"The Perfect Nanny" is a song from

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 1964 film '' Mary Poppins'', and it is 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 ...

. This song is heard at the beginning of the film, and its theme is heard through the film as a leitmotif for the children. It is sung by the characters of Jane Banks (played by

Karen Dotrice Karen Dotrice ( ; born 9 November 1955) is a British actress. She is known primarily for her role as Jane Banks in Walt Disney's '' Mary Poppins'', the feature film adaptation of the '' Mary Poppins'' book series. Dotrice was born in Guernsey i ...

) and Michael Banks (played by

Matthew Garber Matthew Adam Garber (25 March 1956 – 13 June 1977) was a British child actor who most notably played Michael Banks in the 1964 film ''Mary Poppins''. He appeared in only two other films, '' The Three Lives of Thomasina'' and ''The Gnome-Mobil ...

). It is a lyrical musicalization of a would-be newspaper advertisement, describing in the kids' words what ''they'' feel the qualifications are for a good caregiver, as opposed to the strict type of caregiver their father wants. The song also appears in the

Cameron Mackintosh Sir Cameron Anthony Mackintosh (born 17 October 1946) is a British theatrical producer and theatre owner notable for his association with many commercially successful musicals. At the height of his success in 1990, he was described as being "th ...

2004 musical stage production. It is unchanged in content; however, the music is more up-tempo than the original

Irwin Kostal Irwin Kostal (October 1, 1911 – November 23, 1994) was an American musical arranger of films and an orchestrator of Broadway musicals. Biography Born in Chicago, Illinois, Kostal attended Harrison Technical High School, but opted not to at ...

arrangement.

References

* Sherman, Robert B. '' Walt's Time: from before to beyond''. Santa Clarita: Camphor Tree Publishers, 1998. {{DEFAULTSORT:Perfect Nanny, The Songs about occupations 1964 songs Songs from Mary Poppins Songs written by the Sherman Brothers