Why Max Wright Left ALF Without Saying Goodbye
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- Опубліковано 16 чер 2024
- Did you know that there’s footage of ALF using racial slurs and that one of the series’ main stars hated working with the titular puppet? ALF was a science-fiction series from the 1980s. While it may not have been the only sitcom from around the time that utilized science-fiction elements to stand out, it was notable for the fact that its titular character was portrayed on the screen by a life-size puppet! The ALF puppet wasn’t necessarily lifelike, but it was detailed enough that it was able to fool the audience. Shooting scenes with the ALF puppet was harder than on the average sitcom, and the cast grew tired of doing the show by its relatively early end. There was one actor, in particular, who truly hated working on the series.
▬Contents of this video▬
00:00 - Intro
02:29 - ALF Was Difficult to Film
03:08 - Max Wright Left ALF Without Saying a Word
04:23 - One Cast Member from ALF Became Bulimic
05:22 - Ben Hertzberg Had a Great Time Filming ALF
05:57 - Was Alf Racist?
06:38 - Outro
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The actor who hated working with the ALF puppet more than anyone was Max Wright. Max claimed that he had a lot of respect for the technical craftsmanship that was used to bring the ALF puppet to life before the camera. Max’s respect for the technical craft caused him to want to bring his all to every performance. However, the strenuous demands of doing so became too much for the actor by the end.
Though ALF was a pretty big hit, the show only lasted for four seasons. A big part of its early end stemmed from the fact that it was much harder to film than the average series, as well as the fact that so many of its cast and crew hated working on it. Max Wright wasn’t the only member of ALF’s cast that disliked working on the series. However, he certainly hated it the most! Join Facts Verse as we explore why Max Wright left ALF without saying goodbye.
Why Max Wright Left ALF Without Saying Goodbye - Розваги
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Well my age limit is off so I should see all videos
Yeah, Max Wright's later behavior is definitely not suitable for all ages.
RIP Max Wright.
Silly to paint Alf as “racist” over jokes made 40 years ago by a puppeteer during bloopers. Like, that one last bit made this entire video lose credibility. Get a grip.
I understand how the cast must have felt but Alf is one of the best sitcoms ever. I wouldn't mind Alf making a comeback.
There are rumors of ALF coming back
@@user-ih4fd9sf8x I hope so but for goodness sake don't make it woke or forget it.
@@chickey333 agreed
The talk show thing flopped. 🤓😎✌🏻
@@chickey333 all what they bring back becomes woke so best they don't.
Years after the show ended, Max Wright agreed to speak on the subject during an interview. While he claimed that he never changed his mind about hating working on this show, about which he was very vocal both during and after filming it, he admitted that got huge satisfaction from receiving tons of fan mail telling how much joy the show has brought to so many people. He also said that he held no grudge against any of the other cast members, most of whom he got along well, during filming.
That's good to know, he was great on the show, it's a shame the last few years of his life were really bad for him, with the lymphoma, I wish someone from the show would have atleast tried to reach out and help him, if there was no bad blood between anyone he worked with, I don't understand why someone didn't try to help him.
He didnt mind cashing his paychecks.
Max Wright was a very good actor.
We absolutely agree! Thank you for your watching our video. Be on the lookout for the next one!
He had the best chemistry with Alf. He was an amazing actor.
I completely and utterly disagree... but, what do I know...
This is a big part of my childhood. I have all episodes on DVD. I am now 47 but whenever I see an episode I am ten years old again 😂
We're glad to know that you love the show. Thank you for sharing your thoughts. If we may ask, which episode did you like the best?
Ditto 🤷♂️ I'm 49 and I still watch Alf all the time. I really miss Gordon Shumway 😎😇🤔👀💪💪💚👌💎💯💯💯
Max Wright was the heart and soul of this show. Sure, Alf was the main star, but Willy was the one that kept sanity in the family and kept the family together.
I always think the scenes between Willy and Alf were touching! Max did a great job!
RIP max Wright
May Max find peace ❣
Max Wright as ALF's foil was as equal to the success of the series as ALF himself. While I was sorry to hear shooting was so rough on the cast, I loved the show as a kid and still laugh the reruns today
Alf was Alf. You liked it or not.
The 80's was a magical time, so many great times then and I loved watching Alf
Me too 😊
We absolutely agree! Thank you for your watching our video. Be on the lookout for the next one!
I loved that show too. Alf had the perfect amount of snark. Oh, and I also thought the daughter was a total hottie back then.
