Bette Midler: Beaches Facts And Trivia

Beaches Facts And Trivia

What does Hillary go to school to study?

Law.  Hillary became a lawyer for the ACLU.

What is the last line of the movie?

‘We’re friends aren’t we?” (As the lights were turned out at the Hollywood Bowl, this haunting reiteration of something said during CC and Hillary’s childhood is heard.)

Where did Leona move to when she left New York?

Miami

What song did Cecilia Bloom sing as a child for the man who was looking for a child actor for his movie?

Glory of Love (‘Wind Beneath My Wings’ was the big hit for Bette coming out of this movie, but Hillary loved her ‘Glory of Love’ number that she performed.)

Who did Victoria go to live with when her mother died?

CC Bloom ( Victoria’s main concern about the move was whether or not she could take Pouncer with her.)

What was Victoria’s cat’s name? 

Pouncer

The beach house where CC went with Hillary and Victoria was also featured in what movie? 

The Laker Girls ( A little known film where some of the girls trying out for the cheer squad stayed.)

CC’s childhood nemesis, also a performer in the children’s show, had an interesting talent. What was it?

Walking on her hands.

What did Barbara Hershey have injected into her lips to make them fuller for this film? 

Collagen

What is the concert arena that CC Bloom leaves at the beginning of the film? 

Hollywood Bowl ( Out of all the great Hollywood locales to perform a concert, the Hollywood Bowl was the location for this particular show.)

Finally, what were the last lines spoken in the movie? 

“Be sure to keep in touch C.C., ok?” “Well sure, we’re friends aren’t we?” ( This movie just makes me cry.)

Who was the landlord at the apartment that Hillary and C.C. shared that never sent up the heat through the radiator? 

Ahmed ( “Ahmed, send up the heat! Creep.”)

Who was the man who had a little kid’s stage show in Atlantic City that starred C.C.? 

Sammy Pinkers (C.C. gets jealous when he and Mr. Melman, the Hollywood producer, choose Iris Myendowski, a girl who walks on her hands, over her for a movie. C.C. thinks Iris has no talent.)

What was the name of the theater that John worked at and C.C. performed in? 

Falcon Theater ( This is the place where C.C. stars in that freaky play with the fire. John is a big director at the Falcon Theater, and the group of regular actors there is called the Falcon Players.)

What was the name of the woman who sent John a Birthday Bunny-gram that was delivered and sung to him by C.C.? 

Barbara ( C.C. said her name once, very quickly. “Love from your bunny girl Barbara.”)

What was the name of C.C.’s mother?

Leona ( C.C. calls her mother “Ma” once and “Leona” for the rest of the movie.)

What was the name of Victoria’s cat? 

Pouncer.  (“Pouncer, Pouncer the wonder cat…”)

What kind of doctor was Hillary’s doctor that was planning on marrying C.C.?

gynecologist ( . C.C. just ran out on him one day for an audition.)

What did C.C. tell Hillary to do with the baby? 

Name it after her  ( Hillary had a baby girl, Victoria Cecilia Essex. When C.C. found out Hillary was pregnant, she begged her to name the baby after her if she had a girl.)

What does Hillary say when she sees Michael having the affair with the blonde woman in the kitchen? 

“That’s my robe.”  ( Michael and Hillary celebrate an anniversary at the beach house, then Michael has to leave early “for a work meeting.” Hillary didn’t know that he was having an affair. When she saw them at their home, she was so shocked that that’s all she could mumble.)

What is the name of the alcoholic beverage that C.C. asks for twice in the movie? 

Stinger ( They only mentioned this twice. First, when Hillary and C.C. met as adults at the nightclub in New York, and second, when Hillary goes back to see C.C. at the Pink Flamingo Nightclub.)

What early nineties TV sitcom did the girl who played young C.C. star in?

Blossom ( Mayim Bialik, star of the early 90’s show, “Blossom”, played young C.C.)

Who was Hillary’s aunt that gave C.C. $5.00 to “keep her honest”? 

Aunt Vesta ( When Hillary dies, Aunt Vesta wants custody of young Victoria, but C.C. gets to keep her because it’s written in Hillary’s will.)

What was the maiden name of Barbara Hershey’s character?

Whitney ( The character’s maiden name was Hillary Whitney, but then she got married to Michael Essex.)

What was the first name of Bette Midler‘s character? 

Cecilia ( C.C. Bloom was the name of her character. The “C.C.” stood for Cecilia Carol.)

What mode of transportation did she use to get back to her friend? 

