In the mid 1980's, legendary singer Bette Midler had apparently dropped off the face of the earth. Her once meteoric career had stalled, allegedly a victim of her demanding, diva-like behavior. By 1985 she was eager to get back into movies. Touchstone Pictures, a then new subsidiary of Disney, was eager to find known talent who could be hired for less. Bette Midler fell right into that category. She quickly signed with Touchstone and struck gold. Her first film under the contract- Down and Out in Beverly Hills, was a huge success. She followed up with a string of modest hits- Outrageous Fortune, Ruthless People and Big Business.
It would be 1988's Beaches that would give Ms. Midler- and her ego- the boost they would need to return to the bad times. Despite doing interviews stating that she would do whatever was expected of her, Ms. Midler began to return to form. She had (sort of) agreed to make the film Sister Act, starring in the role of Dolores Van Cartier, the errant songstress who winds up in the nunnery. Ms. Midler decided that she did not wish to make the film and was certain she had told Touchstone Pictures of that decision. The late announcement of her decision led to an all-out scramble to fill the role before shooting began. Dolly Parton was asked, since she had signed a deal with Touchstone Pictures, but she didn't feel comfortable taking the role on such short notice. In the nick of time, producers found their replacement- Whoopi Goldberg. Despite the turmoil behind the scenes, the movie was a huge success.
