Uncle Floyd Returns to His Old Stompin’ Grounds

The Wood Theater in Glens Falls plays host to “The 1911 Vaudeville Show” at 8pm on Saturday and again at 2pm on Sunday. The star of the show is Nippertown’s own multi-talented Laura Roth, but don’t be surprised if comedians Floyd Vivino and Michael T. Wright end up stealing the show with their old-school vaudeville routines.

You might not recognize the name Floyd Vivino, but you may know his alter-ego Uncle Floyd, the host and mastermind of the low-budget but brilliant children’s TV show parody and old-school variety show, “The Uncle Floyd Show,” which aired on cable TV throughout NYC and New Jersey from 1974-1998. The show quickly achieved cult status, garnering such fans as John Lennon and David Bowie. (Heck, Bowie even wrote a song about the show – name-checking Floyd and his puppet cohorts Oogie and Bones Boy in “Slip Away” on his 2002 “Heathens” album).

In addition to comedy sketches and songs by the cast members, “The Uncle Floyd Show” also featured a parade of eclectic musical guests – including the Ramones, Cyndi Lauper, Chubby Checker, Marshall Crenshaw, Paul Simon, NRBQ, Bananarama, Blue Oyster Cult, members of the Monkees, Phoebe Snow, Buster Poindexter, the Boomtown Rats, the Smothers Brothers and Nippertown’s own Blotto.

But what you may not realize is that before he became Uncle Floyd, Vivino spent several years in the early ’70s entertaining Nippertown crowds as the singer-piano player, comedian and all-around emcee at the Opera House at Lake George’s late, lamented amusement park Gaslight Village (immortalized in song by Nippertown greats the Kamikaze Hearts on their 2004 “Foxhole Prayers” EP).

It’s just a short hop from Lake George to Glens Falls, but it’s been a big, long career for Uncle Floyd Vivino.

Welcome back, Floyd…

“The 1911 Vaudeville Show” starring Laura Roth, Floyd Vivino and Michael T. Wright hits the stage at the Wood Theater in Glens Falls for performances at 8pm on Saturday and 2pm on Sunday. Tix are $25.