The Journey of Allen Strange Information
The Journey of Allen Strange was a television series on Nickelodeon's SNICK block of programming for three seasons from 1997 to 2000.[1][2]
Contents |
Premise
The series follows the story of a young Xelan alien (Arjay Smith) who is stranded on earth, and meets up with a young girl Robbie Stevenson (Erin J. Dean) and her younger brother Josh (Shane Sweet) and father. This family eventually adopts him, giving him the name "Allen Strange". Allen has extraordinary powers, including the ability to turn into his alien form, which allows him to hover. He uses his abilities to bring a mannequin in a sporting goods store to life; this "animated mannequin" poses as Allen's Earth father, Manfred, for events like parent-teacher conferences. He also possesses extremely high intelligence and can read incredibly fast by simply placing his hand on the cover of a book. Allen has an affinity for canned cheese, and lives in the family's attic in a strange alien cocoon.[3]
Allen states he has "chosen" to be African-American when confronted with the task of blending in with society. His naivety on the subject (bringing in plain black posterboards for his Black History Month presentation) sparked a Black History Month episode, featuring Allen learning information about slavery and The Civil Rights Movement.
In the weeks leading up to the series' premiere, Nickelodeon ran a series of teaser ads which would at first appear to be promos for other shows, or for Nickelodeon in general, when a blue ooze would fill the screen as an announcer said cryptically, "Something strange is coming to SNICK. November 8." The blue ooze would then clear out and the interrupted promo would conclude as if nothing had happened.
Characters
- Allen Strange - The main protagonist whose a Xelan alien disguised as a human. All he wishes to do is to go back to his planet. He's played by Arjay Smith.
- Roberta "Robbie" Stevenson - 16 years old and helps Allen how to fit in with humans. She's played by Erin Dean.
- Joshua "Josh" Stevenson - Robbie's younger brother at age 10. He's played by Shane Sweet.
- Ken Stevenson -Robbie and Josh's dad who is aware of Allen Strange as an alien.
Book series
An eight-book series, based on the episodes, was also printed,[4] written by several authors, including John Vornholt and Mel Odom.
Episodes
Season 1
| # | Title | Airdate |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Arrival" (Pilot) | November 8, 1997 |
| 2 | "Entry" | November 15, 1997 |
| 3 | "Space" | November 22, 1997 |
| 4 | "Gronpoly" | December 6, 1997 |
| 5 | "Starwalk" | December 13, 1997 |
| 6 | "The Visit" | December 27, 1997 |
| 7 | "Battle" | January 3, 1998 |
| 8 | "The Guardian" | January 10, 1998 |
| 9 | "Collision" | January 17, 1998 |
| 10 | "Compute" | January 24, 1998 |
| 11 | "Rescue" | February 21, 1998 |
| 12 | "Home, Part 1" | February 24, 1998 |
| 13 | "Home, Part 2" | February 26, 1998 |
Season 2
| # | Title | Airdate |
|---|---|---|
| 14 | "Passage" | August 31, 1998 |
| 15 | "The Day of the Beagle" | September 2, 1998 |
| 16 | "Haunted" | September 7, 1998 |
| 17 | "Pride of the Dolphin" | September 9, 1998 |
| 18 | "Strange Culture" | September 14, 1998 |
| 19 | "Two for the Road" | September 16, 1998 |
| 20 | "The Broken Puzzle" | September 23, 1998 |
| 21 | "Portal, Part 1" | September 28, 1998 |
| 22 | "Portal, Part 2" | September 30, 1998 |
| 23 | "The Truth About Lies" | October 5, 1998 |
| 24 | "A Room of My Own" | October 12, 1998 |
| 25 | "Cash Crunch" | October 21, 1998 |
| 26 | "Father & Son" | November 4, 1998 |
| 27 | "A New Leaf" | November 23, 1998 |
| 28 | "Secret of the Deep" | November 30, 1998 |
| 29 | "Dances with Moose" | December 2, 1998 |
| 30 | "Baby on Board" | December 14, 1998 |
| 31 | "Eye of a Stranger" | February 8, 1999 |
| 32 | "Unmasked!" | March 10, 1999 |
| 33 | "Fast Friends" | March 17, 1999 |
| 34 | "Space Bugs" | March 24, 1999 |
| 35 | "All Apologies" | March 31, 1999 |
| 36 | "Strike Out" | April 7, 1999 |
| 37 | "Down the Tube" | April 14, 1999 |
| 38 | "Bust a Move" | April 21, 1999 |
| 39 | "Shadows in the Sky | April 28, 1999 |
Season 3
| # | Title | Airdate |
|---|---|---|
| 40 | "First Day of School" | |
| 41 | "Split Decision" | |
| 42 | "Mother and Child Reunion" | |
| 43 | "Twist of Fate" | |
| 44 | "As the Millennium Turns" | |
| 45 | "A Day at the Races" | |
| 46 | "Hamilton's Missing" | |
| 47 | "Science Friction" | |
| 48 | "Blue-Up" | |
| 49 | "Out on a Limb" | |
| 50 | "A Burp in Time" | |
| 51 | "Love Stinks" | |
| 52 | "Allen on TV" | |
| 53 | "Out to Lunch" | |
| 54 | "Bringing Up Baby" | |
| 55 | "Heroes" | |
| 56 | "Life of the Party" | |
| 57 | "Message from Beyond" (Series Finale) | April 23, 2000 |
References
- ^ Rose, Devin (October 13, 1998). "Strange Is A Trip Worth Taking". Chicago Tribune. http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1998-10-13/features/9810130254_1_strange-alien-allen. Retrieved 2010-09-03.
- ^ "Allen Strange Makes Rocky Journey to TV Movie Format". The Los Angeles Times. December 4, 1999. http://articles.latimes.com/1999/dec/04/entertainment/ca-40263. Retrieved 2010-09-03.
- ^ Mangan, Jennifer (November 20, 1997). "New Comedy From Nickelodeon Explores Serious Issues". Chicago Tribune. http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1997-11-20/features/9711200356_1_shane-sweet-alien-arjay-smith. Retrieved 2010-09-03.
- ^ "Journey of Allen Strange". fantasticfiction.co.uk. http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/series/journey-of-allen-strange/. Retrieved 24 November 2010.
External links
Categories:
- Nickelodeon shows
- American science fiction television series
- 1990s American television series
- 1990s Nickelodeon shows
- 1997 American television series debuts
- 2000 American television series endings
- Black television drama series
- American children's comedy series
- Teen dramas
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