Series Description

The Bette TV show was a 30 minute comedy series on CBS where Bette Midler played herself (kind of anyway). She was married to a college professor and had one daughter. Trademarks of the series were her friends accusing her of using lines from her movies when she talked to them and Bette also often made other celebrities the "butt" of her jokes. And, of course, she also managed to "belt out" a song or two!

Bette Cast

Bette Midler .... Bette
Kevin Dunn .... Roy
Lindsay Lohan .... Rose
Joanna Gleason .... Connie Randolph
James Dreyfus .... Oscar

Bette Trivia:

Bette Midler has won 4 Grammy awards! She is also a natural blonde!

When some critics compared Bette's performance on the show to that of Lucille Ball, she remarked, "I would never make that comparison in a million years," she said. "I adored her. I worshiped her ... I would never, ever, put myself in the same category as her. Ever." Modesty is refreshing, huh?

Bette wanted to do a sitcom for several reasons. She wanted to stop going "on tour" so she could spend more time with her family. She also was a little "put off" by the long period of time it takes to make a movie and how few good roles there were for actresses. She had actually been looking for a good sitcom to do for several years but all she got was the typical single/divorced mother scripts and she didn't want to do one of those.

Barry Manilow was Bette's accompanist in the 1970's when she performed at the famous, "The Continental Baths", a gay men's club. Barry also produced her first hit album, "The Divine Miss M".

Bette was the very last guest on the "Tonight Show With Johnny Carson".

Bette went to High School and College in Hawaii. She also worked at the Dole pineapple processing plant there at one time.