knowing what we should all be aware of now regarding how miserable the human cast (i.e. the Tanners) were working on ALF. I really wonder if they should or are resentful of Paul Fusco. Also, why didn't anybody complain upfront about the bad working conditions at the time (I mean, aren't there unions for that sort of thing)?

knowing what we should all be aware of now regarding how miserable the human cast (i.e. the Tanners) were working on ALF. I really wonder if they should or are resentful of Paul Fusco. Also, why didn't anybody complain upfront about the bad working conditions at the time (I mean, aren't there unions for that sort of thing)?


Maybe I am not up to speed, but what were they upset about?

Maybe I am not up to speed, but what were they upset about?



I read about it too.They all hated the working conditions and we're jealous of Alf.Wish i would of never heard about it to though.Makes the show not quite as enjoyable.I always thought they we're all friends.

They never made it public while the show was going on. I never heard about it until I had the internet. Regardless what they think, Alf was a good show and it gave alot of people joy. It's too bad that they didn't enjoy the experience but that's life I guess.

What the heck did they expect though? They were going to be the stars??? LOL

They never made it public while the show was going on. I never heard about it until I had the internet. Regardless what they think, Alf was a good show and it gave alot of people joy. It's too bad that they didn't enjoy the experience but that's life I guess.



Yeah,same here and my thoughts exactly.

This explains it.

http://www.cracked.com/article/135_6-beloved-tv-shows-that-traumatized-cast-members-life/

The show was much more difficult to do because the creator of ALF wanted absolute perfection. To use the Alf puppet required multiple trap doors, which required everyone to be careful around the set. The shoots took longer than on a regular sitcom which made everyone more tired and irritable. Shooting requires hot lights, multiple takes and having several bosses come at you with suggestions on such and such.

The regulars on the show did not complain because they were making a lot of money and they were more or less unknowns including Max Wright, who at best was a character actor. The other three players were more or less picked up from anonymity. I think Max Wright was embarrassed in the end to be a second banana to a puppet. Supposedly National Enquirer had photos of smoking crack from a beer can surrounded by his black man lover and other thugs. Look it up online. The daughter became an anorexic and recovered and has children, while Benji became a normal person and is living a normal life somewhere in the World.

This explains it.

http://www.cracked.com/article/135_6-beloved-tv-shows-that-traumatized-cast-members-life/

The show was much more difficult to do because the creator of ALF wanted absolute perfection. To use the Alf puppet required multiple trap doors, which required everyone to be careful around the set. The shoots took longer than on a regular sitcom which made everyone more tired and irritable. Shooting requires hot lights, multiple takes and having several bosses come at you with suggestions on such and such.

The regulars on the show did not complain because they were making a lot of money and they were more or less unknowns including Max Wright, who at best was a character actor. The other three players were more or less picked up from anonymity. I think Max Wright was embarrassed in the end to be a second banana to a puppet. Supposedly National Enquirer had photos of smoking crack from a beer can surrounded by his black man lover and other thugs. Look it up online. The daughter became an anorexic and recovered and has children, while Benji became a normal person and is living a normal life somewhere in the World.

Paul Fusco pretty much wanted ALF to be treated as if he were an actual, living/breathing creature. I recall Tina Fey telling Howard Stern a story about NBC's 75th anniversary special (shot in the same studio as Saturday Night Live) about how Fusco and his cronies tried really hard to not give away the illusion that ALF's really just a puppet.

I read about it too.They all hated the working conditions and we're jealous of Alf.Wish i would of never heard about it to though.Makes the show not quite as enjoyable.I always thought they we're all friends.

I do find the idea that the human actors were jealous of ALF stupid because for all intents and purposes, ALF was the star of the show. It wasn't called The Max Wright Show or The Tanners and Their Alien. Rowdy C on his TV Trash show (while reviewing the Project ALF TV movie) compared it to signing up to be a human performer on Sesame Street and later complaining that Big Bird and Oscar were getting all of the good lines.

I do find the idea that the human actors were jealous of ALF stupid because for all intents and purposes, ALF was the star of the show. It wasn't called The Max Wright Show or The Tanners and Their Alien. Rowdy C on his TV Trash show (while reviewing the Project ALF TV movie) compared it to signing up to be a human performer on Sesame Street and later complaining that Big Bird and Oscar were getting all of the good lines.


Yeah,I couldn't agree more.It is ridicoulas! They would of been a lot better off not making it public.Because i never noticed And, i thought they all had great chemistry.Especally Alf and the Dad Wille

yeah i agree with you guys whats the world coming to.

