THE GETTYSBURG TIMES
 FRIDAY, AUGUST 22, 1986
PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) –Casting Bette Midler to star in the film about the Venezuelan freighter that beached in the posh backyard of heiress Mollie Wilmot has shocked the jet-setting socialite.
“She’s a wonderful actress, but she’s terrible for the part, Ms. Wilmot said Wednesday when she learned who would portray her in Walt Disney‘s Touchstone Films production “Palm Beached.”
Ms. Wilmot wouldn’t say why the Divine Miss M was wrong for the part or dir Jose who she’d prefer instead.
Ms. Wilmot, technical adviser for the film, also said she was distressed that producer David Permut discussed the film publicly and that she wasn’t consulted about casting.
A spokesman for Ms. Midler, Mark Stern, said the heiress’ worries are premature. The script isn’t ready and a production date or location haven’t been set, he said.
Ms. Midler recently starred as a rich housewife in Disney’s first movie for the mainstream market, “Down and
Out in Beverly Hills.”
