ALF's Hit Talk Show Debuts

[Zack the Dog]

I have yet to see ALF's new talk show but i did buy the ALF box set when it came out and I really love it, i didn't know about the cuts but i think it's got great extra features and the super cool new ALF menu's!

 

[Fozzie Bear]

I think the mini movies in teh chapters listings and the new menus are super cool!!

 

[Luke]

Yeah i love the actual mini-movie style menus and things, most innovative use of them i've seen yet. I'm loving all this new ALF matierial as you can probably imagine and these were very well done. The packaging is cool too - lovely screenprinted discs and the nice raised ALF portrait on the outer cardboard cover - they did the ALF fans proud with that. I don't think the cuts will bother people who didn't know the shows intricately, just seems to be a bit cut out of the intro/outro and a few lines here and there so doesn't affect the story. It is noticeable when you're like me and know what line usually comes next though (and there are a couple of eps where some really good bits have been cut) but it's just great to have the ol' ALFer on DVD at long last. I'd hope when they do Season 2 they remaster the original broadcast episodes before spending on the bells and whistles of the sets but i was overall pretty happy with what we got.

 

[Fozzie Bear]

http://www.tvland.com/originals/alf/

Did this link ever go up here? There are some great clips of Ed McMahon and Henry Winkler talking about their show-biz history, and some funn-ee one's with ALF and Drew Carey.

 

[Luke]

Yeah that's a great site. If you check out the promo trailer they did something with cgi to make the cats in the "Feline Focus Group" talk and explain how they did it.

 

[Zack the Dog]

i'm being picky here, but one thing i did not like about the ALF dvd packaging was the "disk on top of disk" placement, they are very hard to take out and say if you wanted to watch disk 2 you'd have to take out disk 1 first. Other then that though everythings great, but was there a reasons for the cuts? i wasn't sure on that?

 

[Luke]

I agree. The outer packaging was great but yes, the inner packaging could have been a lot better. I actually had a few loose discs on opening it.

The reason for the cuts is that the original versions of the show contained music and references that would cost a lot for the small kind of TV stations that air syndicated shows to broadcast, and they were also too long in length for the channels as these stations have more adverts. So basically they cut small bits of the show out and replaced music here and there to make the shorter syndicated versions. When it came to making the DVD these syndicated versions were already available digitally transferred and in a better condition wheras the original broadcast masters were not. So, instead of completely restoring the original versions and showing them as they were meant to be seen they went with the easier and cheaper option of just enhancing the already good condition syndicated episodes.

If you watch the unaired pilot a lot of the stuff that was cut out of the syndicated aired pilot episode is included - the Sesame Street theme tune and also the scene where ALF and Lynn are singing the words to Proud Mary.

 

[Zack the Dog]

Yes i noticed many of the diffrences in the pilot, that was unaired though right? There's more of the story between Willy and his daugter, the creepy "FBI" guy or whatever at the door among many other changes. So some of that stuff was aird on TV but just cut later on? i know not the guy at the door though as that was a significant "minor" change.

Sometime when watching the end credits you see parts that where not in the show, i guess these would be the cuts? i can recall one of Mr. Acmonic (sp?) drinking eggnog in the christmas ep during the end credits when in during the show he's only offered it.

 

[Fozzie Bear]

and also the scene where ALF and Lynn are singing the words to Proud Mary.

"Yeah, he was new to the planet. How'd he know the words??" That's what my friend asked me. I said, "He's in a spaceship and picked up on the radio signals...duh!"

So, what is everyone's favorite episode so far? I think I like the "Strangers in the Night" episode best.