Bette Midler (60 page)

Unlike a lot of divas of Midler’s stature, she has not forgotten her friends when they need help. One of the friendships Bette has kept the strongest has been with songwriter Buzzy Linhart.

By the late 1990s, Buzzy had fallen on hard luck, having moved out to Berkeley, California. In 2002 he was confined to a wheelchair. Speaking of Buzzy, Moogy Klingman explained, “He has problems with his bones, he can’t really walk. His arms don’t work too well. He is still a good singer, but he can’t play his guitar anymore” (
36
).

Describing his predicament, Linhart says, “The problem is that I was injured in a car accident, and then assaulted shortly after, and it really, really hurt my knee and chest. . . . Then it took a MediCal operation that left my knee not functioning even as well as it did before. And I found out to my horror when I tried to tell Social Security and MediCal about it, their response was to call the doctor. And he said, ‘Oh, he’s fine. I don’t know what he said. He’s fine. Maybe he’s psychiatric’ ” (
37
).

Finally, he convinced California social services that he did indeed need a wheelchair. However, he explains, “What MediCal sent was not right for me. First of all, I’ve got an injured leg. I can’t have like a scooter with my foot hanging down all the time. I need one that can lift me up, and lean me back, because it chronically swells. What they sent is not even for my size person. I am a 200-pounder, so that sits in the corner and waits for me to give to someone else” (
37
).

The wheelchair that he did need, however, he could not afford. “A $10,000 chair that we were able to get, it was slightly used, and we were able to get it for $5,000,” explains Linhart (
37
). However, although a bargain, he didn’t have the money to buy it.

Says a deeply touched Linhart, it was Midler who came to the rescue: “When Bette heard that we needed the money, she sent the whole thing about three days later. It was really exciting. It is ‘The Bette Midler Chair.’ I just feel so closely connected to her” (
37
).

Of all of the people in Bette’s past, one of the most interesting ones is her former manager, Aaron Russo. He now lives in Nevada and has been pursuing a career in politics. In February of 2002 he was written about in the
Las Vegas Sun
, as considering becoming a candidate for governor of that state. In Nevada he had previously run—unsuccessfully—for the U.S. Senate and campaigned for the legalization of marijuana and the creation of a state lottery. Viewing this list of high-profile
lives and careers that have spun off from Midler’s own creative camp makes her not so much a star as a cottage industry for creative talent.

On April 2, 2002, Bette Midler was one of the stars present at the Boathouse in Central Park in Manhattan, to celebrate the twentieth anniversary of Paul Newman’s Own food line, with the proceeds going to charity. Present that night at the event were Michael J. Fox, Rudy Giuliani, Tim Robbins, Tony Randall, and Harry Belefonte. The festivities were kicked off by a performance by Carole King and finished with Bette Midler singing a song written for Newman’s Own line of food. How fitting to have Ol’ Redhair serenade Ol’ Blue-Eyed Newman.

In May of 2002, when TV talkshow hostess Rosie O’Donnell was about to end her six-year run on the air, she had several high-profile guests on the program during her last weeks. As one of the guest stars, Bette serenaded O’Donnell with a song she had never performed publicly before: “I Wish You Love.” While chatting with Rosie on camera, she offered her “four words of advice.” Comically, they were the profound words “Don’t do a sitcom!”

What’s next for Bette Midler, musically speaking? It’s hard to tell, given the unpredictable nature of her recording career. Many of the producers she has worked with in the past would love to record with her again.

If Brooks Arthur were to go into the studio with her today, what direction would he take? According to him, “Well, you might think I am out of step, but I know I am in step. The first thing that I would do to bring back her record career, and it has to be well coordinated as a two-step kind of a deal. I would do an album of classic standards—a real album of ’40s and ’50s kinds of tunes. And then I would find songs either from Broadway or something from a movie. The next album after that one would be an album of songs that [have] the depth of ‘Wind beneath My Wings.’ That’s what I would do. Her strength is the ballads, but you’ve got to have some fun, too. . . . But that is what I would do with Bette right now. I would cut an album of like, ‘Love Letters (Straight from Your Heart),’ those kinds of tunes. I would cut those kind of ‘gems.’ And, maybe even have her do a duet with one of her favorite gals from the movies from the ’40s or the ’30s, or the ’50s” (
77
).

Both Moogy Klingman and Brooks Arthur are dying for Atlantic Records
to release some of the songs they cut with Bette while working on the albums
Songs for the New Depression
and
Broken Blossom
. Both of these talented men claim that their best work with Bette is still “in the can” at Atlantic. In fact, there is at least a double-album’s worth of recorded Bette Midler material still “in the vaults.” In addition to a dozen Klingman-produced songs, there is Brooks Arthur’s “Someone That I Used to Love,” Ashford & Simpson’s tracks with her, and those she did with Hal Davis. There are also several songs that Bette recorded for her films, which have never been released except as part of these films. This list includes “I Put a Spell on You” from
Hocus Pocus
, “One More Cheer” from
Stella
, “You Do Something to Me” from
Scenes from a Mall
, and “A Cowgirl’s Dream” from
Jinxed
.

She could also team up with Barry Manilow, and he could produce her singing all of the songs they used to perform together, which she never recorded from her days at the Continental Baths. That list of songs includes “Wheel of Fortune,” “Sha-Boom Sha-Boom,” “Happiness Is a Thing Called Joe,” “Honky Tonk Woman,” “Lady Madonna,” “What a Difference a Day Makes,” “My Forgotten Man,” “Ten Cents a Dance,” “Come Up and See Me Sometime,” “Love Potion Number Nine,” and “Great Balls of Fire.” Now, there’s a hot album idea!

