ALF Returns For Radical Eighties-Style Delta Safety Video
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It’s a question that faces every airline. How do you get your passengers to pay attention to the safety video? I mean, most of the people flying have probably already sat through dozens of them over the years, so they’re as prepared as anyone could be should the plane suddenly plummet into the ocean or pancake against the side of a mountain. But what about those few noobs who don’t know that your seat cushion can be used to muffle the terrified shrieking of your seatmates as the wings sheer off at 25,000 feet directly above a chain of erupting volcanoes? Well, if you’re Delta then you put together a safety video that’s packed to the overhead bins with ’80s references, including a cameo from Gordon Shumway, aka ALF. Remember ALF? He’s back, in pog safety video form.
The Eighties-riffic safety video was created the Widen + Kennedy agency in New York, and it may cause violent seizures of nostalgia for those of us who grew up in the Reagan era. It’s all here, people. Glam rockers. An Atari console. A Teddy Ruxpin. An unsolved Rubix Cube (is there any other kind?). Even a Devo hat. This thing is basically one Q-bert reference shy of summing up the entire first decade of my life.
And look, it’s ALF! (Right around the 3:13 mark, for those of you keeping track.) Or is it? He never actually speaks, so as far as we know this could just be some two-bit ALF impersonator. A Melmacian scab! What is ALF without a witty comment or two? No ALF at all, that’s what I say! Seriously though, Paul Fusco — co-creator of the show and the guy who actually voiced ALF — is only 61. Delta couldn’t have cut him a paycheck to come in and read a line or two? Then again, maybe they blew the budget on the Airplane! cameo at the very end…
Fun ALF fact: the composer for the show was a dude named Alf Clausen. He’s also worked on shows such as Moonlighting and The Simpsons. As far as we know, he’s never eaten a cat, but I did literally zero research for that so for all I know he could be an internationally known chef who specializes solely in dishes utilizing cat meat.
Seriously though, one thing that does bug me about this video is that ALF basically does nothing. He just sits there and waits for the person next to him to slip an air mask over that enormous schnozz of his. It was right there, he’s got arms. If he can’t be bothered to reach up and put it on himself, let the little bastard suffocate. Ingrate.
