The
Cherry Sisters –
Addie (1864–1942),
Effie (1869–1944),
Ella,
Lizzie (1863–1936), and
Jessie Cherry (1872–1903) – were a group of sisters from
Marion, Iowa who formed a notorious
vaudeville touring act in the late 19th century. They were also the plaintiffs in a landmark 1901 legal case heard by the
Iowa Supreme Court,
Cherry v. Des Moines Leader, which was instrumental in establishing and confirming the right of the press to
fair comment. The Cherry Sisters' vaudeville act,
Something Good, Something Sad, was infamous for its poor quality and the vehement responses it elicited by audiences, who threw vegetables and disrupted performances. The sisters toured with the act for ten years, during which time they briefly appeared on Broadway. In 1898 they sued two Iowa newspapers for
libel after they printed a scathing review of
Something Good, Something Sad. The case eventually went to the Iowa Supreme Court, which ruled in the newspapers' favor and set a precedent for the right to fair comment.