During the early ’90s, my friend Iain went on a European vacation. While he was in Vienna, Austria he spotted a restaurant didn’t dedicate itself to favorite sons Mozart or Falco. This place themed itself with an out of this world inspiration. Cafe A OK was like a Planet Hollywood if a Planet Hollywood’s planet was Melmac. The cafe paid tribute to ALF. The walls were covered with photos of ALF, toys of ALF and stuffed ALF dolls. Iain said they didn’t serve cats as entrees, but it was a dining experience dedicated to the glory of ALF. We’d heard rumors that ALF was syndicated around the world, but who knew that the show about an Alien Life Form hiding with a family would have such a global impact? After four seasons, the show ended on a cliffhanger. ALF went to meet a spaceship for a ride home, but finds himself surrounded by the US Air Force. While the episode promised “To Be Continued.” NBC didn’t give fans that final episode. Creators Tom Patchett and Paul Fusco (who also performed as ALF) didn’t want to disappoint their dedicated fans. After nearly six years, they persuaded ABC to produce and air the true final episode in the form of a TV movie called Project: ALF. On February 17, 1996, viewers got to see what truly happened to their favorite alien instead of relying on fan fiction.
ALF is being kept a prisoner by the Edmonds Air Force Base. While the military scientists attempt various examinations, ALF cuts them up with his goofy jokes. It’s a reverse Alien Autopsy. He also enjoys being there since he gets his guards into endless Poker games and runs a black-market racket that includes videos of movies still in the theater. He’s like a modern Sgt. Bilko without the stripes. He doesn’t miss hiding out at the Tanner house. The only bad experience is when a scientist had an accident during their session. There is one person wants to put an end to the experiments. The Head of Security Colonel Gilbert Milfoil (Apocalypse Now‘s Martin Sheen) has had it with ALF. He’s willing to disobey orders and snuff the fuzzy alien into the ground. Scientists Major Melissa Hill (Home Improvement‘s Jensen Daggett) and Captain Rick Mullican (Bull Durham‘s William O’Leary) get alerted to the fatal orders and disobey the Colonel. They sneak ALF off the base. They hope that Dexter Moyers (Robocop’s Miguel Ferrar) an ex-NASA scientist can help them save ALF. But does Dexter also have a sinister scheme in mind for the visitor?
Even though this is supposed to give us the second half of the final episode, Project: ALF starts without recap footage from the final episode. We don’t get to see any Tanner family footage. They do mention what happened to the family. This lack of Tanners upset some fans when the movie originally aired. I don’t recall any of the human cast openly bitter that they hadn’t been hired for the movie. The rumor was that the actors really hated being on the show because they feared being stuck on a puppet show would dead end their career. If you want to cringe, look up what happened to Max Wright who played the Tanner dad. Don’t use your work computer.
The movie did pack in quite a few big stars. Ed Beagley Jr. (Superdad) plays one of the scientists testing ALF. Miguel Ferrer (Twin Peaks) makes you wonder what he’ll do with ALF. Ray Walston (Fast Times At Ridgemont High) pops up for a fun cameo . He was the star of My Favorite Martian which was the predecessor to ALF. Most importantly is Martin Sheen (Dead Zone) as the evil Colonel who wants to snuff the alien. Sheen didn’t get typecasted since a few years later, he’d be the President on The West Wing. The movie is a bit of a change stylistically from the sitcom since it lacks an audience laugh track and features more locations than the Tanners’ house. The film though does have ALF doing what he does best: making jokes, causing trouble and craving to eat cats. The film proved to be the finale that fans of ALF needed. There must have been people in Vienna rejoicing when Project: ALF aired.
The video is 1.78:1 anamorphic. While the show aired 1.33:1 full frame in 1996, it looks fine sized up for HDTV. The Audio is LPCM 2.0. You’ll hear all of ALF’s quips clearly. The movie is subtitled.
Audio Commentary with Paul Fusco. He goes into what it took to make the show. NBC promised to give them an hour long special, but the executive left the network and the new executive forgot it. Project: ALF was supposed to be a backdoor pilot to ALF in the Military. ABC decided they were good with the movie. They did have an idea for a Tanner cameo, but they decided to focus on ALF and his new world.
Photo Gallery (3:11) has press photos of ALF with the cast and behind the scenes shots. They don’t give away the secret of ALF.
Biographies of Ken Kaufman, Dick Lowery, Tom Patchett, Paul Fusco, Martin Sheen and Jensen Daggett.
Robocop TV Series Trailer (1:09) is for the ’80s series that lasted a season. The Blu-ray set is out now.
Liberation Hall presents Project: ALF. Directed by Paul Fusco & Tom Patchett. Starring Paul Fusco, Miguel Ferrer, William O’Leary, Ed Begley Jr, Ray Walston & Martin Sheen. Running Time: 91 minutes. Rating: Unrated. Release Date: June 13, 2023.
