Hocus Pocus (1993 film) impressive cast." "The Miami Herald" called it "a pretty lackluster affair", adding this comment: "Despite the triple-threat actress combo, "Hocus Pocus" won't be the "Sister Act" of 1993. There are a lot of gotta-sees this summer, and this isn't one of them." "The New York Times" Janet Maslin wrote that the film "has flashes of visual stylishness but virtually no grip on its story". Ty Burr of "Entertainment Weekly" gave the film a C-, calling it "acceptable scary-silly kid fodder that adults will find only mildly insulting. Unless they're Bette Midler fans. In which case it's depressing as hell"; and
Bette Midler as her idols and inspiration, as far back as her first appearances on "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson". Midler told Carson in an interview that she always wanted to move like the sisters, and Patty Andrews remembered: "When I first heard the introduction on the radio, I thought it was our old record. When Bette opened at the Amphitheater in Los Angeles, Maxene and I went backstage to see her. Her first words were, 'What else did you record? During another Midler concert, Maxene went on stage and presented her with an honorary bugle. Bette recorded other Andrews Sisters