The series stars Max Wright as father Willie Tanner, Anne Schedeen as mother Kate Tanner, and Andrea Elson and Benji Gregory as their children, Lynn and Brian Tanner. The character of ALF was portrayed by a live-hand puppet operated primarily by Paul Fusco.
ARGUMENT:
While most of the science fiction of ALF was played for comedic value, there were a few references to actual topics in space exploration; for example, ALF's using a radio signal as a beacon in the pilot episode. In the episode "Weird Science," ALF told Brian, who was building a model of the solar system for his science project, that there were two planets beyond Pluto called "Dave" and "Alvin," which gets Brian in trouble at school. However, after Alf makes a call to an astronomical organization and states that "Dave" is known by the organization, Willie comes to believe that "Dave" could have been the planetoid Chiron, or "Object Kowal," after its discoverer. Alf then shows Willie exactly where "Dave" is on an intergalactic Rand-McNally map of the universe. This occurred in the first season episode Weird Science and was one of the first instances of other worlds beyond Earth, and Melmac being given any focus verbally or physically.
The original series spans four seasons and 102 episodes (each episode's name is also the name of a song relevant to the episode's plot), in which ALF learns about Earth culture and makes new friends both within and outside of the Tanner family, including Willie's brother Neal (Jim J. Bullock), Kate's mother Dorothy (Anne Meara) (with whom ALF has a love-hate relationship — he refers to her as the Wicked Witch of the West or the Witch of En-Dor, and she in turn threatens to either make ALF a rug or chauffeur him to an Army base), her boyfriend (later husband) Whizzer (Paul Dooley), the Ochmoneks' nephew Jake (Josh Blake), a psychologist named Larry (Bill Daily), and a blind woman named Jody (Andrea Covell) (who never quite figures out that ALF isn't human, though she is aware through touch that he is short and very hairy). Changes occur within the Tanner household over the course of the series, including the birth of a new child, Eric (the reason for adding a baby in the series being that Anne Schedeen was pregnant at the time); ALF's move from his initial quarters in the laundry room to the attic, which he and Willie converted into an "apartment," and the death of Lucky the cat; in this instance, ALF finds that despite his occasional attempts to catch Lucky with the intention of making the cat a meal, he has come to love and respect the family pet too much to do anything untoward with Lucky's remains. When ALF acquires a new cat with the intent of eating it, he actually grows fond of it and allows it to be adopted by the family, although he admits to the Tanners he has become the worst kind of Melmackian, a "cat lover."
In the series finale, ALF is about to be rescued by other survivors of his home planet, but is instead captured by the U.S. military, and the viewer is left to ponder ALF's ultimate fate.This was apparently not supposed to be the finale, as the original airing ended with the words "To Be Continued" on the screen. The producers supposedly had a verbal agreement with NBC to produce at least one more episode to resolve the cliffhanger.
ALF character:
ALF has an enormous appetite (eating everything he can get his hands on); he is also troublesome, sarcastic, slovenly and cynical, and sometimes he puts himself at the risk of being discovered while perpetrating some of his often-unintentional pranks. However, if things have gone too far, he does as much as possible to make up for his mistakes, generally with positive results. In one episode, he tried to help Brian, too afraid to perform, to gain confidence during a school show by giving him a "lucky tooth" which ALF claimed helped him be a star of the stage on Melmac. In another occasion, he helped Dorothy deal with Sparky's death and move on and accept Whizzer's friendship. After neighbor Raquel Ochmonek claims to see ALF and is ridiculed on a television show, ALF calls in to the TV show to defend her.
He has at least 30 relatives: cousins "Pretty Boy" Shumway and Blinky; two uncles, Tinkle and Goome; a Grandma Shumway; a brother Curtis; parents Bob and Flo Shumway; and aunts Bubba, Wagner and Eugene.
Plot:
• Max Wright – Willie Tanner.
• Anne Schedeen – Kate Tanner.
• Andrea Elson – Lynn Tanner.
• Benji Gregory – Brian Tanner.
• John LaMotta – Trevor Ochmonek.
• Liz Sheridan – Raquel Ochmonek.
• Josh Blake – Jake Ochmonek (Seasons 2–4).
• Jim J. Bullock – Neal Tanner (Season 4).
• Paul Fusco – ALF principal puppeteer/voice.
• Lisa Buckley – ALF assistant/puppeteer.
• Bob Fappiano – ALF assistant/puppeteer.
Would you recommend it? Yes, of course because we think it and original, different, amused, wonderful soap opera. Where can we see an alien living with a human family?
Video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n6g4O3DIH4o
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_d5B82JQhPQ&feature=related
Cristina Conejo Moreno.
Sergio Sánchez Criado.
