Bootleg Betty
Video: Bette Midler – Uptown Medley – Rolling Stone Special – 1977
By Mister D
July 15, 2026
Bette Midler’s “Uptown Medley” in Rolling Stone Magazine: The 10th Anniversary Special (CBS, Nov. 25, 1977) is one of the most gloriously chaotic, high?camp, full?tilt Bette moments ever broadcast on network television — and yes, critics at the time agreed it was the highlight of the entire special.
The medley was part of Bette’s multi?song segment, which included “Red,” “Uptown/Da Doo Ron Ron,” “La Vie En Rose,” and a long comic monologue.
The “Uptown” portion specifically blended:
“Uptown” (The Crystals)
“Da Doo Ron Ron” (The Crystals)
Bette’s signature girl?group?revival staging with The Harlettes (Ula Hedwig & Charlotte Crossley)
It was filmed as a high?energy, retro?soul, Brill?Building?meets?Bette spectacle — the kind of thing she perfected in the Clams on the Half Shell era.
How It Played on TV
The medley was:
Fast, funny, and aggressively choreographed — Bette in full “Divine Miss M” mode.
Visually stylized with 1960s girl?group costuming and exaggerated movement.
Camp?forward, leaning into her bawdy Lower East Side persona.
Musically tight, thanks to Richard Baskin’s music direction and the Harlettes’ stacked harmonies.
The special itself was a strange, uneven variety show — but Bette’s segment was widely cited as the only part that truly worked.
Context Within the Special
Her medley wasn’t isolated — it was part of a larger Bette takeover that also included:
“Red” — her sly, comic banger number
“La Vie En Rose” — done with full melodramatic flourish (the clip is still online)
A lengthy monologue in classic Bette style
And finally “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On” with Jerry Lee Lewis, who joined her at the piano.
This combination made her the de facto headliner of the night.
Why the Uptown Medley Matters
It’s peak Harlettes-era Bette — the girl?group revival aesthetic she helped re-popularize.
It shows her mastery of TV variety format — comedy, choreography, and musicality in one continuous burst.
It’s one of the few professionally filmed performances of her early medley style, which otherwise mostly survives in concert bootlegs.
It became the segment critics singled out as the only part of the special that truly delivered.