Yeah,I couldn't agree more.It is ridicoulas! They would of been a lot better off not making it public. Because i never noticed And, i thought they all had great chemistry.Especally Alf and the Dad Wille

That's how I look at the show and don't find it hard to enjoy at all.

Alf was hillarious.I wonder why they don't make a Alf movie?

I admit to watching it and liking ALF but I was yound I didn't know any better, and watching the reruns on The Hub I can't believe how excrutiantingly bad it is, hard to believe people made it a hit.

The jokes especially by ALF are horrendously bad and I hate how they jazzed up the opening theme in season 3 and 4.

I thought some of the jokes was bad didn't make sense like when Alf told lynn

u live here no wonder u hang round so much like that didn't make no sense but oh well

The show's appeal was definitely based on the novelty of the ALF puppet, the writing could have been better, but I don't think it was that bad or terribly corny-safe like most other 80's family sitcoms. It's just that some of the jokes didn't age well--it happens.

The 80's were so pop culture rich that it was almost impossible for writers to ignore what was on the news, music, etc. The majority of 80's are so dated as a result, and that's why there's so few of them on syndication. Cosby, Golden Girls, and Cheers often seem like the only exceptions.

The 80's were so pop culture rich that it was almost impossible for writers to ignore what was on the news, music, etc. The majority of 80's are so dated as a result, and that's why there's so few of them on syndication. Cosby, Golden Girls, and Cheers often seem like the only exceptions.

Perhaps, but that doesn't stop me from loving a number of 1980s shows anyway. (I suppose it helps that I grew up with many of them.) But even with older shows, I think a good student of history should be able to get most of the pop culture jokes that are there- but even if they don't, it's not like that's the only funny thing in the show- it's not so big a deal to me.
I LOVE "ALF" myself and yeah- there are some pop culture references to things of the 1980s, but that's true with many shows. Just like the shows of today will be dated to the 2010s when viewed in reruns in the future.
It happens- oh well. The good shows have good writing that endures because of timeless good qualities that don't rely on pop culture references of the time.

They never made it public while the show was going on. I never heard about it until I had the internet. Regardless what they think, Alf was a good show and it gave alot of people joy. It's too bad that they didn't enjoy the experience but that's life I guess.

I think regardless, after finding out how hostile the set was, watching ALF most certainly takes on a surreal new quality. :crazy:

I gotta side with the puppet on this one. Lots of actors in Hollywood standing in line for roles.

I agree as well.

What actor (or any human being alive on the planet) wouldn't want to star in a major hit on Network television?

Even so, ALF wouldn't be the same to me without Willie (Max Wright).

Anyway, here's an interesting tidbit I found via the "Archive of American Television (http://www.emmytvlegends.org/)", in which Bernie Brillstein, one of the executive producers of ALF calls the cast, "The worst casting ever done..." (he stops himself); and later says, "the cast just didn't work".

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vuLLipDhA9U (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vuLLipDhA9U#t=439)

The video begins @ the 6 minute mark.

I do find the idea that the human actors were jealous of ALF stupid because for all intents and purposes, ALF was the star of the show. It wasn't called The Max Wright Show or The Tanners and Their Alien. Rowdy C on his TV Trash show (while reviewing the Project ALF TV movie) compared it to signing up to be a human performer on Sesame Street and later complaining that Big Bird and Oscar were getting all of the good lines.Sesame Street, The Muppets were a million times better than ALF.

Sesame Street, The Muppets were a million times better than ALF.

You think so?

I don't know, at least ALF had some personality on his own...

I admit to watching it and liking ALF but I was yound I didn't know any better, and watching the reruns on The Hub I can't believe how excrutiantingly bad it is, hard to believe people made it a hit.

The jokes especially by ALF are horrendously bad and I hate how they jazzed up the opening theme in season 3 and 4.

I'd forgotten how good ALF is. I was pleasantly surprised when I bought the DVDs and saw how great the show was and holds up. I think the performances and lines are wonderful, and particularly how well---and adult---ALF himself is written and performed.

I'd forgotten how good ALF is. I was pleasantly surprised when I bought the DVDs and saw how great the show was and holds up. I think the performances and lines are wonderful, and particularly how well---and adult---ALF himself is written and performed.
I agree with you on this. It holds up really well. I remember back when I was young, both my grandpas loved ALF---pretty much ALF and the evening news were the only 2 shows they watched.

