My introduction to Bette Midler was when I was a kid, and “The Divine Miss M” was an LP that was in my parents' collection. I just remember loving the song “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy”.  But she really busted through my consciousness hard when I was a teenager buying 45 singles at a fast-paced clip and falling deeply in love with “The Rose”.  That song coupled with her very visceral and intense performance in the movie really put Bette Midler on the map for me. 

It was July 13, 1981, when I wrote to Bette Midler and sent her a promotional 8x10 from 1973, a magazine 5x7 cut out photo, and an art/comic version of her from a book called Fame and I was pleasantly surprised that she responded back to me on August 8th, 1981 with everything inscribed to Bobby in black ballpoint pen, along with her usual “Aloha” inscription. 

Through the subsequent years, I was hot, cold or indifferent to Bette's various movies and songs.  “First Wives Club”, “Hocus Pocus” and especially “Big Business” were really fun for me.  But I absolutely cannot stand the treacle of “Beaches” and her two biggest hit songs “Wind Beneath My Wings” and “From a Distance”.  But I just don’t like a lot of sad movies or ballads in general.  Give me sassy, funny or rock star Bette! 

I really wanted to like “For the Boys” – it seemed like the perfect fit for her – loosely based on the similar star personality Martha Raye).  And “Isn’t She Great?” based on Jacqueline Susann had SO MUCH potential!  Plus I was hyped AF when “For the Girls” was released covering girl group songs of the 1960’s. But all three missed the mark juuuust a little. “The Stepford Wives” (one of my favorite movies) remake made me literally cringe.  But the remixes of “I'm Beautiful” were a pleasant surprise and a nice comeback to the charts, landing her first #1 Dance hit. You can see that I’ve been there for her projects through thick and thin, and I’ll still go back for more!  

Reading her book, “A View from a Broad” as an adult and hearing her voice in my head as I was reading is truly laugh-out-loud funny.  Some of her humor and stage shows or concert movies are either not my cup of tea, or too frenetic and all over the place. But then I would listen to her Rosemary Clooney and Peggy Lee songbook CDs and warm up to her again.  Go figure. 

In 2017 while visiting New York we had a chance to purchase last minute seats that were directly overlooking stage left to see her in “Hello, Dolly!” at the Shubert Theater. I had just seen “War Paint” the night before with Patti LuPone and Christine Ebersole. I also had seen “Hello, Dolly!” multiple times with Carol Channing and Bette's ticket prices were about $250 each; therefore, you can imagine that I had some pretty high expectations!  Bette was the highest paid actress on Broadway at the time and the show was breaking records. Regretfully I have to say that although she was pleasantly entertaining, it was painfully obvious that she was just going through the motions, trying to conserve her energy and giving the audience the minimal version of a sometimes-Midler-energy-infused Dolly Levi.  Trying to get an autograph from Bette Midler that night in 2017 after Hello Dolly was simply nowhere on the reality spectrum. She simply was NOT going to be mobbed by fans. “Go away y'all” was the clear message from security. 

In a nutshell, my appreciation of Bette Midler is that she is a very unique and multi-faceted talent that has dipped her toes in so many waters, received so many awards, crossed mediums and genres AND decades. Big deal if she's had a clunker every now and then, it is a sign of true talent and career longevity.   

"Bette Midler dies in plane crash. Sang in gay bathhouses" - A View from a Broad (1973) 

That quote is from a gal with a sense of humor now on her way to EGOT status.