"Sister Suffragette" is a pro- suffrage

protest song A protest song is a song that is associated with a movement for social change and hence part of the broader category of ''topical'' songs (or songs connected to current events). It may be folk, classical, or commercial in genre. Among social mov ...

pastiche sung by actress

Glynis Johns Glynis Margaret Payne Johns (born 5 October 1923) is a South African-born British former actress, dancer, musician and singer. Recognised as a film and Broadway icon, Johns has a career spanning eight decades, in which she appeared in more than ...

while playing Mrs. Winifred Banks in the 1964

Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...

film ''

Mary Poppins It may refer to: * ''Mary Poppins'' (book series), the original 1934–1988 children's fantasy novels that introduced the character. * Mary Poppins (character), the nanny with magical powers. * ''Mary Poppins'' (film), a 1964 Disney film sta ...

''. The song's melody was originally from a scrapped piece called "Practically Perfect", and both that song and "Sister Suffragette" were written and composed by

Richard M. Sherman Richard Morton Sherman (born June 12, 1928) is an American songwriter who specialized in musical films with his brother Robert B. Sherman. According to the official Walt Disney Company website and independent fact checkers, "the Sherman Brot ...

and

Robert B. Sherman Robert Bernard Sherman (December 19, 1925 – March 6, 2012) was an American songwriter, best known for his work in musical films with his brother, Richard M. Sherman. The Sherman brothers produced more motion picture song scores than any ...

. The lyrics mention Emmeline Pankhurst, who with her daughters Christabel and Sylvia founded the

Women's Social and Political Union The Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU) was a women-only political movement and leading militant organisation campaigning for women's suffrage in the United Kingdom from 1903 to 1918. Known from 1906 as the suffragettes, its membership an ...

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

, England. Some of the words are: "Our daughters' daughters will adore us, and they'll sing in grateful chorus, well done, Sister Suffragette!"Pg. 50, '' Walt's Time: from before to beyond'', Sherman, Robert B., Santa Clarita: Camphor Tree Publishers, 1998.

Original version

"Sister Suffragette"'s melody was borrowed from an earlier song entitled "Practically Perfect", which had already been deleted from the 1964 film production. According to the songwriters in their autobiographical book, ''

Walt's Time ''Walt's Time: From Before to Beyond'' is a 252-page autobiographical, full-color book by Robert B. Sherman and Richard M. Sherman. It was edited by Disney Imagineers Bruce Gordon, David Mumford and Jeff Kurtti and was published in 1998 by Camp ...

'', actress

thought she was being offered the title role of "Mary Poppins" when in fact she had been signed to play "Mrs. Banks". To amplify Disney's and Johns' mutual embarrassment, the misunderstanding only became apparent as both parties sat opposite each other in

Walt Disney Walter Elias Disney (; December 5, 1901December 15, 1966) was an American animator, film producer and entrepreneur. A pioneer of the American animation industry, he introduced several developments in the production of cartoons. As a film p ...

's Burbank studio-lot office. Thinking quickly, Disney softened Johns' disappointment of not getting the film's title role by telling her of the 'terrific new song' which the Sherman Brothers had written especially for her. Disney called up the songwriters to tell them that he was "just about to take Johns to lunch and how she was looking forward to hearing the new song following the meal", all within earshot of the actress. The Sherman Brothers deciphered Disney's coded hint, worked feverishly through their own lunch hour, and wrote "Sister Suffragette". For instance, the original lyric: Quickly evolved into: The 2004 ''Mary Poppins'' stage musical contains a song titled "Practically Perfect" which, while being heavily based on the original, contains none of the tune. The replacement song is instead called "Being Mrs. Banks".

Literary sources

* Sherman, Robert B. '' Walt's Time: from before to beyond''. Santa Clarita: Camphor Tree Publishers, 1998. {{Authority control 1964 songs Songs from Mary Poppins Protest songs Songs about activists Songs written by the Sherman Brothers Women's suffrage Cultural depictions of Emmeline Pankhurst