Alf, the infamous Cat-Eating Alien, caught sipping Marijuana tea on-screen!
In the 1980s, stories featuring aliens burst into the homes of families around the world, becoming true classics of pop culture.
First came the 1982 film "E.T.," which conquered the hearts of an entire generation and established an infallible equation that later gave rise to "ALF," a series in which charismatic and friendly Martians arrive by chance on planet Earth and are adopted by American families. Far away was the premise of James Cameron's 1986 film "Alien," which predicted an apocalypse at the hands of these creatures.
The Origins Of Alf, The Cat-Eating Alien
In 1984, puppeteer Paul Fusco gave life to ALF, a charismatic character intended to annoy his friends and family. However, he became so attached to it that the idea of creating a program centered on this Martian began to obsess him. Together with Tom Patchett, writer of The Muppets, they developed the whole concept of ALF and presented it to Brandon Tartikoff, president of NBC, who was quickly enthusiastic.
The first season was not as successful as expected in the United States, but quickly took off in Spain, Germany and much of Latin America, becoming a pop culture classic of the decade.
ALF, from Alien Life Form, tells the story of an alien named Gordon Shumway who had to escape from his planet because it exploded after all its inhabitants plugged in their hair dryers at the same time. This is how this Martian was lost in the cosmos for a year until he managed to reach Earth by crashing on the roof of the Tanner family's garage.
Alf was adopted without problems by the members of this family, except for "Lucky," the Tanner's cat that was constantly stalked by this Martian feline food lover. The series was broadcasted from 1986 to 1990 and had four seasons and 102 episodes.
ALF's successful second season secured the show's future, thanks to the infatuation of American children. The producers asked Fusco, the character's creator, to make him more "family friendly." Although reluctantly, Fusco agreed and was forced to eliminate ALF's beer drinking and also abandon his desire to eat "Lucky" the cat. The latter decision was made after it was reported that a child had microwaved a cat, something ALF repeatedly attempted to do on the show.
A Bit Of Space Tea
In the movie "Project: ALF" (1996), Melmac's endearing alien is captured by the U.S. government and held at a military base. Despite this, he develops an affectionate bond with the guards in charge of his custody.
In an amusing scene in the Spanish-dubbed version of the film, a guard goes over ALF's busy schedule for the next day, which includes morning massages and a "bright red" hair coloring at 10 a.m. He is also given three options for the next day's massages and a "red hot" hair coloring at 10 a.m. He is given three options for the next day's massages. He is also given three options for 4:30 p.m.: a cup of tea, a massage... or electroshock!
At that point, the alien says he doesn't enjoy electroshock therapy and instantly surprises with an unexpected (and explicit!) choice: "cannabis tea." Alf defines the 420 drink as his favorite time of day and asks to cancel all other scheduled activities.
by El Planteo
