''ALF Tales'' is a 30-minute Saturday morning animated series that aired on NBC from September 10, 1988, to December 9, 1989. The show is a spin-off of '' ALF: The Animated Series'' that featured characters from that series playing various characters from

fairy tale A fairy tale (alternative names include fairytale, fairy story, household tale, magic tale, or wonder tale) is a short story that belongs to the folklore genre. Such stories typically feature magic, enchantments, and mythical or fanciful bei ...

s. The fairy tale parody was usually altered for comedic effect in a manner akin to Jay Ward's " Fractured Fairy Tales". The episodes were performed in the style of a resident theater company or

ensemble cast In a dramatic production, an ensemble cast is one that comprises many principal actors and performers who are typically assigned roughly equal amounts of screen time.Random House: ensemble acting Linked 2013-07-17 Structure In contrast to the po ...

where Gordon and Rhonda would take the leading male and female roles, and the other characters were cast according to their characteristics. Many stories spoof a film genre, such as the "Cinderella" episode which is presented like an

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977) was an American singer and actor. Referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one of the most significant cultural figures of the ...

film. Some episodes featured a "

fourth wall The fourth wall is a performance dramatic convention, convention in which an invisible, imaginary wall separates actors from the audience. While the audience can see through this "wall", the convention assumes the actors act as if they cannot. ...

" effect where Gordon is backstage preparing for the episode, and Rob Cowan would appear drawn as a TV executive (who introduced himself as "Roger Cowan, network executive") who tries to brief Gordon on how to improve the episode. For instance Cowan once told Gordon who was readying for a

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...

themed episode that "less than 2% of our audience lives in the Dark Ages".

Voice cast

* Paul Fusco as ALF (Gordon Shumway), Rick Fusterman * Paulina Gillis) as Augie, Rhonda * Peggy Mahon as Flo * Thick Wilson as Larson Petty, Bob * Dan Hennessey as Sloop * Rob Cowan as Skip * Ellen-Ray Hennessy as Stella the Waitress *

Noam Zylberman Noam Zylberman (; born June 30, 1973) is an Israeli-born Canadian voice actor. Early life Zylberman was born in Haifa, Israel to Jewish parents. His family relocated to Canada when he was two years old. He attended Arlington Middle School and ...

as Curtis (1988) *Michael Fantini as Curtis (1989)

Episodes

Season 1 (1988–89)

Season 2 (1989)

Home media

The first seven episodes were released on DVD on May 30, 2006, in Region 1 from Lionsgate Home Entertainment in a single-disc release entitled ''ALF and The Beanstalk and Other Classic Fairy Tales''. The complete series was remastered and subsequently released on October 17, 2023, by Shout! Factory in the DVD box set ''ALF: The Complete Series (Deluxe Edition)''. The box set release also included the original 1986–90 sitcom, '' ALF: The Animated Series'' and '' Project: ALF''.

References

External links

* {{Children's programming on NBC in the 1990s ALF (TV series) 1980s American animated comedy television series 1980s American children's comedy television series 1980s American comic science fiction television series 1988 American animated television series debuts 1989 American television series endings American animated television spinoffs American children's animated comic science fiction television series Animated television series about extraterrestrial life American English-language television shows Television series by DIC Entertainment Television series by Lorimar Television Television series by Saban Entertainment Television series created by Paul Fusco Television series created by Tom Patchett Animated television shows based on fairy tales Television series by Lorimar-Telepictures NBC animated television series