Well, here we are. It was twenty-five years ago in March 1980 that history was made as performers from a foreign country became headliners on an American TV show. With tremendous fanfare, Pink Lady came to our shores to co-host a comedy-variety show with a then relatively unknown comic named Jeff Altman for a six week run on NBC in March of 1980. The show, Pink Lady & Jeff was designed to do two things: highlight the musical talents of Mie and Kei for the purpose of attracting interest for English language albums, and give Altman prime-time exposure for his comedic skills. Unfortunately, things didn't turn out as planned.
As we all know, PL & J was poorly executed and doomed to failure from jump street. Despite their phenomenal song and dance skills (which, in the opinion of just about everyone who watched the show, were hideously underused), Mie and Kei's less than stellar English was an enormous handicap while Altman as a comic was nothing to write home about. At times, it was actually painful watching the three of them exchanging inane banter from the putrid scripts forced upon them. Mix in a motley collection of B-list and past their prime guest stars (including a damned dog for pity's sake!) and you had a sure-fire recipe for disaster. In no time flat, PL & J was widely, and deservedly panned by critics as being one of THE worst shows in the history of American television. Twenty-two years later, TV Guide made that distinction official when PL & J was listed is one of its 50 worst shows of all-time.
(Aside: the picture above came from that issue of TV Guide)
But, something unusual happened while PL & J was, to put it mildly, stinking up the joint: viewers became attracted to Mie and Kei. They saw two beautiful and talented Japanese singers doing their very best to perform before a jaded television audience and were, in some cases, instantly captivated by the girls and ultimately became fans. Whether of not Altman had that effect on people is unknown, and, frankly speaking, I'd just as soon remain ignorant about that. When I launched the website in late 1998, I heard (and, to this day, still hear) from a great many people who told me that they became fans of Pink Lady after watching them on the show. Reading messages like those never fails to fill my heart with unabashed wonder. As I constantly say to penpals regarding this topic, this was proof positive that something good can come from something bad. And let's face it, PL & J was B-A-D.
And so, on this, the twenty-fifth anniversary of the TV show that introduced America to Pink Lady, I thought it'd be fun to look back on the show. While PL & J was a train wreck in every sense and definition of the term, it did indeed have it's moments, and those moments WERE Mie and Kei. Watching the girls sing and dance was a monumental treat to behold and enjoy, not just for me, but for the people here in the States who became fans of the Ladies. Just like back in 2000 when I celebrated the show's 20th anniversary by posting my original screen captures, I don't know if my bretheren over in Japan are celebrating the occasion, so I feel that its my duty to recognize same. And while Mie and Kei might well be ambivilent about the show (Altman's noxious viewpoints aren't worth mentioning), I happen to believe that this is an occasion worthy of mention for all of us as fans of Pink Lady.
To that end, I've lined up a bevy of entertaining features regarding the show. John Vawter's provided us with more of his top quality captures from all six episodes, fellow fans Lady-X and dragonraid chimed in with reviews as have yours truly for the very first time, plus an interesting additional feature I like to call "Pink Whereabouts". And, lastly, a unique item from that 2001 issue of PULP magazine that showcased Pink Lady, a riotously funny piece called "The Pink Lady & Jeff Torture Marathon". If that doesn't leave you in stitches as it did me, you need serious medical help. And now, on with the show.