During her four decades as a multimedia star, Bette Midler has had an amazing career. In addition to her artistry as an actress, a singer, and a stage performer, she has also managed to have a rich and full personal life. Her marriage to Martin and life with her daughter Sophie have only added further dimensions to her life experiences.

Bette Midler is someone who totally enjoys her celebrity stature. She also enjoys her privacy from time to time. According to Brooks Arthur, “One day I was at the airport, and I saw a few friends I knew getting off a plane. I ran over and said, ‘Hey, Bette!’ She said, ‘Don’t call me “Bette,” you’re gonna call attention to me. Call me “Dolores.’ ” ” (
77
).

She is also very devoted to her family. She is a dedicated wife and mother, and she does her best to make sure that her daughter Sophie has as normal an upbringing as possible. When you are the Divine Miss M, that isn’t always possible, but Bette keeps Sophie grounded.

As for close relatives, the only family Bette has left are her sister Susan and her mentally handicapped brother Danny, who live together in New York City. Susan teaches retarded children, and their relationship works out perfectly. Bette feels that Danny has taught her so much about what is important in life. “Being Danny’s sister has made me
different from everyone else. I wouldn’t trade it in,” she stated with conviction and devotion (
8
).

Would Bette like to rewrite the scenario of her own life story? And, if so, what parts would she like to “edit” or “delete”? According to her, “I’d like to have a little red pencil to scratch out some of the scenes in my life. I always wished . . . that my chest was smaller . . . that my hair was thicker . . . that my eyes were bluer . . . that my IQ was higher . . . that my shoe size was smaller. I never thought I was too pretty most of the time. I used to spend a lot of time turning my nose up in front of the mirror, you know, thinking, ‘Well, maybe you should have a nose job.’ Now I think I can live with it” (
8
).

It’s hard to believe that Bette Midler was once an “ugly duckling” teenage Jewish girl growing up in the center of a Samoan village. She always felt that she didn’t fit in, because she was “different.” But she was determined to turn “different” into “special.” She dreamed of stardom while she was packing pineapples in Hawaii, so she packed her bags and went after her dreams. In doing so, she has subsequently become an inspiration to many.

She’s come a long way from that frightening first night at the Continental Baths—the night when almost no one paid attention to her. By the time she left the “tubs,” her ability to transform songs into theatrical vignettes had made her a star. She became known for being brassy, outspoken, and sexually liberated. In the 1940s or 1950s, she would have been the type of woman known as a “broad.” And what a talented “broad” she has become! She conquered Broadway, she recorded million-selling hit albums, and she became a movie star.

Despite all of her bawdy behavior and her dirty “Soph” jokes, she has always been a gifted singer who could sing emotional ballads better than anyone in the business. For all of the dozens of songs she has recorded, she will most be identified with “The Rose,” “The Wind beneath My Wings,” and “From a Distance.”

Her stage shows have always been unforgettable—for their outrageous brassiness and for the amazing amount of energy she expends on stage. Indeed, she stops at nothing to please an audience. And she has in the past
really
given her all.

“I think I like singing more than any of that. The singing is the biggest challenge. The rest of it is very, very simple for me. Other people, you know, probably grind their teeth and say, ‘Oh, she’s so full of it.’ But you have to hone that gift constantly—you cannot let it go, otherwise it disappears. That, I think, is the greatest challenge, and I’ve always liked the challenge” (
164
).

In her own words, she proclaims, “I think the reason I was put here is to make people happy” (
8
). Indeed, she’s done everything in her power to stand out from the crowd. She’s bared her soul in a song, and she’s bared her breasts to shock and please an audience. She’s mooned Harvard, dropped her dress for St. Louis, flashed Detroit, and performed great feats without fear of convention, taste, or scandal. And, through it all, it has been internationally acknowledged that she
IS
beautiful,
DAMN IT!

She is unpredictable, and there’s no telling what she is going to do next. She is famous for her charitable work as well. Bette Midler has come to be known as a champion of the downtrodden. She’s never afraid to stand up for what she believes in—no matter what the odds. She has proved her versatility, and she again has the confidence to take chances. Her ability to look at life and laugh at it, and her talent for bringing to life so many vivid characters, have brought her international fame. She’s had several disappointments, but at this point in her career, she has so many irons in the fire and her position in show business is so well established that her star stature is secure. Her legion of loyal fans support her outlandishness, and her critics know what she’ll tell them to do if they can’t take a joke! Fortunately, the public’s love affair with the Divine Miss M has only just begun.

Three decades ago she knew she wanted to get into the movies, and since that time, what an amazingly rich body of filmed work she has created—from dramas like
The Rose, Beaches
, and
Stella
to comedies like
Ruthless People, Down & Out in Beverly Hills
, and
First Wives Club
. She’s been a cartoon character in
Oliver & Company
, and often her mere guest appearance in a film brightens up the screen, as it did in
Get Shorty, Jackie’s Back
, and
What Women Want
. She has starred in her own TV series, won Emmys for her television specials, and penned best-selling books.

According to her, “I’m very glad I lived the life that I lived. It made me what I am. I’m having a fabulous time” (
164
).

Books, records, songwriting, television, movie production, motherhood . . . it’s clear that Bette Midler and her talent know no boundaries. She isn’t easily intimidated by challenge—or by critical or artistic disappointment. As she has been for many years, she is in total control of her career. Who knows? She may even end up playing Lady Macbeth before she’s done. To recall the magic word from Baby Divine, there is only one thing better than all of this creativity from Bette, and that is “more!”