BetteBack July 11, 1980: What Did Bette Do Before “The Rose”

Winnipeg Free Press
July 11, 1980

Bette Midler

Q. Has Bette Midler done any movies besides The Rose? What was she doing before the film?

A. Bette Midler made her screen debut in The Rose. Critics were impressed by her performance and she was nominated for an Oscar. Midler was an established singing star long before the film was released. Born and raised in Honolulu, she quit her Job as a typist at a radio station and left for New York to become a singer. She first gained recognition for her funny, but talented, duties as house singer at the Continental Steam Baths, a pseudo-nightspot in New York. She was signed to a recording contract and released Friends. That hit single was followed by Do You Wanna Dance and Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy. Fans (herself included) started calling her the Divine Miss M. She won a Grammy in 1973 for her debut album and in 1978 she won an Emmy for her TV special 01* Red Hair Is Back. She opened that special with a Samoan version of Oklahoma. Her latest album is Thighs and Whispers.

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