More retro rewinds
“ALF” (Catchy Comedy, Sunday, March 24): One of television’s most unusual title stars fronted this 1986-90 NBC sitcom, which continues an all-weekend marathon here. ALF is an alien life form (portrayed largely by puppeteer Paul Fusco) who goes by the name Gordon Shumway, and crashes both literally and figuratively into the lives of an average American family. The lives of the relatives (some of whom are played by Max Wright, Anne Schedeen and Andrea Elson) expectedly are transformed by their being in the presence of the very unexpected visitor.
“The Dick Van Dyke Show” (METV, Sunday, March 24): It might not seem like such a big deal now, but in the early 1960s, the topic of the birds and the bees was very sensitive subject matter for television … particularly in a comedy. Written by series creator-producer Carl Reiner, the related episode “Where Did I Come From?” shows how brilliantly this series handled such issues, with Rob and Laura (Dick Van Dyke, Mary Tyler Moore) trying to explain to their curious young son Ritchie (Larry Mathews) how he came to be.
“The Silence of the Lambs” (MGM+, Tuesday, March 26): In the melodrama that swept the top Oscars for 1991, Dr. Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins) and novice FBI agent Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster) match wits as she seeks a senator’s daughter, kidnapped by a serial killer (Ted Levine) whose modus operandi may be only too familiar to the incarcerated and similarly homicidal Lecter. Director Jonathan Demme and screenwriter Ted Tally (adapting Thomas Harris’ novel) also earned Academy Awards for their memorable work here.
“Prizzi’s Honor” (Turner Classic Movies, Saturday, March 30): Jack Nicholson and Kathleen Turner play professional assassins who target each other, despite their love affair, in director John Huston’s 1985 comedy-drama based on Richard Condon’s novel – and presented as half of a Nicholson double feature. Under her father’s guidance, co-star Anjelica Huston won an Oscar as the Nicholson character’s ex-flame; Robert Loggia, CCH Pounder and (in his screen debut) Stanley Tucci also appear.