ALF
For the character in Norse mythology, King Alf see Alf (mythology).
ALF is an acronym standing for Alien Life Form.
ALF was the name of an American television sitcom broadcast between 1986 and 1990 on the NBC network. The series follows the comic mishaps of a wisecracking alien from the planet Melmak who crashlands into an Earth family's garage in Los Angeles and goes on to become a member of the family.
ALF, the alien, was so named by Willy Tanner, father of the Tanner family. His actual name back on Melmak was Gordon Shumway. Melmakians are short, furry and have large noses. Cats are a common foodstuff on their planet. ALF mentions in one episode that Melmakians have nine major organs, seven of which are stomachs.
Unsure what to do, the Tanners take ALF into their home and hide him from NASA, the Military, and their nosy neighbors until he can repair his spacecraft. It became known that Melmak had exploded, so ALF was without a home. He became a permanent member of the family even though his smart alec attitude and frequent mischief making causes difficulty for the Tanners.
Cast
- Max Wright - Willie Tanner
- Anne Schedeen - Kate Tanner
- Andrea Elson - Lynn Tanner
- Benji Gregory - Brian Tanner
- John LaMotta - Trevor Ochmonek
- Liz Sheridan - Raquel Ochmonek
Spinoffs
Two spinoff animated series arose. The first, set on ALF's home planet of Melmak, ran on Saturday daytime in 1988. A later second series, AlfTales, ran alongside the older cartoon and eventually outlived it. AlfTales took Gordon and his familiar cohorts on Melmak and placed them as characters in classic (Earthly) fairy tales.
Recently, ALF has been appearing in one of the numerous long-distance dialing plan commercials on American television.