Customer Reviews

Uncle Floyd Show 1 [VHS]

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I normally don't review items like this, but if in writing this review I can turn one new person on to my childhood idol, Uncle Floyd - - I've done my religious duty.

Uncle Floyd is very hard to explain. I mean you could say, "Oh he's sort of a mondo '80s version of Ernie Kovacs with a touch of Soupie Sales," but I think there's a lot more to it. The Uncle Floyd Show basically was a kiddie show adults dug... there's that North Jersey seediness, though the humor was clean, the virtual zero budget sets - - a cast of charactors who looked like they probably dropped a lot of acid though I'd imagine except for Netto, probably didn't - - routines in which everyone was always forgetting and stumbling over their lines with the crew obnoxiously laughing in the backround, and stuff so profoundly stupid it was. You watch these routines and you eventually find yourself cracking up out of control (one of my faves is Eddie Slobbo's routine on how to eat Jello or the Julia Stepchild routine in which he demonstrated how to make meatloaf with bones and baked ETs.)

Anyway, I was in Jr. HS when Floyd had the NJN series, and though he had been on and off the air for years, he suddenly gained a second moment of fame in the early '80s when he had his NJN series (syndicated around the country) - - Lou Albano and Cyndi Lauper were appearing on the show, as were other soon to become famous groups... and I remember even forcing my father to get me one of those hats Floyd would wear just like many of the other kids in the school.

Whatever the case, I am very happy to see that Floyd is still around... that tapes are available, and that he's even still performing. Though I miss coming home as a kid for my evening dose of Dark Shadows, followed by Floyd, the memories are still there.

Meanwhile, I'm wondering who borrowed my copy of the Uncle Floyd Album. Please give it back ! ! ! And yeah, whatever happened to Weenie ???????????

A previous reviewer wrote "only fit for the people who grew up watching this kind of dreck". Well, I AM one of those people and I'm thrilled to have this tape, since when I was a kid, nobody had VCR's.

I do agree that the nostalgia value surpasses the entertainment value, but for me the nostalgia value is great, since I've been out of Jersey for almost a decade now.

It's too bad they couldn't include the musical guests. I'll never forget being introduced to the Ramones, Squeeze, and NRBQ by their good humored, but terribly lip-synched, performances on this low-budget show. I also remember the thrill of drawing a picture, and then seeing it on TV in a few weeks on Floyd's wall!

While I'm not sure this is the best introduction to Uncle Floyd for the uninitiated, I must say that as a rabid fan of this unbelievably inventive and hilarious show I was not disappointed when I finally saw this video(after not seeing the show since the early 80's). The sheer versatility of Floyd is what is the centerpiece of this video(most of the other cast members don't appear much or in Looney Skip Rooney's case-not at all, though you sure can hear him!) At 77 minutes, you get 3 great Oogie bits, lots of great characters(Eddie Slobbo, Julia Stepchild, Don Goombah, etc),and 2 great clips of him at the piano. It prompts the question:why is this man not more appreciated? The laughs come easy, frequently and heartily when watching this tape-and Floyd delivers them over and over, always working clean, never obvious and without any budget-just inventive humor that frequently catches you off guard. Another plus (for me) is that this tape draws from the early 80's shows(when I used to watch them and what I believe is considered the "golden" period of Floyd). Funnier, more imaginative, resourceful, and ultimately better than SNL, Howard Stern or lots of others ever were, the Uncle Floyd Show was a rare television experience that those who were lucky to see it have always cherished and missed. But, if you are a fan, you know that already! So go buy this tape! (one last minor note-one slight drawback is that there are a few edits in some of the bits that I could have done without)

The one thing I used to love about the Uncle Floyd Show was WEENIE! Weenie rocked! She rolled! She made the TV show funny! (We miss Little Sally!) Where is Weenie NOW? WE LOVE YOU

The Uncle Floyd Show, declared a New Jersey State Treasure, is a treasure for the entire world! As stated on the liner notes:

"Before Pee Wee Herman. . .before even Saturday Night Live. . . there was The Uncle Floyd Show, a no-budget daily variety program that made cheap TV funny (or made funny TV cheaply).

Blending vaudeville, slapstick and burlesque with unexpected, often anarchic results, this quirky offbeat pseudo-kiddie show presented an off-the-wall collection of oddball characters and comic craziness that the kiddies never understood.

Uncle Floyd is assisted by his wisecracking puppet pal Oogie and supported by an assortment of showbiz misfits in ridiculous comedy bits the likes of which have never been seen on TV before or since."

Which is only half true. The Uncle Floyd Show is still on the air in NJ and can be found on the web! END

Uncle Floyd was always best watched between the hours of 2AM and 4 AM, and these tapes are no exception. I laughed a lot at this video. I wish it had included some of the musical gusts. Each video has two piano numbers, which are great.

If you're only going to buy one of these, go for Volume 2. It has ALL the regulars, including the marvelous Loony Skip Rooney, who is missing from Volume 1 (except for his ever present maniacal laugh).

The one thing I used to love about the Uncle Floyd Show was WEENIE! Weenie rocked! She rolled! She made the TV show funny! (We miss Little Sally!) Where is Weenie NOW? WE LOVE YOU

I have been hearing for years about how wonderful and innovative this show was so I bought the tape. However, Uncle Floyd and his gang of idiots aren't as funny as my garbagemen. This is sub-Three Stooges "entertainment" and only fit for the people who grew up watching this kind of dreck.