Uncle Floyd Vivino with Jeff Friedman in May 2023, planning his then-upcoming appearance at a benefit concert at The PCL Performing Arts Center in Livingston.
Walking into the studio for the first-time in 1977 during the production of multiple “Uncle Floyd Show” episodes at UHF Channel 68 was beyond an eye-opener. Who knew that I would contribute in some capacity, mostly as director, to at least 1,000 30-minute UF television episodes over the years? The nightly series, created and produced by Floyd Vivino, was hot-hot-hot, and I was fortunate to be part of it.
That was the late ’70s and mid-’80s; it aired first on UA Columbia Cablevision in 1974, then WWHT-TV, Channel 68, and then NJN-Public Television (now NJ-PBS). Today, some 47 years later, I visited New Jersey entertainment icon and old friend Uncle Floyd Vivino for meaningful conversation and fond remembrances.
Uncle Floyd with his puppet sidekick Oogie, in 1977.
Unlike past visits, I had a minor agenda on this day. “Let’s do an interview piece so folks know what’s going on in your world,” I said.
Floyd liked it right away. “Great idea, let’s do it right now.”
As many know, Uncle Floyd continues to recover from a serious 2023 stroke. Importantly, Floyd wants his fans and supporters to know just how deeply important they are to him. And how much he respects and supports his cast and TV crew, to this day. “We produced the shows without a script and never a rehearsal,” he said. “Only the best performers and technicians in the business can do that.”
We continued our wide-ranging conversation on a chilly morning …
Q: I know you are doing an Uncle Floyd podcast with eight episodes already in the can. What’s up with that? Why are you doing it?
A: For two reasons. It’s something different, and people asked for it. The audience has been building. People can listen to full episodes free by going to … Jeff, tell them. (Note: Floyd is not online, never owning a computer or cell phone. The “Uncle Floyd Podcast” is available by visiting UncleFloyd.Podbean.com or wherever one gets podcasts.)
Uncle Floyd, performing in his television series, “The Uncle Floyd Show.”
Q: So you have the weekly podcast, joining your other project, “This WAS The Uncle Floyd Show,” hosted weekly on StageIt by your former TV show cast member Scott Gordon. How is that going?
A: We play all the old comedy bits and well-known musical acts from 1979 through 1998. Fans and supporters still want to see them today and join us every week. We have a date, every Tuesday night at 8. Jeff … (Note: It is available at stageit.com/SGE-Inc)
Q: What are you missing the most during your recovery?
A: Live performing. I want my audience to know how much I miss doing my live show due to this medical setback.
Q: Performing. You come from a theatrical family, right?
A: Yes. My grandfather, my mother’s father, performed in the Italian theater in the 1920s and 1930s. He appeared in Italian language plays. My mother wanted me to be a dramatic actor.
Q: A dramatic actor? What happened along the way that somehow turned you into Uncle Floyd?
A: I was a rebel, always wanting to go my own way. And I’m a student of comedy. That’s how much I love it.
As a kid, I wanted to be a circus clown. “Take me to the circus,” I told my mother and father at a young age. My brothers Jimmy and Jerry (who were members of Conan O’Brien’s talk-show band and are veterans of many other musical projects) were more disciplined musicians. I never learned to read music, as they do. But let me hear a song once and I could play it on the piano.
Uncle Floyd, performing at The PCL Performing Arts Center in Livingston in April 2023.
Q: If you had not become Uncle Floyd, have you thought about another career you would have liked?
A: Sure. History teacher. I’ve had a fascination with history my whole life. I read a lot, including The Bible.
Q: What are you thinking down the road, as you continue to recover?
A: This isn’t my final bow. But I have a long road ahead. This is real.
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Looking back, working with Floyd over the years added a plethora of interest, experience and fun to my life. Did I say fun? Of course, but it was all business when we produced five 30-minute comedy episodes each week in an eight-hour studio shooting day. Right there on Broad Street in Newark.
Floyd concluded, “Show Business is just that: a business. It should be treated that way.”
Decades later, I still can’t avoid Uncle Floyd.
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