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Strangers in the Night | Pennsylvania 6-5000 |
Looking for Lucky is the third episode of the first season of ALF.
Plot Summary[]
Prologue[]
ALF is attempting to hypnotize Lucky into thinking he is a bagel. Willie catches him in the act and Alf gives a cover story that he's trying to teach Lucky how to tell time. Willie then says that the pocketwatch is broken, and ALF admits his ruse. Willie announces he's going out leaving Lucky and ALF alone.
Acts 1-3[]
The house is a terrible mess, with furniture strewn about and many food items left in various places. ALF jumps out of the kitchen wearing sunglasses, and lip syncing to "Old Time Rock & Roll." The family returns and admonishes ALF for leaving such a mess. He explains that he had planned to clean up before everyone came back. Kate asks Brian to go find Lucky for feeding him, but nobody can find him. Alf then starts gagging and coughs up a furball, causing the entire family to accuse him of eating Lucky. ALF maintains his innocence and that night he writes a goodbye note to the family saying he's going out to search for Lucky as proof of his innocence. That morning Willie discovers that the furball matches the composition of some of Alf's hair that he found in the ice cream. The family goes out to look for ALF, but he is picked up by a dog catcher, Keith and taken to a pound. ALF then notices that the dog catcher has just brought in a cat that Alf confuses with Lucky due to a very close resemblance. When a man and his daughter come in and try to adopt this cat, ALF creates a terrible ruckus, leading Keith to release him. ALF grabs the cat and runs out of the shelter and back home. Brian, Lynn and Kate return home and are happy to see Alf safe. He lifts up the box containing the cat he retrieved, and Lynn says he made a mistake. Willie comes in carrying Lucky saying that he was in Mrs. Ochmonek's basement the whole time.
Epilogue[]
With ALF fully exonerated, he gloats over his victory while sitting at the kitchen table, while Lucky eats a bowl of ice cream, and tells Lucky that the family would now blame Willie before blaming him next time Lucky disappears, and says that he could make himself a BLT (Bacon Lucky & Tomato) but he won't because the family trusts him.
Background information[]
Production history[]
- Premiere airdate: October 6, 1986
Continuity[]
- The scene with ALF lip syncing to "Old Time Rock & Roll" is a parody of a scene in the film "Risky Business" where Tom Cruise's character does a similar thing when left home alone.
- The song ALF sings and the music that plays during the animal shelter scene is "On Wisconsin" the anthem to the Wisconsin Badgers college football team.
- The first episode that centers around Lucky.
- This is the first time that ALF went outside, heavily referenced that it would be a fatal decision.
- This is the debut of a running gag where Lynn loses her appetite due to ALF's grotesque antics. (It was the scene where Willie shows proof that ALF's hairball was not Lucky's hairball.)
- The Tanners family do not apologize to ALF for accusing him of eating Lucky as in the syndicated version.
- ALF says he has multiple stomachs.
- ALF says he has seen someone get sucked into a parallel dimension.
- ALF says he has not eaten a cat since he left Melmac.
- There are several songs entitled "Looking for Love" which may have been the basis for this episode's title. The Hootie and the Blowfish album Looking for Lucky could not have inspired this episode's title, since it was not released until 2005.
Syndication cuts[]
- Keith tries to audition for Heidi's dad, who is a producer.
Links and references[]
Cast[]
- Andrea Elson as Lynn Tanner
- Paul Fusco as Gordon/ALF (voice) (uncredited)
- Benji Gregory as Brian Tanner
- Darwin Joston as Keith
- Carrie Lorraine as Heidi
- Jed Mills as Heidi’s dad
- Anne Schedeen as Kate Tanner
- Max Wright as Willie Tanner
References[]
attorney; bagel; bell; cat; cow; dog; Fugitive, The; grape; Janssen, David; Jell-O; Griffin, Merv; heirloom; hypnotism; Melmac; Niagara Falls; Ochmonek, Raquel; People's Court; smoking; soda; Sugar Shocks; tabby; watch
Cut references[]
External links[]
- Looking for Lucky at the IMDb