ALF (TV series)

Lore & Background

Gordon Shumway is an alien from the planet Melmac who follows an amateur radio signal to Earth and crash-lands into the garage of the Tanners, a suburban middle-class family who live in the San Fernando Valley area of California. The family consists of social worker Willie (Max Wright), his wife Kate (Anne Schedeen), their teenage daughter Lynn (Andrea Elson), younger son Brian (Benji Gregory), and pet cat Lucky, whom ALF wishes to consume. Willie gives Gordon the nickname ALF ("Alien Life Form"), and, unsure what to do, the Tanners take ALF into their home to hide him from the Alien Task Force, a part of the U.S. military that specializes in aliens, and their nosy neighbors Trevor and Raquel Ochmonek (John LaMotta and Liz Sheridan), until he can repair his spacecraft. Though his culture shock, survivor's guilt, and loneliness often cause problems for the Tanners, as well as their fear of what could happen if others were to discover his existence, they grow to care for and love him as a part of the family. Later it is revealed that ALF's home planet, Melmac, exploded due to nuclear war, leaving him and other survivors of his species without a home, and that he survived its destruction because he was away as part of the Melmac Orbit Guard. In the season one episode "Pennsylvania 6-5000", ALF tries to convince the President of the United States to stop the nuclear program, as he fears that Earth could suffer a similar fate to Melmac, though a misunderstanding causes the President and national security to call the FBI to arrest Willie. Episodes dealt with ALF learning about Earth and making new friends both in and out of the Tanner family, including Willie's brother Neal (Jim J. Bullock); Kate's widowed mother Dorothy (Anne Meara), with whom ALF has a love-hate relationship; her boyfriend and later husband Whizzer (Paul Dooley); the Ochmoneks' nephew Jake (Josh Blake); the psychologist Larry (Bill Daily); and the blind woman Jody (Andrea Covell), who never learns of ALF's true nature, but does know through touch that he is short and hairy.

Reader's Guide

Main characters: Gordon "ALF" Shumway (performed by Paul Fusco; credited by Michu Meszaros as one of ALF's assistants in costume, Lisa Buckley and Bob Fappiano as assistant puppeteers) is an alien from the planet Melmac, where he was a member of its Orbit Guard, who arrives on Earth and lands in the Tanner family's garage. He is given the nickname "ALF" by Willie. Willie Tanner (portrayed by Max Wright) is the father of the Tanner family, who works as a social worker. Willie is a kind but often overwhelmed man who tries to maintain order in his home despite ALF's constant chaos. His relationship with ALF is a classic love-hate dynamic—while he clearly cares for ALF and helps him stay hidden from the government, he's also frequently exasperated by ALF's reckless behavior, destructive habits, and bad influence on the kids. Despite his frustration, ALF and Willie have a mutual impact on each other, and formed a relationship somewhat akin to a mix of siblings (though which is the elder sibling in the situation tended to depend on the episode) and surrogate father and son, with Willie playing the father role despite being much younger than Alf, who was stated to be over two hundred and twenty years old by the time of the series. ALF helps Willie break out of his rigid, overly cautious nature, encouraging him to embrace spontaneity and loosen up. In turn, Willie tries (and mostly fails) to teach ALF responsibility and restraint. In "Varsity Drag" (Season 2), we learn Willie is a graduate from Amherst College where he was a social science major "Don't Be Afraid of the Dark" (Season 3). He is also a keen amateur radio enthusiast, and the transmission of his shortwave radio signals causes ALF to follow them and crash into his house. In his pastime, Willie also collects scale model train sets. Kate Tanner (portrayed by Anne Schedeen) is the mother of the Tanner family. Unlike Willie, who tries to reason with ALF, Kate has little patience for his antics and often lays down the law when he gets out of control. Despite her exasperation, Kate deeply cares for her family and, over time, develops a grudging tolerance for ALF. While she's often the first to scold him, she also protects him when necessary. In addition to her mother, she has at least one sister. She majored in art history at Amherst College where she met her husband and occasionally works in real estate.

Did You Know?

• The series was videotaped at Century Studios, 8660 Hayden Place in Culver City California.
• Willie's brother Neal is actually Willie's brother, according to the source article.
• Eric Tanner is born to Kate Tanner, not adopted, as stated in the source article.