Night Train

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Night Train is the ninth episode of ALF's second season. It originally aired on November 16, 1987.

Plot Summary

Willie and ALF hop on board a freight train in search of adventure. Willie reveals to ALF that he once hopped trains and rode around the country, earning the name "Boxcar Willie." ALF is so excited about the idea of hopping trains, he begs Willie to take him to see a train. When they are spotted by guards with guard dogs, they run away and jump on the train, where they meet a hobo named Gravel Gus.

Teaser

ALF is reading a magazine and reveals he's a type T personality that is fearless. Brian asks if he might be one also and suggests the find out by having Brian jump off the roof. ALF then gets a paper cut and loudly winces at it

Act One

ALF is in Kate and Willie's bed and then Willie comes in, to ask him to leave and Lynn follows him. ALF says he's depressed having looked at pictures of the adventures he used to go on. He show them the pictures to which Lynn mentions he had an exciting time. Willie then talks about when he was 17 that he hopped a freight train and rode it across the country, and did odd jobs during his journey. Willie says he didn't talk about it before because Kate was worried that the kids would imitate him

ALF is in the garage playing with the family's model railroad, and asks Willie how he managed to hop the train. He talks about how he waited until dark and sat in a boxcar and ate beans, which is how he got his traveling name "Boxcar Willie" Kate announces she's going to her mother's, and invites Willie to come along to which he declines. ALF pleads with Willie to go to train yard and watch the trains. y

At the train yard, ALF is surprised at how large the trains are. A night watchman with doberman pinschers notice them, and they run off. ALF manages to board the moving train, and Willie catches up with him and boards it too. It's now moving too quickly for them to get off. ALF starts singing "City of New Orleans"

Act Two

On board the train ALF tries to pass the time by talking about what they're missing on TV and that hopping it may have been a bad idea, but he couldn't resist. Willie says that as long as they are there, that they might as well enjoy it, and look out the door. A hobo that is already on board notices them, and ALF hides. The hobo introduces himself as Gravel Gus, and that he's never seen Willie before, and that he got his name for landing face down in gravel after falling his first couple times trying to hop one, and that he's been riding for 30 years. He pulls out a can of beans and ALF says he wants some, but Gus is startled and jumps out of the train thinking ALF is a loose kangaroo. ALF then reveals that some of the picutures of his adventures were faked. He then goes into a brief talk about some intricacies of Melmacian vernacular, and how his planet exploded on the day of his plans with Rhonda, and that it taught him to live every moment to the fullest. Willie then sees a shooting star and tells ALF to make a wish, and ALF wishes he had his planet back. Willie tries to cheer him up, and ALF jokes about marrying Lynn, Willie mentions he once dated future TV star Linda Evans, but then she left him to pursue her career, but then he had great times and adventures starting a family.

Epilogue

At the Tanners, Kate answers the phone, and it's Willie asking to be picked up. She Lynn and Brian that Willie and ALF are in Barstow, In Barstow, ALF is sitting around a campfire, and Willie returns with a can of beans he got at a mini-mart where he called Kate. They both sing "City of New Orleans" together.

Songs

• "City of New Orleans"

Title Reference

"Night Train" is an instrumental blues piece first recorded by Jimmy Forest in 1951.

Trivia

• The epilogue is cut from the syndicated version.