Patti Smith
Savanna Carroll
Music 125
College of Southern Nevada
PFrom Honolulu to Hollywood
One doesn’t often think of Honolulu, Hawaii as the place where stars are born. On December 1, 1945, it was. Bette Midler was born to Fred and Ruth Midler. Fred Midler was a house painter for the United States Navy and her mother was a homemaker. Bette was the youngest daughter of the Midlers. They were all named after Hollywood starlets. Bette was named after Bette Davis. Bette grew up in a neighborhood that was predominately Asian and Hawaiian. School was the same, she was the only Jewish girl is a school of over 3000 students. She often felt like an outcast because of the racial and religious differences.
After seeing the production of Carousel, Bette fell in love with Broadway. She landed parts in school plays. She loved the way she felt when everyone…show more content… The show closed abruptly and Bette was out of work at 24 years old. Through a reference from her singing and acting teacher, Bette got a singing gig at a gay bathhouse, The Continental Baths. Her “torch” songs were depressing and Bette was afraid of not being taken seriously as a singer. She came up with a character that was brazen, raunchy and tacky. Thus the infamous Divine Miss M was born. I would also like to add that Bette Midler is brilliant. She came up with this persona because she knew she had to do something to liven things up. She pushed the envelope and a legend was born. Word of her amazing performances spread like wild fire. From 1970 to 1972, she had made 7 guest appearances on The Tonight Show. Johnny Carson said “When I first saw her on the show, I saw a quality that reminded me very much of Streisand. Bette really grabbed the audience. There was an empathy, a rapport that was hard to equal.” Bette Midler was Johnny Carson’s final guest on his final show of The Tonight