Authors: Mark Bego, Rita Coolidge
ISBN-13: 9780815412328, ISBN-10: 0815412320
Format: Hardcover
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
Date Published: December 2002
Edition: (Non-applicable)
This is a fascinating book that brings that brings to life the dynamic redhead.
Growing up a self-proclaimed "ugly, fat little Jewish girl with problems," Bette Midler traded in her job at a Hawaiian pineapple processing plant for a trip to the Big Apple where, in the early 1970s, she re-created herself as the Divine Miss M, a brassy, bawdy cabaret act performing in a gay bathhouse. By the end of the decade, she had an Oscar nomination (for The Rose) to go with her two Grammys, two Golden Globes and Tony award. After a rough start (her 1982 movie Jinxed was prophetically titled; it was followed by a breakdown and a slump in record sales), the '80s found her excelling at writing a children's book (The Saga of Baby Divine, 1983), wedding Martin von Haselberg (1984), revitalizing her film career with a string of Disney hits (including Down and Out in Beverly Hills, Ruthless People and Beaches) and motherhood. Bego has churned out more than 40 star bios in the last 25 years (Cher: If You Believe in 2001 and Madonna: Blonde Ambition in 2000), and he's in top form with this fast-paced, affectionate and incredibly detailed biography of the diminutive belter. Midler fans will also appreciate the exhaustive filmography, discography, concert tours, Web sites, memorable quotes from her films and episode guide to her failed sitcom, Bette. 24 pages of photos. (Dec.) Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.
Introduction | xi | |
Prologue | xiii | |
1 | Bette Midler: The Ultimate Diva | 1 |
2 | Aloha, Honolulu | 12 |
3 | From Pineapples to the Big Apple | 22 |
4 | Steaming Up the Continental Baths | 33 |
5 | Enter: The Divine Miss M | 41 |
6 | Higher and Higher | 65 |
7 | Instant Stardom / Instant Breakdown | 80 |
8 | Clams on the Half Shell | 86 |
9 | The New Depression | 97 |
10 | The Bumpy Road Back to the Top | 117 |
11 | Everything Comes Up Roses | 137 |
12 | Totally Jinxed | 155 |
13 | Ready to Begin Again | 170 |
14 | Her Outrageous Fortune | 181 |
15 | A Divine New Plateau | 195 |
16 | From a Distance | 213 |
17 | Bette of Roses | 237 |
18 | First Wives Club | 255 |
19 | Isn't She Great? | 276 |
20 | Bette TV | 288 |
21 | Experience the Divine | 306 |
Sources of Quoted Materials | 317 | |
Bibliography | 326 | |
Discography | 327 | |
Filmography | 346 | |
TV Specials and Series | 360 | |
Concert Tours | 361 | |
Websites | 362 | |
Bette Midler Facts | 364 | |
Members of the Harlettes | 365 | |
Mark Bego's Idea for a Bette Midler Album | 366 | |
Awards and Distinctions | 367 | |
Guide to the Episodes of the TV Series Bette, 2000-2001 | 370 | |
Index | 375 | |
About the Author | 397 |