As were the 90s. Both run circles around today.
I loved this show.... It's too bad that the people on it were having such a terrible time.....
Their perseverance gave us a gem!!!!
"Dinosaurs" was JUST AMAZING to watch, with EXCELLENT writing, sadly so short lived.
Alf was played by the doll (actually, at least two of them, which were not identical, and it was often easy to tell them apart even in same scene) in all the shots in which Alf was shown from waist up, as the puppet didn't have legs as it was moved around on hidraulics, which is about 99% of the shots, for the shots in which Alf's entire body was seen, he was actually played by Hungarian actor Michu Meszaros. Being just 2 9 tall, he wore an Alf costume. However, due to having problems with overheating in the costume and the already high costs of the show, Alf was shown full body only when it was absolutely neccessary.
The easiest way to guess when it was Meszaros in costume or it was a puppet is by simply looking at the size of the head. Puppet head is noticably alot larger then the costume head.
Benji Gregory played Brian.
I wish they would bring the show back!
We feel the same way! ALF is definitely something else. If we may ask, which episode is your favorite?
@@FactsVerse it's very hard to choose they are so many
Its on Pluto Tv. I watch it every morning.
The fact that Max performed perfectly on this show and known fact that he hated working on this show, about which he was very vocal both during and after working on the show, shows what an amazing actor and consumate professional he was.
In the years leading up to his death, he finally agreed to speak about this show, after avoiding giving interviews about it for many years. While he claimed that he never changed his mind about hating working on this show, he admitted that he got huge personal satisfaction from receiving tons of fan mail telling him how much joy and happiness this show has brought to so many people.
Also, when asked if he would ever consider appearing on possible sequel or reboot of ALF, Wright never gave a definite answer, always simply saying that the times have changed. With modern technologies, there is no doubt that doing such show would be alot easier work than the original was.
He hated working on the series yet never quit. I bet he didn't hate the money he made.
Max Wright was under contract like the rest of them more then likely they could not quit until the studio decided the show must end.
I have tried to explain this show to my daughter and I get the thousand mile stare. I tried to tell her it was really funny and ALF had some great lines but all she could imagine was a puppet show. She’s an adult now, but I need to find an ALF episode and make her watch it with me….. So she can roll her eyes in person and tell me how weird it is. But I will always contend that ALF was damn funny.
Peacocl TV has it. I also found it on Tubi TV.
@@Sheila3444 Thanks. She lives in a different state but the next time I visit she’s watchin it. 🙂.
I liked ALF too.The 80s tv shows were so different than todays programs.
one of the few programs (including Frasier) that made me laugh out loud. I also liked 3rd Rock From the Sun, too. I think some people feel that if something can make you laugh, you're somewhow vulnerable because of it. Sad.
There was another sci-fi sitcom on tv around the same time as Alf, called ‘Small Wonder’ about a little girl who was actually a robot who lived with a family after being designed and built by her ‘dad’.
It was kinda like Alf, only less off the wall. In a scene in the very first episode, Alf flushes a toilet and says “… interesting concept “
If you stop and think about it, Alf was a reboot of another classic sci-fi sitcom, My Favorite Martian….
It was sad to hear of Max’s passing, and as much as he hated working on the show, it still was fun to watch.
Interesting, thank you for sharing this information about ALF! Which episode is the most memorable for you?
@@FactsVerse The one that was most memorable to me was when Alf and Jake were writing a their own silent movie after Alf watched Charlie Chaplin and Rudolph Valentino movies!
I remember that show.
The relationship between Alf and Willy was great!
I still love watching reruns. Cracks me up .
We're happy to know that you're a fan of the show. In your opinion, what is its best episode?
Viewing a program like "Alf," on TV, it's easy to just watch and not even think how much work goes into a sitcom with a "puppet." It probably would be a challenging feat for the other actors.
Absolutely, we feel the same way! Thank you for sharing your sentiments and for watching our content. What other types of video would you like to see on our channel?
The set was on risers. They needed channels for the puppeteers to move around. The puppet was worked from below. The other actors had to be so careful to not fall off the floor into a pit. It was complicated to operate Alf. I think the actors did great acting with Alf to make him appear real.
I loved the show and Alf!
Us too! Be safe and have a great week ahead ❤
They did an episode once in Season 3 or 4 where Alf develops an addiction to consuming cotton. At one point he begins to laugh hysterically and then going through withdrawals with hallucinating people singing "New York, New York."
