Rousing pub crawls
Mrs. Roper’s romping revelry on San Francisco streets
Curly red wigs flowed through the Castro neighborhood Saturday, inspired by the character Mrs. Roper from the TV show “Three’s Company.”
By Adriana Roberts
Shrieks of “Helen!” echoed through the Castro on Saturday afternoon as muumuu’ed mobs of men and women with curly red wigs and colorful caftan dresses took over the neighborhood for the Mrs. Roper Bar Crawl, paying tribute to Helen Roper, the iconic landlady from the late ’70s sitcom, Three’s Company.
As far as bar crawls go, it’s not as big as, say, Santacon or the Brides of March, being somewhere approaching 200 people.
But considering it’s based on a character that was around for only three years, it’s fascinating how Mrs. Roper has evolved into becoming such a beloved cult figure amongst older gay men and straight women. So much so that in recent years, bar crawls devoted to the Three’s Company character have sprung up in cities around the country, after getting its start in 2013 at Southern Decadence in New Orleans, when 50 Mrs. Ropers marched in a parade.
Granted, like Santacon, the bar for entry is low to participate in all the retro ’70s shenanigans. All one needs is a flowing colorful caftan, chunky jewelry, and a cheap curly red wig, and you’re good to go to channel your favorite sex-starved sitcom landlady.
Indeed, many participants cite actress Audra Lindley’s portrayal of the brassy older redhead as influential in their younger years. “She was such a wisecracking wit on that show,” said Tiffany, visiting with friends from Sacramento to participate in the festivities. “And she was never afraid to put her husband Stanley in his place, especially if he said something bigoted, homophobic, or close-minded.”
As would be expected for an event based on a TV character from nearly 50 years ago, Saturday’s romp definitely attracted those “of a certain age,” but the mostly Gen X crowd was in high spirits, cramming into a string of Castro gay bars, including Hi Tops, Twin Peaks, Midnight Sun, 440 Castro, and The Edge. The staff at The Lookout went especially all-in, re-branding half the space as The Regal Beagle, the fictional bar from the original TV show.
Organizer Stefano Tarricone, a stylist at the Castro’s Jungle Red Salon, put together the event to celebrate his 54th birthday, after having his big 50th celebration sidelined by the pandemic.
“When Three’s Company premiered in March 1977,” he told me, “I was just about to turn 7 years old. I was too young to understand the sexual innuendo, but really connected to the physical comedy in the series, especially of John Ritter. I was a latchkey kid with a single mother, so television was my babysitter, entertainment, and education.”
For someone who used to revel in planning parties and group outings for his friends pre-pandemic, Saturday’s bar crawl gave Stefano the opportunity to jump back into the social fray. “Planning something this big was challenging,” he said. “All the drag brunches in the Castro made the itinerary complicated. Bars don’t have enough staff to serve 200 Helen Ropers, plus drag brunch customers!”
And he wasn’t wrong, as it often took forever to get drinks at any of the bars we went to along the way. But the shared camaraderie of simply hanging out in line with several other muumuu-wearing, red-wigged revelers still made the experience fun. “I was just hoping for an afternoon of connection, joy, and silliness with other people who also grew up during the Three’s Company era,” said Stefano. Indeed, Mrs. Roper would be proud.
Adriana Roberts is a DJ and performer with her Bootie Mashup parties, as well as a writer and trans influencer.
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More photos from “Mrs. Roper Romps” Bar Crawl
Photos by Adriana Roberts and Darryl Pelletier for The Bold Italic. Others used with permission from Denise Cottin, Rex Rowland, and Denise Beeman.
