Podcast Summary:

Slow Burn: Decoder Ring – Reconsidering One of the “Worst” TV Shows of All Time
Slate Podcasts | November 20, 2024
Hosts: Willa Paskin & Evan Chung

Episode Overview

This episode of Decoder Ring revisits the notorious 1980 television flop Pink Lady and Jeff, a show that attempted to fuse Japanese pop superstardom with American variety TV. Through archival audio and first-person interviews—including direct conversations with Pink Lady’s Keiko Masuda and Mitsuyo Nemoto (“Mie” and “Kei”)—the episode dissects the misunderstood legacy of the show, the cultural missteps at its core, and what the story reveals about fame, the translation of pop culture across borders, and the extinction of the variety genre.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Croft Brothers and Their Road to “Pink Lady and Jeff”

• Sid & Marty Croft's Background
  • Sid Croft, at 95, reflects on a life in showbiz (00:46).
  • Made their mark with psychedelic kids’ shows before transitioning Donny & Marie into a variety show phenomenon.
  • Their prime-time success paved the way for riskier network projects.
    • Quote (Sid Croft, 01:37):

      “We were the kings of Saturday morning. We were on all three networks … we didn’t have 10 cents to do those shows. But we put everything up on the screen.”

2. The Pink Lady Phenomenon in Japan

• Origins of Pink Lady
  • Mie and Kei met in school and were matched by a music teacher who saw their complementary vocals and personalities as ideal for a duo (08:44–09:47).
  • Rose to stardom after a TV talent show; branded, styled, and managed by a “studio system” that resembled classic Hollywood.
  • Nine consecutive #1 singles from 1976; became omnipresent on Japanese TV and in merchandising (12:59–16:21).
  • Quote (Kay, 14:34):

    “We were making fun music that everyone could watch and enjoy, from kids to their grandparents. So I think it was arriving at that moment that helped turn us into a phenomenon.”

3. Breaking into America: A Cultural Collision

• NBC’s Gamble
  • Fred Silverman, new at NBC and desperate for hits, saw Pink Lady’s Japanese stardom as a golden ticket.
  • Entrusted the Crofts to adapt the group into an American variety show.
  • A critical misstep: the assumption that Pink Lady spoke English fluently—later proven disastrously false (20:44–25:29).
    • Quote (Mark Evanier, 20:44):

      “I said to her, do they speak English? And she says, we’re not sure ... If there was a moment in my life when I might have thought, let’s take a different path here, that might have been it.”

4. Production Woes and Fundamental Misunderstandings

• Language Barriers and Logistics
  • Scripts written without meeting the stars; Pink Lady had to memorize all lines phonetically with no Japanese-speaking staff on set (23:29–26:45).
    • Quote (Kay, 25:36):

      “I couldn’t speak English at all.”

    • Quote (Sid Croft, 25:15):

      “All lasered in and they’re bowing and bowing … they shook their head, no, no, they don’t understand anything.”

  • Sid Croft wanted to lean into absurdity; NBC insisted on conventional “Donny & Marie” formula (28:50–29:40).

5. The Show Itself: “Pink Lady and Jeff”

• Format and Reception
  • Premiered March 1, 1980: musical numbers, comedic sketches, celebrity guests, and frequent hot-tub endings (32:01–34:41).
  • Pink Lady struggled to keep up; guest stars were hard to book; scripts changed last-minute, causing chaos (35:34–38:24).
    • Quote (Jeff Altman, 35:05):

      “I remember watching the show and thinking to myself, man, this is pretty good. Everything looked like it was going to work, but I was wrong.”

6. Critical and Cultural Backlash

• Poor Ratings and Critical Disdain
  • Viewers perplexed by the stars’ accented English—and NBC’s refusal to let them sing in Japanese (43:50–44:15).
  • Variety genre itself was dying; SNL and Letterman were changing the TV landscape (49:38–49:59).
    • Quote (Jeff Altman, 42:05):

      “You know, they were pretty, they danced well, and they were fun to look at. But, you know, when they’re mispronouncing some of the words, you know, people at home are sitting there going, hey, Martha, could you go out and get me another beer? I can’t understand these girls.”

  • The show was canceled after 5 episodes, with a 6th unaired; quickly labeled one of the “worst shows in TV history” (47:23–48:25).

7. Pink Lady’s Perspective & Aftermath

• Contrasting Narratives
  • Mie and Kei did not realize the extent of the show’s poor reputation in the US; for them, it was a career challenge and a break from the pressures of Japanese stardom (50:44–51:28).
    • Quote (Mie, 50:44):

      “I don’t really know the answer to that. I heard that the ratings were really good in America. So when you’re saying that it didn’t become a big hit, is that different from the TV ratings?”

  • The American venture coincided with the decline of their Japanese success.
  • After the show, Pink Lady split up; both women continued solo careers and occasional reunions. Japanese audiences remain devoted.

8. Legacy & Lessons

• Ahead of Its Time
  • The show’s failure was less about talent and more about American cultural insularity and TV’s resistance to global pop crossover at the time.
  • Today, with K-pop and J-pop global domination, NBC’s failed experiment feels like a precursor to inevitable trends.
  • Quote (Narrator/Interviewer, 53:57):

    “It turns out that Pink Lady was decades ahead of its time. Today, the English language does not hold a monopoly on global pop stardom... Because it doesn’t matter where you’re listening from, a perfect pop song is still a perfect pop song.”

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Opening zinger from Sid Croft (00:46):

  “If you don’t know who I am, you all have a cell phone. Call your grandma. You should be talking to your grandma every day.”

• On the mishap of language skills (25:15):

  “Do you understand a word that Sid or I...?”
  — Sid Croft

• On the pressure and American cultural blindness (44:04):

  "If we could have just let them go up there and sing the songs they knew and do the choreography they knew—the kind of stuff that filled stadiums in Japan—they would have had comfort level there.”
  — Mark Evanier

• On the era’s end (49:59):

  “There was a completely different way of looking at television. And the variety show was being left, I think, in the dust. It just had run its course.”
  — Jeff Altman

Important Timestamps

• 00:46 – Sid Croft introduces himself; early career in entertainment
• 08:44 – Mie and Kei’s “fairy tale” meeting
• 14:34 – Pink Lady on the role of TV in their success
• 20:44 – First doubts about language ability from the writers
• 25:15 – Discovery Pink Lady speaks almost no English
• 32:01 – Premiere of Pink Lady and Jeff
• 35:05 – Jeff Altman’s (misplaced) optimism
• 38:03–38:24 – Chaos of changing scripts and performer exhaustion
• 43:50–44:15 – Language “forbidden” on the show; cultural disconnect
• 47:23–48:25 – Show cancelation and “worst show” label
• 50:44–51:28 – Pink Lady’s surprising lack of awareness about the flop’s reputation
• 53:57 – Reflection on Pink Lady as “ahead of its time”

Tone and Approach

The episode is reflective, curious, and lightly irreverent—a blend of empathy with wry critique. The hosts let Pink Lady’s voices shine, and contextualize their “failure” as a product of cultural translation problems and changing entertainment eras, not individual shortcomings.

For Further Listening

• Decoder Ring offers a Slate Plus bonus episode on “Japanese idol culture,” expanding on Pink Lady’s deeper significance.

This summary captures the core narrative, major themes, and key moments of the episode for listeners and non-listeners alike.