Iconic Celebrity #3: Bette Midler
Bette Midler's New Jersey-born parents were in search of paradise when they pulled up stakes and moved to Hawaii. A house painter and a seamstress, they may have had heady dreams in mind for their baby girl when they named her for the inimitable Bette Davis. Little Bette certainly delivered on that dream, although she had a different type of paradise in mind.
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Dreaming of the Big City
A shy little girl, Midler took solace in the natural beauty of Hawaii, but felt like a misfit in school and was often victimized by tough kids. During high school, Midler realized making people laugh was her ticket to popularity and safety. Her ability to control her environment through laughter ultimately turned into a desire to pursue a career in show business. A stage-struck Midler started to dream of Broadway. After graduating from high school as class valedictorian, Midler went to the University of Hawaii and majored in drama. She earned some money as an extra in the film, "Hawaii," and suddenly, that early ticket to popularity morphed into her ticket out.
Salad Days in New York City
Broke, Midler landed in the big city and wound up living for a time in a run-down welfare hotel on lower Broadway. Needing money, she got her very first job selling gloves at the now-defunct Stern's Department Store. New York in the '60s was rife with possibilities and Midler was up for anything. She attended auditions for almost a year when her first break, at Café La Mama Off-Broadway, came along. Other roles followed, including a three-year stint in "Fiddler on the Roof." It was goodbye to Stern's and hello to the stage for Midler.
A Change in Direction for the Divine Miss M
Despite her good luck, Midler started to feel as if her career had become stagnant. While still performing in "Fiddler," she started singing after hours in little clubs and bars each night. A serendipitous stint at New York's popular club, Improvisation, brought her a new collaboration with then unknown house pianist, Barry Manilow, and the attention of Steve Ostrow, owner of The Continental Baths.
Ostrow was bowled over by the petite powerhouse and hired both Midler and Manilow to perform at The Continental Baths, a notorious Turkish bathhouse and gay hangout located on the Upper West Side in basement of the Ansonia Hotel. The Bathhouse was equal parts disco and debauchery, known for its on-premises STD clinic, police-alert alarm and pulsating dance floor. The towel-clad, boogying patrons were eager for a good time and idolized Midler, becoming her first solid fan base and turning her career on its ear. The Baths were where Midler's persona as the "Divine Miss M" took hold and where she cultivated a bawdy, burlesque stage act and campy, 1940s thrift-store style.
Midler's first album, "The Divine Miss M," was recorded by Atlantic Records and went platinum almost immediately, nabbing her a Grammy as Best New Artist and a widening fan base. She continued to record and give concerts on Broadway, but eventually segued into movies with several, highly acclaimed dramatic and comedic roles. Midler's unparalleled performance in the chick flick "Beaches," featuring her hit "The Wind Beneath My Wings," continues to be a favorite of BFFs everywhere and landed her a Grammy for record of the year. At nearly 70 years of age, Midler continues to enchant fans with her new, 25th album, "It's the Girls," and on-tour, national performances.
A Legend Who Serves Her City
In an effort to support young New Yorkers and provide a medium to promote creativity and public expression, Midler launched Stages for Success, an initiative geared towards modernizing public school auditoriums throughout New York City. Currently, Midler's focus is on schools in East Rockaway hard hit by Hurricane Sandy. Midler matches all monies raised for the project, penny for penny.
Never forgetting the healing power of greenery and the natural spaces she loved as a child in Hawaii, Midler also spearheads the New York Restoration Project, a non-profit organization she founded in 1995. The NYRP's goal is the revitalization of aging and neglected parks in New York's most disadvantaged neighborhoods. Requiring more than just a shovel and some seeds, Midler's organization provides free in and after-school programming in environmental education for kids.
Corey Whelan is a freelance writer in New York. Her work can be found at Examiner.com.
