Mister D: From what I can remember, my name is the very last one in the credits. The makers of the documentary said my site was referred to for research and photos. I know Darrell from Bette On The Boards got credited to maybe for some footage and photos as well. Anyway, it was cool for both of us. Most places will not use my site name because of the word “bootleg” but I love it. It’s a take-off, of course, from Bathhouse Betty, and I wanted it to be apparent that most of the stuff I published was taken from here and there on the internet. Just like if I cut things out of papers for a scrapbook. And it underscores my attempt to be open and honest about everything. Unfortunately, this philosophy doesn’t really pay off like I thought it would. In our society, people would rather forgo the truth for whatever makes them feel the most comfortable. I just learned at an early age that truth was supreme, so I guess it’s kind of ingrained in me. I try my best to temper it, but I’m not always successful. I actually thought about changing it a few years ago, but just decided to stick with it. It has a long history to it, so why mess with it now?
The Divine Miss M meets the Devoted Mr. Y as the mighty Bette Midler, possessor of a singing voice that can melt iron ore, gets all coquettish with a softly fawning Alan Yentob.
The mighty Bette Midler is a terrific show-woman and flirt, touching Alan’s arm, as he follows her around New York while she hunts down the places that made her a star.
As Midler recognizes, though, the footprint of her life has gone; for instance, the improv club where her brilliant career first began to sparkle, is now a pizza restaurant. But nothing can dim her luster because she’s back in the studio, recording a new album of girl group covers.
Yentob fawns softly as Midler trots through the highlights of an incredible career. Inevitably, though, there is no escaping the hideous Wind Beneath My Wings.
SUMMARY
Alan Yentob meets Bette Midler in New York, almost five decades after she began her rise from nightclub act to Hollywood star. At the age of 20, the woman who would become known as `the Divine Miss M’ went from working in a pineapple-canning factory in Honolulu, Hawaii, to a role in the 1967 Broadway hit Fiddler on the Roof, and has never looked back. She recalls those early days, as well as the nightclubs and bathhouses of the 1970s, and how she finally made it to the top of the film industry, the combination of a raucous wit and soulful voice making her an outrageous but captivating all-round entertainer.
CAST & CREW
- Presenter Alan Yentob
Contributor Bette Midler
Director Samantha Peters
Producer Samantha Peters
Series Editor Alan Yentob
Someone was talking about all the Bette items not for sale. I have a ton, not for sale, items that were given to me by Ray Cooper. Included is a one of a kind painting. I love everything he gave me. The reason he gave them to me is that he and Ray were downsizing. Lucky me.
Oops it’s mine that are not for sale.