A rental car ( There were no planes flying to San Fransisco at the time due to fog so her impatience and need to get there got her to drive all night there by rental car. That’s how the movie starts, her memories while driving takes us back through their whole history together. I always cry at the end every time.)

At the beginning of the movie Bette’s character left her concert before it started. Why? 

Her best friend was dying ( She left when she got word of Hillary being near death at the hospital and left before the concert. The concert did get rained out that night anyhow.)

Bette’s character moved back to New York before her best friend had the baby, why did she? 

Her ex-husband asked her back for an acting job ( After CC got a part at her ex-husbands theater, her career took off once again, this time with singing.)

What did Barbara’s character do when she found her husband cheating?

She went back to her best friend  ( CC and Hillary had stopped talking after Hillary’s visit to New York. Hillary found out CC was performing in San Fransisco and went to the club to try to amend their friendship. That’s when CC and the movie watchers find out Hillary is expecting and CC moves to Hillary’s house to help out with the coming baby.)

What was the name of Bette’s mother in the movie? Beaches

Leona Bloom ( Leona was a big stage mom. CC bossed her mother around until 21 when her mother moved to Florida. Leona tells CC after she leaves John that she loves her but just couldn’t pay any more attention to her.)

Bette’s character was married twice in the movie?

CC got married once to the director, John Pierce, who helped make her famous. CC became infamous for her attitude,and breaking a director’s jaw by punching him. She quit acting and was engaged to Hillary’s doctor, whom CC left before marrying because her ex-husband asked her back to star in another one of his plays.

Lainie Kazan plays Bette Midler’s mother in the film, even though in real life she’s only 5 years older than Midler

Barbara Hershey had collagen lip injections to make herself look younger (she was 40 at the time and was playing Hilary from college age to mid-thirties).

Mayim Bialik did not actually sing on camera. Bette Midler wanted someone who sounded like she did at that age, so they used someone else’s voice.

The library where Barbara Hershey researches her disease in is called Dennison Library. It is located at Scripps College, a competitive women’s liberal arts college in Claremont, California. The library was originally designed to be a chapel before becoming a library, which is why it has such a unique and beautiful look.

The Barbara Hershey screen test scenes where filmed on the Plaza Hotel lobby set of Big Business (1988). The scene where Hillary and C.C. are at the store where they have their big fight around the middle of the movie was also filmed on the same set (notice the carpet is the same).

The song about Otto Titsling, the inventor of the brassiere, was first introduced by Bette Midler on a 1986 album called “Mud Will Be Flung Tonight.” The story of Otto Titsling (i.e. “a two-tit sling”) and Phillip de Brassiere (i.e. “fill up the brassiere”) is an urban legend, created by British humorist Wallace Reyburn in his 1971 book, ‘Bust Up: The Uplifting Tale of Otto Titzling’. In fact, the brassiere was developed by various French fashion designers from ladies’ corsets of the 19th century. The term “brassiere” is derived from the French “braciere,” a name for an armored military breastplate.

In the posters for Sizzler ’76, it says “A Garry Marshall Production.”

The 1988 movie trailer included in the DVD incorrectly states that Barbara Hershey was an Academy Award nominee when the movie came out; Hershey was not an Oscar nominee until 1997 for The Portrait of a Lady (1996).

A planned television movie sequel, starring Barbara Eden in the Bette Midler role, was never filmed.

Taylor Neff was considered for the role of Hillary Whitney Essex (age 11).

Lainie Kazan didn’t want to play C.C Bloom’s mother, but after finding out Midler is in the film, she said yes to work with her

The script was originally called Remember Me.

The disorder Barbara Hershey develops is known as, “Viral Cardiomyopathy”. The most common cause of this disorder is infection from the, “Coxsackie B” virus, which drastically weakens the heart, eventually keeping it from pumping the sufficient amount of blood necessary to keep the patient alive. As depicted in the film, it truly is fatal in all reported cases.

Cameo: [Hector Elizondo] Justice of the Peace

Alternate Versions

Some television versions contain alternate lines in the scene where C.C. and Hilary have their argument in the department store. For example, in the theatrical version, C.C. remarks to Hilary, “You have been a total bitch ever since you came to New York!” In some TV prints, she says, “You have been completely unbearable ever since you came to New York!”

The musical number “Otto Titsling” is omitted from most TV prints of the film.

The version shown on the Superstation includes the following changes:

A different version of the conversation between CC and Leona on the beach in Miami, which omits most of the swears and changes a few of the lines.

A different version of CC’s fight with the director of her first movie

The part in the bar where CC asks Harry for 50 dollars is omitted, going right from her song “I’ve Got My Health” to her ordering a drink from the bartender.

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