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Bette Midler says she made it to the top, despite her father’s skepticism about a show business career. “(My father) was one of those pooh-poohers--’You’ll never amount to a hill of beans.’ Maybe it was reverse psychology, hoping against hope that I would amount to something, but it was pretty painful for a long time. He couldn’t keep me down. I had too much inner belief. That came from my mother, who always said, ‘Kid, you’re going to be fine.’ ” Although her father refused to attend her performances as her career took off, the pair reconciled before his death in 1986.