Bette Midler On Her Helen Morgan Phase: “I saw this picture of Helen Morgan on the cover of one of her albums. She looked so ”¦ so lost. She wore a long velvet gown and held a glass in one hand. The image was terrifically romantic. It appealed to me. So I went out and bought a black velvet gown with beaded sleeves from a junk store around the corner. Ten dollars, and it’s still the most beautiful thing in my closet. I really got into the costume thing ”“ the whole image. It was like being bitten by a fever. I just couldn’t stay away from it. After ”˜Fiddler’ every night, I’d put on my face, do my hair, put on my costumes and take the subway down to Hilly’s or The Apartment or the Improv and then I’d be up on stage. Oh, was I weeeeird, honey! A silk scarf in one hand, a glass of booze in the other. I was getting into all my heavyweight fantasies. I mean, dahling, me and Miss Marleeena Dietrich!” She crinkles her nose in glee. “I loved it.” (Modern Hi-Fi & Stereo Guide, June 1973)
