You Can Call Me Alf..

Cafe Society
1

Anybody else catch Alf’s Hit Talk Show on TV Land last night, at 10PM EST?

I’ve got a warm spot in my heart for the fuzzball, and am always elated to see him back on the tube. Thoughts?

2

Didn’t catch it. How’s old Gordon Shumway doing nowadays?

3

Well, he can pull in the likes of Drew Carey and Ed McMahon, so not too shabby, it would seem.

4

I remember someone on one of the episodes of “I Love the '80s” mentioned how, fifteen years later, this puppet seems to be getting more work than any of the actors on the show.

I didn’t watch the talk show, but I did watch all four episodes of the mini-marathon they had afterwards. I hope they put ALF in their regular nightly schedule.

5

First thing I thought of when I saw this thread was I never knew you does the voice of ALF. For those of you who are wondering.

6

I gained newfound respect for Alf’s broad appeal while studying at a university in the UK (I’m from the USA) in the 80s. In the common room of my residence hall, Alf was one of the most popular shows. One day I overheard this exchange (one English student explaining the show to another):

“It’s a very funny show! An alien comes to Earth and lives with this family, but he’s clever, always making jokes…”

“So he speaks English then?”

[LONG PAUSE]

“…Well, he has an American accent…”

7

Yes, Gordon Shumway is pretty successful, what with the advertisements, the talk-show special (which may become a regular show depending on how well it did in the ratings), and his professional wrestling career.

“What?!”

Yes, for a long time now - at least fifteen years - Gordon Shumway has been wrestling as “The Frightening 44”. In fact he was my tag-team partner when I started in the business as “The Canadian Kid”. He’s one of the best wrestlers on the international scene, and has held many majors titles.

And while I’m currently retired, he’s still going strong. He’s so well respected that it takes quite a bit of effort to get the fans to boo him (if he’s playing the heel). But it helps that he’s can brawl with the best of them, and he’s not averse to breaking the rules. (He likes to bite. :smiley: )

And while he’s a little beat up and worn, you’d hardly know it by how he looks on television. “The 44” is currently involved in a great one-on-one feud with “The Sandbear” (Bedtime Bear of Care Bears fame). They’ve had a great series of hard-hitting, time-limit matches.

Anyhoo…