I FOLLOW-UP
fter sampling other
potlights, versatile Ron
oden laughs with local
vern patrons.
THEN: Performing at the different Mountain Jack's restaurants.
NOW: Coden records commercial voice-overs during the week.
. Glenn Triest
The Man Upstairs
Ron Coden is still busy, performing on weekends
and taping commercial voice-overs during the week.
STEVEN M. HARTZ
dervish Netes Intern
C
omedian Ron Co-
den has enter-
tained more than
500 audiences
since he was
featured in the Close-Up sec-
tion of The Jewish News on
Feb. 22, 1985.
No longer traveling from
0 one Mountain Jack's to
another as he did 41/2 years
ago, Coden has spent the last
two years performing upstairs
at Prock's Comedy Showroom
in Clawson, while his friend,
comedian Bob Posch, enter-
tains downstairs.
"Our shows run simulta-
neously, " Coden says. "We do
two shows a night on Fridays
and Saturdays."
Coden patterns his act after
1960s groups like the Lime-
lighters and the Kingston
Trio and folk singer Josh
White, playing songs in bet-
ween jokes.
"I like to do comedy, but I
like to do a serious song once
in a while," Coden says. "My
show is 80 percent comedy
and the other 20 percent
Broadway show tunes, coun-
try music, folk music and
standard songs like
`Somewhere Over the Rain-
bow.' "
Still backing up Coden are
Steve Fava and Ron Blight,
who have provided the
musical foundation of the
show for more than a decade.
Today, recording commer-
cial voice-overs occupies
Coden's hours. In 1985, he
was the voice behind the
Highland Appliance mid-
night madness commercial.
Today, he's recorded several
commercial voice-overs heard
locally on both television and
radio for ABC Warehouse,
Mickey Shore, the Detroit
News, Stroh's Ice Cream and
a national spot for Volks-
wagon.
Not only has he been busy
entertaining adults with his
comedy and recording com-
mercial voice-overs, but
Coden, who received a
bachelor's degree in elemen-
tary education from Wayne
State University, performs
children's concerts and visits
elementary classes, singing
and playing on his guitar a
history or math lecture for
the students.
"Teachers have asked me to
come into their classrooms
and supplement some of the
things they're teaching with
music," he says. "I like to give
back some of the training I
had."
For the past two years,
Coden has performed and pro-
duced children's concerts for
community houses in Oak
Park, Sterling Heights, Troy
and Livonia."
Coden was noted as "a fami-
ly man" in the 1985 article
because he spent a lot of time
with his then-11-year-old son,
David. rIbday, he has two more
children, three-and-a-half-
year old Casey and 20-month
old Michael, and says he
wants to open up a night club
just for youngsters.
"Kids aren't exposed
enough to live music because
all of the concert videos that
are available," Coden says.
Coden is no stranger to per-
forming for children. In the
1970s, he helped put together
the syndicated - children's
television series, "Hot
Fudge." He recorded 80 shows,
playing characters including
Professor Emotion, Mr. Nasty
and Detective Tomato.
"Where 'Sesame Street'
deals with letters and
numbers, 'Hot Fudge' ad-
dressed emotions," Coden
says. "We stopped taping the
show eight years ago, and the
reruns remained in syndica-
tion through 1987. There's
been talk of maybe doing a
special here or there since it
left syndication. I would love
to make some more 'Hot
Fudge' shows."
Having performed all over
the United States with the
likes of Gabe Kaplan, Steve
Martin, Lily Tomlin and Doc
Severinsen in the 1970s,
Coden now entertains only in
the Detroit area.
"I really stopped trying to
become a star in show
business 20 years ago" he
says. "All I wanted to do over
the past 10 years was to
become good enough in my
mind to be proud of my work,
and I am. It really doesn't
matter how big my name ap-
pears on a marquee, I'm still
the same person, and I still
have to give the best perfor-
mance I can."I I
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
49