She Likes to Watch

Central Coast history buffs, rejoice!

Tonight, the PBS show “History Detectives” airs a segment filmed in Grover Beach in March.

As first reported in The Tribune, a crew from the show “History Detectives” came here March 14 to investigate an aluminum Airstream trailer that has been at a Le Sage Riviera Mobile Home Park property since 1968.

Owners Doug and Suzy Carr called the show to try to determine whether their trailer was one of 41 that Airstream Inc. founder Wally Byam led on a 221-day, 14,307-mile trek from Cape Town, South Africa, to Cairo, Egypt, in 1959.

“A neighbor told us one day that our Airstream might be famous,” Suzy Carr told the Tribune in March. “So we started researching it ourselves. But that only took us so far.”

“History Detective producers say they were able determine whether the local trailer was part of the caravan. They’re not spilling the beans, however, until the show airs.

Tune in tonight at 9 p.m. for an all-new episode of “History Detectives” on KCET, Channel 8.

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Speaking of history, I just finished watching HBO’s “John Adams.”

Starting Paul Giamatti as the title Founding Father, this well-crafted miniseries sheds new light on the genius and integrity of our nation’s first statesmen — while highlighting the countless hardships of life in colonial America.

It also serves to vindicate the memory of Adams, a dedicated public servant who served as a Massachusetts congressman, ambassador to France, the Netherlands and Great Britain, vice president and president.

It’s a pity that America’s second Commander-in-Chief never gained the popularity of contemporaries Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson or George Washington. If this miniseries — which was co-written by historian and Adams biographer David McCullough — is any indication, he was their equal in wit and tenacity.

That said, “John Adams” does not shy away from its subjects’ human side.

Adams frequently comes across as stubborn and bad-tempered.

He spends years away from his wife and children, letting his long-suffering wife, Abigail, cope with sickness and poverty on her own. And he regularly feuds with colleagues and friends.

At the same time, his deep love and respect comes through in his relationships with Abigail (played capably by Laura Linney) and fellow statesman Thomas Jefferson (British actor Stephen Dillane).

“John Adams” is at once a moving portrait of a man and his friends, and a believable, painstakingly accurate depiction of one of our nation’s most turbulent eras.

Catch the show that’s been nominated for five Emmy Awards. It’s available on video right now.

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Tribune photo by David Middlecamp.

I once read an article titled “When good art happens to bad people.”

The premise was this: Behind some of the world’s greatest masterpieces are morally questionable people.

Case in point: Roald Dahl wrote several wonderful children’s books including “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” “Matilda” and “The BFG.” He’s also been accused of racism, sexism and other evils of his era.

Playwright Norman Mailer stabbed his wife.

Beat writer William S. Burroughs shot his.

François Villon, the 15th-century French poet, killed a priest, spent stints in prison for street brawls and was banished from Paris after a church robbery.

And that’s just the writers.

Add artists, musicians and actors to the mix and you’ve got murder (Caravaggio), child abuse (Bing Crosby, Joan Crawford), assault and gang activity (Notorious B.I.G., Tupak Shakur, et al).

Add to the list Roman Polanski, a film director whose scars include a troubled childhood in Nazi-controlled Poland and a murdered, pregnant wife.

Polanski’s 1977 trial on charges that he drugged and raped a 13-year-old girl — and its bizarre aftermath — are the subject of a new documentary by director Marina Zenovich.

“Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired” premieres tonight on HBO at 9 a.m. EST. (Part of a series of summer documentaries, it’s slated to air through July 5.)

To me, “Wanted and Desired” poses an interesting question.

What do we do when an artist as talented and highly respected as Polanski commits a reprehensible, inexcusable crime? Should we cross “Chinatown” off the American Film Institute’s “Top 100″ list? Deny him an Oscar for “The Pianist”?

Do we buy R. Kelly albums, knowing about his underage child sex scandal? Or watch Mel Gibson films, considering his anti-Semitic remarks?

What do we do when smart, talented, gifted people do very bad things?

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Movie poster courtesy of MovieWeb.com.

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P.S. After further research I have removed the name of silent film comedian Roscoe “Fatty” Arbuckle from the list of so-called “Hollywood baddies.”