Gordon Shumway, the last known survivor of the the planet Melmac, crash lands his space ship into the Tanner's suburban garage. William Tanner (Max Wright) names him ALF, an acronym for "Alien Life Form", and adopts him into his middle-class family.
ALF was born on October 28, 1756 on the Lower East side of Melmac, a planet located six parsecs past the Hydra-Centaurus Supercluster. It had a green sky, blue grass and a purple sun. Currency was "foam". Melmac exploded in a nuclear war. ALF is covered with orange fur, has a snout and eight stomachs. He attended high school for 122 years and was captain of the Bouillabaisseball team.
He has been compared to a talking family dog, but he is much more intelligent than that. The alien is blunt and sarcastic, constantly wisecracking and tossing off more one-liners than Bob Hope. He often quotes TV shows and pop songs, and makes alibis for his mischievous behavior. Food is a fixation and ALF loves the family cat Lucky, saying, "The only good cat is a stir-fried cat". He tries to hypnotize Lucky, saying, "You are getting sleepy. You are no longer a cat. You are a bagel." Similar to E.T. and the Muppets, ALF is an articulated puppet, with moving ears, eyes and mouth. Paul Fusco, creator of the show, provides the voice of ALF. In scenes where he is shown walking around, he is played by actor Mihaly "Michu" Meszaros.
William Tanner is a social worker. His wife Katherine Daphne "Kate" Halligan Tanner (Anne Schedeen) doesn't like ALF very much, but patiently tolerates his antics. Teen-age Lynn (Andrea Elson) and youngster Brian (Benji Gregory) are fond of him. In the final season the Tanners have a baby son Eric (J.R. and Charles Nickerson). The Tanners do an excellent job of reacting to the scene stealing ALF. At first he lives in the laundry room, then moves to the attic, but spends much time in the kitchen--where he is ordered to go when there are visitors.
Next door live the nosy Ochmoneks: Trevor (John LaMotta), Raquel (Liz Sheridan), and nephew Jake (Josh Blake). Many other characters appear in the show, including Kate's mother Dorothy Halligan (Anne Meara), and Willie's brother Neal Tanner (Jim M.Bullock).
(on a camping trip)
Willie: "One more word out of you, and you're not eating with us."
ALF: "Right. Let the alien starve."
Willie: "I think the alien could skip a meal. It might be a new experience for you. How would you like your hamburger?"
ALF: "Medium rare. Hold the lightning."
Willie: "How would you like to be 50% hair?"
ALF: "You know, you're a different person when you're on vacation."
Willie: "I'm just trying to make this vacation fun."
ALF: "How, by drowning us?"
Willie: "By trying to keep a positive attitude! You might do that yourself... Instead of complaining all the time."
Kate: "Guys, please."
ALF: "Well, not everyone enjoys spending their vacation in a rainforest."
Willie: "We're in this rainforest because of you!"
ALF: "I vote we go home."
Willie: "You're not voting in this."
ALF: "Call the newspapers! Democracy is dead."
ALF "Yo Kate, where do you keep your casserole dishes?"
Kate: "Why?
ALF: "The cat won't fit in the toaster. Never mind, I'll make a peanut butter sandwich. Where's the blender?"
Kate: "Try it without the blender this time, and don't get hair in the peanut butter jar."
ALF: "Rules rules rules. Grease fire. Grease fire. Never mind, the curtains put me out."
Willie: "Some people are so blinded by the thirst for money, that it causes them to lose their values and do things they shouldn't do."
ALF: "Well, that explains Ghostbusters II."
Lynn: "You have a cousin named Blinky?"
ALF: "Well, we call him that because he likes to eat lightbulbs."
Brian: "You'll have to chew with your mouth closed tonight, ALF."
ALF: "All right, but on my planet, that's considered very rude. People think you're hiding something."
Brian: "ALF wouldn't eat Lucky, would he?"
ALF: "I'm not saying nothing until I speak to my attorney."
Brian: "Do you get Sesame Street where you live?"
ALF: "No, and frankly I don't get it here either."
Debuting September 22, 1986, ALF is surely the best TV comedy of the 1980's, a Pop Culture phenomenon. ALF showed up as a "guest star" on TV shows such as THE HOLLYWOOD SQUARES and THE TONIGHT SHOW. The series was NBC's most popular show and a merchandising goldmine.
102 episodes were produced and the name of each episode is also the name of a song relevant to the plot. ALF's constant quoting of pop songs is unprecedented. Music is by Alfred Clausen and Tom Kramer. There were 25 writers, most notably Paul Fusco, and 11 directors, especially Nick Havinga.
In the final season ALF is able to make contact with two other surviving Melmacians named Skip and Rhonda. Just as he is about to leave Earth, he is captured by the Alien Task Force. The last episode, "Consider Me Gone", was intended to be a cliffhanger, and the series ended on June 18, 1990.
PROJECT: ALF (1996) is a TV movie sequel that explains what happens to ALF. He lives on an Air Force Base with all the comforts of home, including endless supplies of food. Colonel Milfoil (Martin Sheen) wants to exterminate ALF, whereas Dr. Mulligan (William O'Leary) and Dr. Hill (Jensen Daggett) want to save him. They take ALF to somebody who wants to reveal him to the world. ALF escapes and embarks on a cross-country adventure to return home.
ALF and ALF TALES (1987-1990) is an animated version that was broadcast on NBC Saturday mornings. It first aired on September 26, 1987. The series follows ALF's adventures on Melmac with his family, girlfriend Rhonda, and friends Skip and Sloop. There are 47 episodes and the last is "King Midas" which was aired October 22, 1990.
