In the video interview above, filmmakers Jon and Mary Orlin sit down with Sandie Newton on KESQ’s Desert Chat, alongside the stars of their documentary, Karen and Tony Barone. The conversation gave an intimate, behind-the-scenes look at how a chance meeting on a train platform blossomed into a lifelong romance, decades of iconic art, and a six-year filmmaking journey that survived a global pandemic.
The interview previews the June 19th screening of Something To Entertain You at the XOXO Palm Springs Arts and Culture Celebration.
A Walking Art Installation
Sandie kicked off the chat by addressing the spectacularly dressed artist in the room. As one commentator in the film beautifully puts it:
"Karen Barone is like a walking art installation, site-specific. When she leaves the house, that's her art."
Despite being beloved fixtures of the desert community for years, many locals realize they only know the Barones from a distance. When Sandie asked why they finally decided to "bear all" for the cameras, Karen smiled.
"They decided to unearth who we really were," Karen explained. "We connected immediately. What they've produced to me is our inner souls... they knew of our love and they were able to express it in a film."
Tony, ever the romantic, chimed in with a grin: "I discovered this magic woman on a train platform and my life just took off from there. I'm still on that train!"
Six Years, One Pandemic, and Endless Trust
For co-directors Jon and Mary Orlin, the project began with pure curiosity. Like most valley residents, they saw the famous giant Barone rabbits and wondered: who are the people behind this?
But pulling back the curtain on a 87-minute documentary doesn't happen overnight.
"Making a documentary is a process over time," Mary shared. "We started filming six years ago, and COVID interrupted it for two and a half years."
Mary explained that building deep trust was the secret to getting the couple to open up and dig into their personal archives. "At first, they were like, 'I don't know if we have that or we don't have those photos.' But we kept asking. And eventually, we got this great material and stories. That's how we were able to put together this love story."
As Sandie Newton promised her viewers: "You will not only be entertained, but you'll really be sort of swept away by a love story and an incredible history."
The video appeared online in this Facebook reel. It originally ran on KESQ News Channel 3, KDFX Fox 11, and KCWQ CW5 in the Palm Springs area on the weekend of June 7th, 2026.
