When I graduated high school, started college and got a job, I was finally my own woman enough so that I could stay up as late as I wanted. That’s when I discovered Uncle Floyd and Linda. He came on late at night (after midnight) during the week, I don’t remember if it was before or after Linda Ellerbs news show (I was in NYC, the early to mid 80’s).
Well, I tried to stay up and watch these shows but I had school and work. I fell asleep to them. Now it seems like a dream. Nobody but me remembers them. My only hope is the varied and wide-flung tastes of the teeming millions.
If this drops like a stone, I know I am alone in the world.
P.S. My 23 year old son remembered Linda Ellerbee-- from Nickelodeon. I see she continued to influence the young ones long after she newsed me to sleep.
I only know of Uncle Floyd because of the elegaic David Bowie song, which includes the lyric “How I wonder where you are?”, to which Uncle Floyd replied, I’m right here!
I have some recollection of Linda Ellerbee being a journalist who damaged her credibility somewhat by appearing in an ad campaign.
My father liked Uncle Floyd, and I remember Linda Ellerbee from Nick News, especially the HIV special with Magic Johnson from 1992. I liked her because I didn’t have the sense that she talked down to me just because I was young.
I remember Linda Ellerbee. I could saw she was part of the CBS Channel 2 news in the early 1970s but her wiki biography doesn’t mention it…perhaps I’m confusing her with Michele Marsh. The main thing I remember her was “Our World” tv series with Ray Gandolf (had to look him up but I knew he had a beard) in the mid80s: cheap programming since anything opposite “The Cosby Show” would get whupped in the ratings.
Never saw “Uncle Floyd” tv show but based on his appearances on the Vin Scelsa radio show, I didn’t miss anything. No redeeming social importance.
Freaked me out a bit there. The way the OP was phrased, I worried that Linda had died.
I enjoyed NBC News Overnight, as well as her previous show Weekend. My favorite episode of that show was when she was sent to Cape Kennedy to cover a night launch of the Space Shuttle. She was close enough to be physically shaken by the launch, and the banter between the two hosts was classic:
“Did your diaphragm rattle?”
“The earth moved!”
She is also a very enjoyable writer. Her book And So It Goes: Adventures in Television is a great read. When she was working on Overnight and her boyfriend was working days, they had an agreement that only one of them had to be awake for lovemaking.
Sure, I remember her well. And her very large glasses. And NBC Overnight. This was around the time Charlie Rose was doing his thing on late night network TV. Great interviewer.
I remember Uncle Floyd, but as a kid’s show that aired on a UHF station in the afternoon. I try not to speak of these things, as I don’t like the looks I get from those under 35 when I speak of UHF and the world before cable television. It’s like saying I used to deliver ice in a horse-driven truck.
Floyd still does gigs in Jersey, singing old songs and telling older jokes.
I definitely remember Linda because Overnight was one of the greatest shows ever (hooray for the VTR!), but can’t place Floyd. I too was afraid she had died because she’s battled cancer in the past.
We have that on tape somewhere, plus most, if not all of her episodes of Our World. She is and was a fantastic and fun human being.
I think it was channel 68. When I was a kid I sent him a picture I drew of KISS and he had it tacked to his cork board for a few shows. When I was in my 20s I used to see him in the bars all the time in the town I grew up in (Haledon). He lived in neighboring Prospect Park. I’d have conversations with his young wife and he would sit at the bar and shoot me a dirty look now and then.
Linda Ellerbee had a show called Night Watch, this was when CNN was new and CBS was trying to find a counter. It was pretty good, a few overseas news stories dubbed in English and so on. She also had letters from viewers.
So she reads, “Dear Ms Ellerbee, I want you to know how much I like your show. I hope you do not find this creepy, but I have been going to stores to buy outfits like yours, comfortable but professional. Everyone says I look great in them. Thanks, Dave in San Francisco”
Linda looks up and stares at the camera. “Dear Dave, get straight.”
I remember Linda Ellerbee when she was on the real news, and also when she was on Nick when my kids watched it. Hardly an obscure person - I’ll have to check, but I think she won some awards for her Nick work.
When we moved to NJ we saw Uncle Floyd once or twice on an obscure station, but he was on at a bad time and I got my fix of that kind of show when I watched Soupy Sales as a kid.
I don’t remember watching Floyd but I probably did during the WNBC syndication. I was in NYC’s broadcast market from the summer of '79 to the summer of '83.