieties. Produced in conjunction with cable outlet LA CityView, tonight’s program unfolds in Glendale.

With Howser as a traveling companion, any trip is one worth taking.