The Uncle Floyd Show The Uncle Floyd Show aired in New Jersey and New York from 1974 to 1998. The show featured character comedy, puppetry, some audience participation, musical guests, and Vivino's piano playing. One of Vivino's puppet sidekicks, actually a
Pelham Puppets Walter Ego
ventriloquial puppet, was named Oogie. He would interact on-air with off-camera staff and sidekicks. Local bands such as
The Smithereens,
Mucky Pup, and
R. Stevie Moore, and touring performers with
Benny Bell,
Blue Öyster Cult,
Jan and Dean,
Joe Jackson,
David Johansen,
Cyndi Lauper,
NRBQ,
The Misfits,
Monty Python,
Peter Tork,
The Ramones,
Squeeze,
Paul Simon,
Dave Edmunds,
The Blasters,
Marshall Crenshaw,
Eddie Money,
The Boomtown Rats, and
Tiny Tim also appeared on Vivino's program.
Jon Bon Jovi made his debut television performance on the show. A phonograph album based on the show,
The Uncle Floyd Show Album, was released on
Mercury Records, and a number of 45 rpm singles on the Bioya label were released around 1979–83. Vivino also released a few CDs as a solo artist. In 1982,
The Uncle Floyd Show went into a small syndication circuit, which included 17 markets, among them
WNBC-TV channel 4 in New York, then
WTAF-TV channel 29 in
Philadelphia,
WPWR-TV Channel 60 in
Chicago,
WSBK-TV Channel 38 in Boston, and
WHCT-TV Channel 18 in Hartford. It aired on weeknights after
Late Night with David Letterman and SCTV on WNBC. From 1983 to 1986,
The Uncle Floyd Show ran on the statewide
PBS network,
New Jersey Network, which consisted of four channels:
WNJS (Channel 23, Camden),
WNJN (Channel 50, Montclair),
WNJB (Channel 58, New Brunswick), and
WNJT (Channel 52, Trenton). When the show was cancelled, the president of the
Uncle Floyd Show fan club petitioned the New Jersey Network and received $159 back that he had donated to the
public broadcasting station on the understanding that it would go directly to the show. Starting in late 1986,
The Uncle Floyd Show was then seen on statewide cable channel CTN (Cable Television Network Of New Jersey). During this time, the show went through various incarnations, with Vivino sometimes hosting a music-only show, showcasing local bands. Vivino also hosted a show called ''Uncle Floyd's New Jersey
, in which he would visit various towns and businesses in the state. After more than 7000 episodes, first-run production of The Uncle Floyd Show'' ended in 1992, with CTN showing repeats until that channel's demise in 1999. From 1992 until 1996, cast member Mugsy produced and appeared in a spin-off show entitled
The Eleventh Hour. The show was written and produced in the same vein as
The Uncle Floyd Show. It was broadcast live from studios in Nutley, New Jersey, on the statewide CTN cable network, and on two Northern New Jersey public-access channels, Cablevision of Oakland and Suburban Cablevision of New Jersey in East Orange (later acquired by Comcast Corporation). In 1998, production of
The Uncle Floyd Show began in the
Cablevision studio in
Oakland, New Jersey. One hundred shows were produced and aired on Cablevision systems throughout the region. Musical guests included
Marky Ramone and
The Misfits. Although viewer response was enthusiastic, the show was canceled by Cablevision management after the first cycle of episodes. At its peak, the
Uncle Floyd Show fan club had 13,000 members.
Other work Vivino performed as an
emcee, a stand-up comic and a live musician at shows up to 300 times a year at small venues across New Jersey and New York: nightclubs, restaurants, and
Knights of Columbus halls at night, "Meatball the Clown" shows at schools during the day. He recorded a jingle for the
Wild West City theme park and performed there often. Vivino appeared on several television shows filmed in New York City, including
Law & Order,
100 Centre Street, and
Cosby, and was a regular on the
Sirius Satellite Radio program
The Wiseguys Show on Raw Dog Comedy (channel 104) hosted by former
The Sopranos cast member
Vincent Pastore. Vivino performed the jingle of, as well as appeared in the TV commercial for, the frontier-themed amusement park Wild West City, located in
Byram Township, New Jersey, a jingle that is still used today by the park. He also had parts in the movies
Good Morning, Vietnam,
Crazy People, and
Mr. Wonderful. He also shot a scene for
One-Trick Pony, which was deleted. In 2000, Vivino played the bit part of an announcer in the
Insane Clown Posse movie,
Big Money Hustlas. From 1987 to 2013, Vivino hosted
The Italian-American Serenade on
WVIP-FM 93.5 radio out of
New Rochelle, New York, where he played Italian music on a Sunday afternoon program. He claimed to have the largest collection of Italian records in the world. In January 2013, Vivino began the internet-based radio program
The Uncle Floyd Radio Show, which was streamed twice a week from the show's website and through various SHOUTcast mobile apps and links. In April 2013, ''Uncle Floyd's Garage Sale Music'' began on
WVOX 1460 in New Rochelle. This show featured records from Vivino's large personal collection, most of which he found in thrift shops, yard sales, and curbside garbage piles. The program featured discussion between Vivino and his co-host about the music and artists whose recordings are heard on the show, many of whom Vivino worked with personally. Also, some segments feature written comments and questions submitted by listeners. Beginning in June 2014, a second weekly
Garage Sale Music program began airing and streaming on Sundays 9:00 to noon over
WFDU 89.1 FM in
Teaneck, New Jersey. The WVOX program ended in September 2018, returning to
The Italian-American Serenade format. Vivino hosted and starred in
The Last Authentic American Traveling Burlesque Show, a tribute to the lost entertainment style of
burlesque. Vivino also wrote a weekly column covering Italian and Italian American topics and culture, titled Italian American Serenade, for the Italian Tribune from 2000 to 2026. He was also the long time master of ceremonies for the Italian Tribune's Columbus Gala, which highlights accomplishments of Italian Americans from the proceeding year. In 2009 and 2017, Vivino ran for
Governor of New Jersey as a
write-in candidate. ==Tributes==