I'm pretty sure those "special episodes" were compulsory during the '80s as pretty much every series did at least one. Most of them didn't work though. I think You Can't Do That On Television may have been the only one to actually pull it off in a way that kids got.
@@SmallSpoonBrigade What's funny is I think they were mocking the "very special episode" format which was terrible in so many ways especially since there was always a laugh track which made it more awkward. Arnold and Dudley are being preyed on by the perv bicycle shop owner. Let's make some jokes.
My 2nd birthday (1987) was all ALF themed. The paper plates, streamers, balloons, banners, and cake…it was awesome.
For how many 80s tv show reboots there are; I wonder why they haven’t done ALF….Then again, it would have to be Paul Fusco doing the voice…hmm
At least max wrights DUI legal issues, and his disdain for being on the set as he hated it, and he’s doing the whole being dead thing..
Alright sweet babies, you’re the ones who’re out of this world!!
Always wondered this thanks for sharing
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Now you guys need to do a piece on how Richard Dawson thumbed his nose at Match Game by leaving the same way Max Wright did with this......also research the bitter separation he and Gene Rayburn had post Match Game....would be a good post........
what ever they did to make this show it was good i loved it
Glad to know that you're a fan of the show! Which episode is the most memorable for you?
To this day, one of my favorite sitcoms of all times. Props to everyone who made it work (y)
I loved that show as so did so many
Gordon Schumway was brilliant!!
We absolutely agree! Thank you for your watching our video. Be on the lookout for the next one!
Rip max
I don't understand how Jim Henson can build an entire empire on puppets and animatronics but this guy couldn't even stand one.
Loved this show as a kids
We're glad to know that you're a fan of ALF! Which episode is the most memorable for you?
Loved them all,,
I was about 3 yrs older than the daughter on the show when it aired. I never watched thinking it was going to be stupid or for little kids. Plus seeing all the alf dolls at stores I assumed it was a kids show. But recently I have seen it on TV. Watching it for 1st time all these yrs later and I was surprised. It was a pretty good show. Funny and offbeat. Max Wright is the best. His reactions etc are quite funny.
Just like Maya Angelou, Alf is a national treasure.
Alf was a lovable character. From Ms. Harper Stacey.
I love Alf watch him anytime I can catch a rerun love to all
Absolutely, we feel the same way! Thank you for sharing your sentiments and for watching our content. What other types of video would you like to see on our channel?
don't compare the late MsANGELO to a alien puppet show some fn respect. compare alf to trump or reagan aren't those 2pos national treasures in your eyes?
Interesting thanks for sharing
Our pleasure! We're so glad you enjoyed this video. What other types of video would you like to see?
He had to go help Gunther run Central Perk.😂
I think I'll have a BLT, Bacon, Lucky and Tomato lol
I was trying to explain this show to my fiance .... She's 6 yrs younger than me and made me feel so old while trying to explain the show to her🤣🤣😅
Tubi is a free tv service that has Alf
Hahaha! I had a girlfriend that was more than 2 years younger than me and I once said something about the “Valley Girls” and she looked at me like I had 3 heads. 😅
I told her to Google it. 🤦🏾♂️😂
@@artyg4716 🤣🤣
@@Sheila3444 gonna look into it
@@artyg4716 now I fell like binging all 80s and 90s flix 💪🏿
Well they agreed to do the show. What did they expect ? Never missed a show. Have the entire series on dvd
I loved watching ALF when I was kid with my Family it was really Great Sitcom ALF was really Funny and made me laugh. What ever they did to made this Show so good I loved it! I didn't know Max Wright couldn't stand working with the ALF Puppet because of Strenuous demands, I can see why he "NEVER" said Goodbye to anybody. George EDWARD MAXWELL WRIGHT AUGUST 2, 1943 - JUNE 26, 2019 75 YEAR'S OLD R.I.P. MAX WRIGHT FLY HIGH WITH ANGEL'S 💐😇👼🙏💔🥀🕯️🕊️💜✝️.
max was a classicly trained theater actor, when he did the first season he thought it would just be that, but then it became popular and he was under contract and had no choice. from what I've heard thanks to dean Camron the script when written had everyone having jokes but then paul Fusco would get a hold of it and by the end of the week all the jokes would go to alf. as an actor that must have been rather infuriating also paul and max did not get along, in fact, the episode with the dummy alf had based on Fusco stemmed from their issues. max also battled with drug and alcohol addiction which was probably made worst by many of the issues during the making of the series.
