On March 22, 1979, Phyllis Schlafly gathered the indispensable leaders of the efforts to stop ERA for a “Pro-Family Gala” celebrating the expiration of the proposed amendment. A memorable part of the evening was the “ERA Follies,” a special program of mostly comical parody songs written by Phyllis herself. Most people are surprised to know that such a sharp politically savvy mind like Phyllis’s could also have a such a keen sense of humor.
However, most notable about this special program is that, unlike Phyllis’s feminist opponents, she never resorted to personal attacks. She had an uncanny ability to poke fun without making it mean.
The program and scripts from that special night are housed in the Phyllis Schlafly Archives in Saint Louis, Missouri. We are proud to share every song with you below. These documents are the property of Eagle Forum Education & Legal Defense Fund, and are not to be copied, reproduced, or duplicated without permission.
20200512101810419“A Wonderful Day Like Today,” Parody of “A Wonderful Day Like Today,” from The Roar of the Greasepaint
20200512102008673“ERA Military March,” Parody of “The Marine’s Hymn”
20200512102112337“Playboy Cottontail,” Parody of “Here Comes Peter Cottontail”
20200512102146815“I’ve Got A Little List,” Parody of “I’ve Got A Little List,” from The Mikado
20200512102229041“I’ve Grown Quite Tired of Bella’s Face,” Parody of “I’ve Grown Accustomed to Her Face,” from My Fair Lady
20200512102321648“We’ll Always Be Women Libbers,” Parody of “Bosom Buddies,” from Mame
20200512102517660“Women’s Lib Lament,” Parody of “No One,” from Mame
20200512102751361“Put On A Happy Face,” Parody of “Put On A Happy Face,” from Bye Bye Birdie
20200512102910075“I Want A Person,” Parody of “I Want A Girl”
20200512102604648“I Enjoy Being A Girl,” Parody of “I Enjoy Being A Girl,” from Flower Drum Song
20200512103103837“The Impossible Dream,” Parody of “The Impossible Dream,” from Man of La Mancha
20200512102944269“March of the States”
20200512103211136The only song listed in the program for which we have no script is “The Laughing Song.” While we have no full audio or video recording of the ERA Follies, we do have a clip of that song, which we share here:
All of these parodies are the property of Eagle Forum Education & Legal Defense Fund, and are not to be copied, reproduced, or duplicated without permission.