Pink Lady ...And Jeff
by Rudy De Luca
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Jeff Altman, Jim Varney, Keiko Masuda, Mitsuyo NemotoDirector: Rudy De Luca
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown), Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo; English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo
Format: Box set, Color, DVD, NTSC
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 300 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2001-10-09
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Rhino Theatrical
Movie Reviews of Pink Lady ...And Jeff
Movie Review: Amazing slice of late '70s camp.
Summary: 5 Stars
Yes, this show was produced in 1980, but it is pure late 70s through and through. Many people may say, "How could a show this bad actually be produced?" However, if one looks at the comparable TV shows of the era, Pink Lady & Jeff can easily be dissected into an amalgam of every variety show that had come before it.
Although even the best of the late 70's variety shows were pure cheese, the ratings could not be argued with. Sonny & Cher and Donny & Marie perfected the formula of these variety hours. Other, lesser examples of the time included Captain & Tenille, Tony Orlando & Dawn, and of course The Brady Bunch Variety Hour. The last of which, produced by the same team responsible for Pink Lady & Jeff, would probably have received the honor of "worst variety show ever produced" had a certain Japanese pop group and low-rent comedian never gotten together.
Pink Lady & Jeff takes the variety show format and presents it in an unfunny, watered-down, non-sensical way. It truly is a program that is amazingly awful. You cannot help but sit there, mouth agape, while an endless array of confusing comedy sketches, uncomprehensible accents, and horribly un-PC "jokes" are thrown around for six hour-long shows. Jeff (Altman) is the host of the show for all intents and purposes. His jokes are horrible, however I am not sure if he is fully to blame as I doubt he wrote all his bits himself. Pink Lady probably have charisma and charm, but it does not translate well to American audience (obviously, based on the dismal ratings these six episodes garnered). They read their lines phonetically, and make no bones about the fact that they have NO idea what they are saying. They stand there, head down, waiting for Jeff to finish speaking. Then one of them will look up, attempt to spit out some kind of degrading remark about Jeff, and get an obviously sweetened hearty laugh from the studio audience. This is repeated ad infinitum throughout the course of the series. Of course, these are interspersed with the aforementioned bad comedy sketches (think Laugh-In Lite) and sometimes surprisingly good guest stars and song-and-dance numbers.
Now, this review may sound like I hated this show. Quite the opposite, actually. I ate up every minute of it! It's one of those shows that you almost feel sorry for. It's like a dog that is so ugly it is cute. If you can think of it in that regard, all the while imagining what must have been going on in the guest stars heads as they bumbled through this nonsense, you can have a VERY fun, enjoyable time with this series. But, as a qualifier, I must say that this is a show for those who appreciate camp value and understand it completely. Because with this show, you ain't got nothin' else!
My only beef with this set is the confusing packaging. It's in a giant amaray case and includes three discs. There are two episodes on each disc, so it's kind of a bulky DVD set for a six episode series. Other than that, this set is great. The menus are kind of busy, but the picture quality is perfect. It looks slightly better than a first generation VHS tape, which is really better than should be expected for a show of this caliber.
So, in conclusion, if you enjoy the more popular and well-known variety shows of the time, definitely check out Pink Lady & Jeff. It may not be good for you, but it sure is fun to watch!
Summary of Pink Lady ...And Jeff
Studio: Wea-des Moines Video Release Date: 10/23/2001