ALF Loves a Mystery

I worked on this special in the summer of 1987 at NBC Burbank. Each fall, NBC would produce a prime time special previewing the network's Saturday morning lineup. Producers Brad Wigor and Joe Maurer came up with the idea of utilizing Alf in the show and NBC made it happen. It was great fun to shoot the Alf sequences at the Alf sound stage in Culver City. The whole set was raised up and the puppeteers (it took three to bring Alf to life) would work from below.

The rest of the show was taped at NBC on the stage next to the Tonight Show. I enjoyed working with all the cast, especially the great Mary Wickes who was a last minute replacement. She was such a pro and told many great stories.

I also got to work with Don Messick and June Foray on this project. One of my jobs was to coordinate all the clips from the animated shows that we used in the special. We did a special bit with The Smurfs which needed custom voice work, thus the session with the two voice artist legends. For a kid from the 60's it was a thrill to meet the talent behind so many characters I had grown up with.

This show ran only once and no doubt is sitting in some vault at NBC never to be seen again. But the memories of my experience that summer will repeat in my mind forever.

Michael Killen