He never left ALF, he was there till the last episode where Alf got caught by NASA.
it was the bloopers they were super funny
Have just ended watching the last episode on HBO. Have not seen since the show originaly was shown. I must say, I even love it more now. It MUST come back in any form. I had to catch up and read about the actors. Sad to see Max dead. The crack thing, true?
All the best from Sweden 🇸🇪
the first two seasons of alf were really good by the 3rd and 4th i think they were all getting tired of each other
I really loved that show. I would like to point out, ive looked on youtube for alf. without any joy?
Not getting the 5th season is still a little sad 😢
Alf was a great show, I still watch it all the time. In these Crazy days of 2023 we could really use Gordon Shumway back in our lives...Alf ALWAYS brings a smile to my face 😇😎😜💯💯💯
Most surprising was that it was on the air 4 seasons!
Ah, don't you just love the 1980's? It was the only decade that managed to have a fashion bypass operation....especially with the padded shoulders on ALL of the women's clothing - including their sweaters - and where everyone's hairdos were noticeable from outer space. Big hair and mullets for days - maybe that's what Alf homed in on when he came to planet Earth, wasn't it?
I dunno, I don't think people have looked normal since like the '50s or so.
The 80s had some excellent fashion that still influences us today. I think that a lot of people only see references from bad 80s fashion, which isn’t the scope of what the 80s brought forth.
The designs of Mugler, Claude Montana, Issey Miyake, Gaultier and Chanel were outstanding in the 80s. If you ever get bored (or are interested), look of fashion shows from these designers in the 80s.
Mullets as I remember them didn't show up until 1989 90 unless it was only an American phenomenon. So season 4 the end of Alf production they would have just been appearing.
Things were constantly changing through that oh so brief decade.
0:17
It certainly fooled me.
I was a naive 6-10 year old that believed ALF was real.
It was a job. When the job is over, what's left to be said?
Im starting to rewatch the serie it bring so many souvenirs
People didn't know that Alf was a puppet? Seriously? I wasn't even 10 yet and I knew it was a puppet. I mean there were tons of puppets on TV back then.
If it wasn’t for the Alf show these actors would have been forgotten
I loved this show, I watched it every week! This was such a funny show.
He's one puppet, the Muppet Show went on for decades and it has tonnes of puppets. Mando and Grogu make it work. Many say, they resented ALF getting all the jokes. It's his show
Did anyone else besides max and Ray Combs (Family Feud) quickly leave the final episode without saying goodbye in this kind of way? And I wonder if some sort of ALF: The Next Generation could work with Lynn and/or Brian grown up with their own kids?
How can a grown up man possibly be jealous of a puppet ?
Nonsense.
I always assumed it was a short person in a costume. That would have been easier? Even if they had to do a voice over.
Actually, the long shots of ALF were done with someone in a suit. However, anything from the waist up, it was a puppet.
I still really love Alf, but I can watch it from a different perspective if I want to now
We're happy to know that you love the show. In your opinion, what is its best episode?
Im watching Alf now again on HBO , its amazing there is even a HBO joke in this show hahahaha, this brings me back to the 80's and also the remix Ben Liebrand once made , just look that up its somewhere on yt ,it really is amazing , Ben used a lot of samples from that Lucky episode , and that song Alf made Stuck on earth also the title :D
I still watch it most nights at 1am on Laff channel ❤😀
Max Wright, ‘Alf’ Star and Veteran Actor, Dead at 75
Wonderful funny show...great actors..Even Alf malf.
Loved it
Max was great in The Norm Show too.
i remember this series. 😁🖥
"detailed enough to follow the audience".... do people think we actually didn't know he was a puppet?? LMAO!!
Is this why the show ended on a cliffhanger?
I hope y’all will reply to this before ALF Mac Wright was in the movie All that Jazz he played Joe’s (Roy Scheider) agent
ALF was a puppet!? oh man Oh God.
You forgot to say that the set was 4ft off the ground
How? 😯
This video didn't really say much more other than max left without saying goodbye
anyone know where I can steam the uncut episodes?
I loved Alf!!!!
Glad to know that you're a fan of ALF! Which episode is your favorite?
Me TOO.Brings back a lot of nostalgia.
The "racist" bit (which occurred between takes) is actually from an episode of the show L.A. Law which featured a kid who had Tourette's Syndrome (Tourette's manifests with involuntary bodily ticks and uncontrollable verbal outbursts that are often of a vulgar or profane nature). The actor who "played" ALF was mimicking that episode. Should he have used the n word? Probably not. But it's still not the same as actually being a racist. Words alone cannot determine whether one is a racist or not. The motivation and intention behind the words are needed to know that.
that's something this society has been indoctrinated not to know. they're brainwashed to label people on the spot with no real thoughts.
