ALF
Trailer
Synopsis
Gordon Shumway, a furry alien nicknamed ALF ('Alien Life Form'), crash-lands his spacecraft into the garage of the Tanners, a middle-class family in suburban California. The family hides him from the government's Alien Task Force while trying to repair his ship, as ALF adjusts — in his own way, cat-eating included — to life on Earth.
Context & Trivia
Airing on NBC from September 22, 1986 to March 24, 1990 (4 seasons, 97 episodes), the series was created by Tom Patchett and Paul Fusco. Fusco also served as the principal ALF puppeteer, operating the mouth and right arm from an elevated set fitted with trap doors, while Lisa Buckley controlled the left arm and Bob Fappiano the facial movements; actor Michu Meszaros wore a full ALF costume for full-body shots. Fusco recorded the voice live via a head-mounted microphone during tapings, which meant a laugh track had to be added in post-production.
Puppeteers
Paul Fusco, Lisa Buckley, Bob Fappiano, Michu Meszaros
Voices
Paul Fusco
Puppet design
Paul Fusco
Puppet companies
Alien Productions
Puppet building
Paul Fusco
Created by
Tom Patchett, Paul Fusco
Direction
Nick Havinga, Burt Brinckerhoff, Gary Shimokawa
Cast
Max Wright, Anne Schedeen, Andrea Elson, Benji Gregory
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