Press Reviews

• Douglas A. Waltz | show/hide snippet

  Article written by Douglas A. Waltz…Cult Cuts
  There is nothing you have seen in your life that will prepare you for the oddity known as LOUNGING AROUND WITH RON KAPLAN. Ron, a Jazz singer by night and Allstate Insurance agent by day, brings a 50’s lounge singer sensibility to this six episode series that originally previewed on cable access in Santa Cruz. Thankfully, it has all been preserved in a DVD and is now available for us to enjoy.

  So, what is LOUNGING AROUND WITH RON KAPLAN? Each episode is a half hour, or so, variety show. We get to hear at least two numbers by Ron, and I was amazed at the man’s talent. Not sure why this guy isn’t doing this full time instead of selling insurance. In addition to a wonderful jazz singer entertaining us with his masterful vocals, we get comedy. It’s skit comedy on the level of old Dean Martin or even a little Benny Hill, but to be sure, it’s genuinely funny stuff. The six shows follow a particular pattern reminiscent of the old variety shows that used to thrive on network television. We get a skit, a song, another skit or special guest, another song, another skit. Formulaic, yes, but still worth the watch.

  I can remember watching Red Skelton on television as a youngster, and while Ron Kaplan is not Red Skelton, he still manages to entertain. Now for the weird part…
  It seems that while they were shooting the runway models in swimsuits segment (that’s right, I said runway model swimsuit segment), it was very cold. As for the models…well, let’s put it this way…you could see the blue veins in their bodies. It’s kind of gross, but a perfect shoot in spite of it. When they were putting the show together, Ron hated the idea of losing the segment. So, one of the guys on the crew suggested a digital animating of the video to hide the veins. It worked well enough that they treated the entire series with the effect and it adds a little unreal quality to the whole thing.

  Ron Kaplan is a master showman and this is probably the best cable access show I’ve ever seen. Beats the hell out of anything Tom green ever put in front of us. So, if you crave a blast from the past that was made in the here and now with some of the swingiest sound on the planet, look no farther, baby. Go to the website and get your own copy of LOUNGING AROUND WITH RON KAPLAN at filmbaby.com. It’s a wild and kooky trip into pure, old-fashioned entertainment.

• Yahoo! Movies | show/hide snippet

  Ron Kaplan revives the spirit of the classic variety show with his jazzy riffs, novelty acts, and of course gorgeous women. The ghost of Dean Martin lives on in Kaplan's tongue-in-cheek mock TV program, and the six episodes included here are both a ridiculous and sincere homage to those bygone days of tuxedos and martinis.
  MPAA Rating: Not Rated