In reality, when Max Wright leaving without saying goodbye happened, nobody knew that it was the end of the show. The negotiations for another season were still going on and, according to producers, the entire cast, including Wright, would have to return if another season as their contracts stipulated it. Therefore, while his actions sybolically marked the end of ALF, in reality even he didn't know it was a definite end of the show.
Technically there WAS an actor in the ALF/Gordon Shumway costume... because ALF had both a puppet & a costume to represent the character on set
Makes me think of Gordy's Home. At least Alf didn't run amok.
In retrospect, ALF is a classic. The writing and acting by Fusco and Wright, respectively, was supurb.
Sadly, Max was a troubled man and I doubt it had little to do with cheeky aliens.
They should bring ALF back. And make sure they hire a cast that can handle things. The great thing about a puppet is that they can still look exactly the same, because puppets don't age. The voice however is the main issue. Could they find an actor that sounded like ALF? Or maybe just use the same actor, since he's still alive. I read on Wikipedia that they actually WERE going to make a new live action ALF show, but with CGI instead. But that statement was in 2012. Not sure what happened since?
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He probably grew up 10 or 15 years more of that he have at the time alf were broadcasting because after the show end up he did looks too old so i can't even imagine how hard and stressesfuly was to him r.i.p max thank you for make me laugh watching you and the rest of the cast too.
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I never really watched the show much but me and several people thought Alf if you looked at him at certain angles resembled Ronald Reagan 🤣🤣🤣
I watch it four times everyday
We're happy to know that you love the show. In your opinion, what is its best episode?
@@FactsVerse When Alf buys a Lamborghini or some such Italian sports car, and takes off down the highway in it, then calls Willy from the car phone because he can't stop - eventually coming back home and destroying everyone's lawn in the neighborhood then crashing the car through the garage - the same garage he crashed his space ship into before. He bought the car with gold plumbing from his space ship. The rest of the money from the gold was stolen by his broker....
One of the most disappointing endings to a series in TV history
They finished it. They made a part 2
@@noname-nobody1247 Still garbage. No laughs. Did a 180° into a f'n x-files drama lol
Badges? We don't need no stinking badges!!!
ALF isn’t science fiction for gods sake.
I think the show also was too edgy to be on kids platforms (Alf hates the mother of character Ann played to the point of wishing death upon her many times). In the same episode he also takes up betting on horse races, and getting into debt where a mobster comes in and implies bad things will happen if they don't pay up before being sucked up into an MlM selling beauty products. Some truly not kid friendly stuff. Also the whole Alf walking in on her taking a shower with just a towel around her refusing to leave was pretty weird for an intro sequence for a show meant for children. I'm guessing that probably turned off some other companies from wanting the show in their networks.
Hmmmmmm I disagree...but then Alf was Alf....then why was the muppet shows so great...Max ego was that he didnt like not being the number one on the show...
love the show wish it was a movie.........
It was a movie
yup project Alf. ' did he just say his mom'
Per this video, being on the cast of Alf was equivalent in difficully to being on a prison chain gang or on Seal Team Six in Afghanistan mid-Summer.
I loved that show it was awesome 👍😎
Couldn't agree more! Thank you for sharing your views on this. Who is your favorite cast member?
@@FactsVerse AlF I couldn't wait for the next episode to start he was so darn funny 🤣
I loved the show but didn't like the dark ending.
We're happy to know that you love the show. Thank you for sharing your thoughts. If we may ask, which episode did you like the best?
As for me I really love the show, For me I alwasy thought that the cast was loveable to one another. Yes i can understand that shooting long hours , just to get those funn momomnets or the fact's straight is tough. I have gone to 3 show taping's and it's tough to get all those lines and their points across on what ever topic's that night may be. The three shoots that we went to see, were literally all night... Lots of hats down to those actors and even it's puppetters.... I do miss that show and i wish they would have had return to finished up season 4 cliffhanger, it would be tough to do it with out Maxwell, but it can be done....
I love that show
6:24 This point in particular, I think should have been said with a referential focus. WHO said WHAT things?
I heard Max strangled the puppet at some point. Before I watch this I thought he was a jerk.
Ooooops y’all let me rewrite this I hope y’all will reply to this before ALF Max Wright was in the musical All that Jazz he played Joe’s (played by Roy Scheider) agent