When it comes to Bette, I know everyone has her best interests at heart…at least the fans do. But I want to straigten up something that’s been bothering me as well as some others…kind of like a little gnat swarming around your head that you just can’t seem to get rid of.
I’m not trying to be mean, but I do want to clear something up. I don’t care if you have read this in the most trusted of publications, say The New York Times, but Bette’s middle name is not DAVIS. Yes it is true Bette’s mom named her after Bette Davis and her other daughters after other movie stars, but she did not give her girls the last names of these movie stars.
Even though I knew Bette Davis Midler was incorrect, I wrote in to Bette’s assistant to confirm or destroy this rumor. Believe me, it was the most embarrassing question I have ever had to ask for confirmation. The reply I got was something like “Please, Don, you know that’s not true!” So I took a bullet to the brain for that one.
If you read this and have believed it was true. It’s okay. There are tons of publications out there that have it wrong, just like some have her birthplace wrong (her birthplace is Honolulu, Hawaii, not Patterson, NJ –I had this confirmed, too). Just like you can’t always believe what you hear…well, in this case you can’t always believe what you read (the written word). Places like IMDB and Wikipedia are not foolproof. Anybody can add information…sometimes it’s wrong and later caught. Sometimes it’s never caught until someone brings it to their attention.
So Bette’s full name is Bette Midler, NOT Bette Davis Midler.
So if you have read all this and still use Bette Davis Midler you are doing you and Ms. Midler a disservice or just being plain obstinate. It’s okay to have made a mistake. Just delete the Davis and move on with your life…no need for fighting.
Hope I have been some help!
Love, Mister D
AMEN!
I always wondered why I read legitimate biographies that said her middle name was Davis. Thanks for clarifying!
Yeah, I’ve read the ‘Davis’ thing all over too. I never believed it thought because I remember her saying in an interview that she had no middle name… Actor’s Studio maybe?
I always thought her middle name was “The Divine!”
I think we can all agree on that one…. 🙂
BLASPHEMY!
Two things Bette Midler fans read on many sites on the internet that are totally untrue:
1 – Her name is Bette Davis Midler
2 – She was born in PATTERSON, NEW JERSEY
Please, we are not Larry King who keeps forgetting things while interviewing her…but I`ve never interviwed her…what`s the point here,anyways? Shut the fuck up, Cris…
halle-freakin-lujiah!!! you have no idea how happy this post makes me!! i hope EVERYONE reads it!! 🙂 don, when are you going to vegas again?
THANK YOU! See, I’ve always thought it was me having a bug up my ass about that, and that I should just let it go. But, leave it to you to diplomatically “straighten” that out for everyone (while at the same time acknowledging all of us that wanted to scream everytime we saw that in print). Now, while I’m here I might add to another point to which you alluded…Ms M was NOT born in Paterson, New Jersey! She’s an island girl born and bred!
Becci, I’m shooting for the last show.
Jeff, I just spelled it out a little better about her birthplace since you brought it up….I even had to get that confirmed even though I knew what the real answer was…
i want to go for closing night too, but i want to go before then as well! if we go at the same time, we should totes stay at the same hotel!
I’ll have to see if I could afford that. I know I’ll have the money for closing night….and I would love to stay in the same hotel with you….
and paterson has one t in it!
Well that’s lame!!!!