Whatever Happened to the Stars of ‘Pink Lady and Jeff,’ the Variety Show That Ended the Variety Show Craze?
Let’s travel back in time to 1980, to talk about a TV variety show called Pink Lady and Jeff. If you don’t remember it, don’t beat yourself up; this one wasn’t on TV for long. And while there are many good reasons for the variety show’s all-too-brief run on NBC, it is still beloved by many TV fans, me included — ironically, for the very same reasons that led to the show’s cancellation.
First, a little context is needed to get us started. Pink Lady is a Japanese singing duo consisting of Mie and Kei. In the late 1970s, this energetic duo gained international recognition, and even had a modest hit here in the US titled “Kiss in the Dark.” Somewhere along the way, they caught the eye of the head of NBC, Fred Silverman and with his blessing, Pink Lady and Jeff premiered in 1980, introducing Mie and Kei to American audiences. The show featured skits, musical performances, and guest appearances by many of my favorite celebrities. And, along for the ride, there was comedian Jeff Altman.
Looking back now, with so much time having passed since it originally aired, it’s easy to see that this show was destined to fail. Why? Well, probably the biggest and most noticeable thing for everyone was that neither of these young ladies could speak English. And they couldn’t just not speak it; they didn’t understand it. Imagine how frustrating that would be to be headlining a TV show and not really understand its primary language. That’s the reason comedian Jeff Altman was on board … because someone had to do the talking.
Here’s how Jeffrey C. Branch, longtime fan of Pink Lady, described the show, “I associated Pink Lady and Jeff with a 50-car pile-up on the expressway, it was a nightmare, but I couldn’t turn away. The show was wonderfully wretched, six unforgettable episodes of mindless fluff that had me either openly cringing, rolling my eyes or shaking my head. To say PL& J wasn’t a first-class example of ‘must see TV’ would be one hell of an understatement.”
According to Slate, “Pink Lady and Jeff acquired legendary status as one of television’s most notorious bombs, a show that managed to kill off the entire variety show genre.”
With all that said, there were other reasons that I tried to catch the show. They had some great guest stars. In particular, I remember a performance of “Clones” by Alice Cooper. It was the first time I’d heard this song, and I instantly fell in love with his new sound. Getting back to the guest stars: Florence Henderson, Lorne Greene, Sherman Hemsley, Larry Hagman, Donny Osmond, Greg Evigan, Hugh Hefner … the list goes on and on. If you were a fan of pop culture, how could you not love the guest stars that showed up to help Pink Lady with their English skills?
Krofft Entertainment/Courtesy: Everett Collection
Ultimately, however, despite this program being his brainchild, Silverman gave up on the show, and Pink Lady and Jeff was canceled after only six episodes. The series’ abrupt end marked a significant turning point in Pink Lady’s career. When the duo returned to Japan to presumably continue their success, well, things weren’t quite as rosy as before. It could be argued that their attempt to achieve fame in the US dampened their flame of celebrity just a bit in Japan.
Beyond that, Kei had fallen in love with another Japanese singer, and for some crazy reason, their love affair caused her to separate with their record company — and Mie, as well. Both artists continued to contribute to the entertainment world, albeit independently. But you know what? You can’t keep good friends apart. Over the decades, they have found ways to reunite and record albums together.
In 2010, they announced that there would be no more reunions because they were never going to break up again. They would be Pink Lady forever. And I have to say, I just love that the big news was that there would be no more big news.
Resilience is the term that comes to mind when I think about Pink Lady. To answer the question, “Whatever happened to them?” The simple response is “nothing.” But the reality is that everything didn’t go as planned. After whirlwind success in their native country of Japan, things went awry, and these two ladies demonstrated an incredible amount of fortitude and determination over the next four decades to ensure that their musical friendship would stay intact.
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April 2023
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