Posted on 04/01/2020 3:09:09 PM PDT by nickcarraway
It was on January 29th, 1974, that a beloved New Jersey institution debuted: The Uncle Floyd Show, starring Floyd Vivino. Uncle Floyd, “whose trademarks are a plaid jacket, a bow tie and offbeat humor,” as the New York Times put it, hosted the variety show until 1998. The show featured comedy sketches and a cast of characters that included a puppet named “Oogie."
While the show is known for being a low-budget affair, if you read a list of some of the acts that performed on the show, you might be surprised. New Jersey-based acts like the Smithereens and Bon Jovi were guests, but so were Blue Oyster Cult and Cyndi Lauper. The show ran on several different stations and combination of stations during its run, from cable to UHF stations to VHF, a small local syndication, and the New Jersey Network.
Uncle Floyd worked here at New Jersey 101.5 briefly in the ‘90s which allowed me to meet him, but I can’t say I know him. Here’s a sample that encompasses his musical talent and his satirical attitude.end |
I loved the uncle Floyd show! The funny thing is, although I was a teenager, my toddler brother used to watch and laugh along with me. Fun for the whole family.
Uncle Floyd was the best. A true New Jersey legend. His show was on a UHF channel (68, I believe), something that is so archaic today. Oogie, Looney Skip Rooney, Mugsy (RIP) and the rest were the best. I can still recall some of Skip Rooney’s corny jokes (“I call my girlfriend Crisco because she’s fat in the can”). Howard Stern recently said nice things about Uncle Floyd.
I still remember his "Deep in the Heart of Jersey" song to the tune of Deep in the heart of Texas (of course). Something like:
Where the city rats
run in great big packs
Deep in the Heart of Jersey...
The factory smoke will make you choke...deep in the heart of Jersey.
Offbeat, to be sure.
Hilarious
His “Ken-Do” skits were positively FILTHY, but sneaked in under the radar.
Floyd had a small part in “Good Morning, Vietnam.”
Where the city rats run in great big packs Deep in the Heart of Jersey...
I watched Uncle Floyd back in the day when I lived in central Jersey. I have a record album he released which includes "Deep in the Heart of Jersey." ("The Parkway man takes a quarter from your hand, deep in the heart of Jersey...")
I used to have an uncle Floyd.
Hey Floyd,Floyd,Floyd.....My Wife had her left side removed...shes alright now.
I thought I was seeing the late Robin Williams when I saw Floyd’s photo. Too bad he never got a chance to interview former Gov. Chris Christie. Both are ‘out there’ bigger than life personalities.
I love Uncle Floyd. Neil Yuk forever. And I think it was on UHF channel 68.
Funny you should mention 'Count Floyd' ... it immediately got me thinking of a video of him introducing the song "The Weapon" during mid-80's RUSH tours. Interestingly, the lyrics are kinda fitting with what's going on right now.
RUSH - The Weapon (Count Floyd Intro) live 1984 - Grace Under Pressure Tour
“Don’t avoid, watch the Floyd!’’.
Oogie: “What’s the last movie that Irene Dunne did do?”
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