I haven't seen the show until recently now on HUB.

Minus the laugh track, it's actually a clever show!

And Tom Patchett ("The Bob Newhart Show") is one of the executive producers here!

**edited**

It is really sad that the cast hated working on the show that much. But still, Paul Fusco has said that they all knew what they were in for. So some of their complaints, especially the one about playing second bananas to the actual star of the show, do sound really petty. Some people think that they are angry in retrospect because their careers never took off after "Alf" ended. But on the other hand, I guess minding trap doors for four whole years doesn't sound that funny. And it also seems like Paul Fusco maybe wasn't the easiest person to work with. So I say the truth probably lies somewhere in between.

It is really sad that the cast hated working on the show that much. But still, Paul Fusco has said that they all knew what they were in for. So some of their complaints, especially the one about playing second bananas to the actual star of the show, do sound really petty. Some people think that they are angry in retrospect because their careers never took off after "Alf" ended. But on the other hand, I guess minding trap doors for four whole years doesn't sound that funny. And it also seems like Paul Fusco maybe wasn't the easiest person to work with. So I say the truth probably lies somewhere in between.

Tina Fey when she was on Howard Stern's radio show brought up how ALF's handlers were extremely difficult to deal w/ during NBC's 75th anniversary TV special.

I want to see that on youtube.

The one episode I havent ever seen but only heard of that I dont think even The Hub ever aired is that Christmas episode where ALF befriends a girl or something, it was an hour long episode I think and no laughtrack to it.

I still enjoy it, everyones gonna have their opinions.

http://twinpine.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/transparent_gif.gif (http://www.viewprivateprofile.com)

Max Wright, I recall reading, didn't like playing the straight man out to Alf's antics. That's one reason he didn't care for the show at the time, but rewatching the episodes it is his reactions that I'm laughing with.

Kids may have had Alf being the center of attention, arguably with Benjie and Lynn, but without the human family involved Alf had little and Max steals the show as Willie. Alf was a novelty (but a good one!), but Max was the star - part of the human family ensemble that kept the show going and the audiences felt it was only Alf that made the show.

It's also terrible what has happened to the cast since, never mind the grueling stage conditions in working with a big puppet. It almost makes the series finale poignant, but not for the same reason as in front of the camera - which was very dramatic and felt far more urgent than a typical sitcom outing.

But neither the follow-up TV movie nor the cartoon had anywhere near the chemistry as the original live-action show.

Seasons 3 and 4 did take a downward turn, but the first two years are definitely worth their weight in gold.

ALF was the "star" ---as he was meant to be. However, it was an ensemble cast and they all did a great job.

I still very much enjoy this 80s novelty.

I wonder if the live audience taping took much longer than on a regular sitcom, I'm guessing someone on the lot was on call for ordering take-out for the patient audience.

I wonder if the live audience taping took much longer than on a regular sitcom, I'm guessing someone on the lot was on call for ordering take-out for the patient audience.
Was it filmed in front of a studio audience? I always thought they just used a laugh track.

Was it filmed in front of a studio audience? I always thought they just used a laugh track.

ALF from my understanding, was not at all filmed in front of a live studio audience simply due to the complicated logistics of filming.

here's an interesting tidbit I found via the "Archive of American Television (http://www.emmytvlegends.org/)", in which Bernie Brillstein, one of the executive producers of ALF calls the cast, "The worst casting ever done..." (he stops himself); and later says, "the cast just didn't work".

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vuLLipDhA9U (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vuLLipDhA9U#t=439)

The video begins @ the 6 minute mark.

What is he talking about? The ALF cast was brilliant. Every member of the family, and both of the neighbors, were perfectly cast.

And he also says "There was no puppetry involved at all, but the voice"---him saying that does not make any sense whatsoever.

It is really sad that the cast hated working on the show that much. But still, Paul Fusco has said that they all knew what they were in for. So some of their complaints, especially the one about playing second bananas to the actual star of the show, do sound really petty. Some people think that they are angry in retrospect because their careers never took off after "Alf" ended. But on the other hand, I guess minding trap doors for four whole years doesn't sound that funny. And it also seems like Paul Fusco maybe wasn't the easiest person to work with. So I say the truth probably lies somewhere in between.

ALF in general appeared to be a hellscape for just about everyone involved: a tyrannical creator, troubled cast, brutally uncomfortable set, and nightmarishly long shooting schedules.