The Ropers (1979-1980)

After years of managing a Santa Monica apartment building with a rambunctious trio, landlords Stanley and Helen Roper decide to sell and move to the upscale neighborhood of Cheviot Hills.  They struggle to fit in with their new class of neighbors.  The Ropers was based on a British sitcom George and Mildred, which was a spin-off of Man About The House, which is the series Three's Company (1977-1984) is based of.

Due to the success of Three's Company, a spin-off seemed inevitable.  Norman Fell and Audra Lindley were initially approached shortly after the series debuted about appearing in their own show, but plans were held off until after the second season.  They were promised that if the spin-off failed within a year, they could return to Three's Company.  Ratings were high when it debuted, despite the horrendous opening credits, and The Ropers seemed to be on the same track as its predecessor, though a new timeslot would change all that.  

The show landed in the bottom ten for the season and was canceled in May 1980, just over a year from its debut.  Since Mr. Furley had taken over landlord duties and was well-received, there was little desire to bring The Ropers back and ABC was no longer obliged to.  Norman Fell believed the cancellation decision was deliberately made after the one year mark.  I was team Roper and would've liked to have seen the bickering couple return to Three's Company, but Hollywood is a business and there's no need to pay two actors for a role one actor could do.  In 1986, there were plans to spin-off The Ropers, managing another building with three apartments, which were later scrapped.

 

Thanks to Robert Patterson at Set-Jetter.com for finding this location.

Location: The Ropers' Townhouse

Address: 650 Wilcox Avenue, Los Angeles, CA

Location Visited: June 2021

Locations Master List

Three’s Company (1977-1984)

After their roommate moves out, Janet Wood and Chrissy Snow decide to let party crasher Jack Tripper move in.  This breaks landlord Stanley Roper's rule about unwed men and women sharing an apartment.  They tell him that Jack is gay even though Helen Roper knows he's not, but she decides to go along with the charade.  The hijinks and misunderstandings continue under new apartment manager Ralph Furley and new roommates Cindy and Terri, who take Chrissy's place.  Jack eventually finds love with Vicky Bradford and they move in together.

Three's Company was based off the British sitcom Man About The House.  The original pilot had John Ritter, Valerie Curtin and Suzanne Zenor as the three roomies and was supposed to be on the fall 1976 schedule.  It was then retooled with Ritter, Joyce DeWitt and Susan Lanier.  There were doubts about Lanier playing Chrissy and at the last minute, Suzanne Somers audition tape was discovered.  Since third times a charm, another pilot was taped with Ritter, DeWitt and Somers and Three's Company debuted in the spring of 1977.  The show was an immediate hit.

There were many cast changes throughout the series run.  Norman Fell and Audra Lindley were given a spin-off in the spring of 1979, aptly named The Ropers (1979-1980) and Don Knotts assumed the landlord role.  Fell and Lindley were promised a return to the show if theirs failed within a year, but The Ropers was canceled just over a year, and with the popularity of Mr. Furley, there was little desire to bring The Ropers back.  During the fifth season, Suzanne Somers demanded a significant pay hike, which was denied by producers.  She was reduced to a short phone call scene while caring for her sick mother.  Somers was eventually fired and Chrissy's clumsy cousin Cindy moved in, who was then replaced with sassy nurse Terri Alden when Cindy decided to attend college.  The opening credits of the earlier seasons showed the cast at the Santa Monica Pier and the later ones at the Los Angeles Zoo.  Ritter would get his own spin-off, Three's A Crowd, focusing on his new love life.

   

Location: The Hacienda Palms Apartment Building (Pilot)

Address: 5154 Fountain Avenue, Los Angeles, CA

Thanks to Robert Patterson at Set Jetter for finding this location.

Location: The Beach

Address: Club House Avenue & Ocean Front Walk, Venice, CA

The fox that catches Jack's eye was actually Suzanne Somers in a wig.

Location: The Apartment Building

Address: 2912 4th Street, Santa Monica, CA

The only shot of the apartment complex is shown briefly in the opening credits, and it's actually a house...

Location: The Boardwalk

Address: 200 Santa Monica Pier, Santa Monica, CA

Location: The Zoo

Address: 5333 Zoo Drive, Los Angeles, CA

One of the buildings still has the same lettering that was seen at the zoo entrance in the opening credits...

The Reagle Beagle, a frequent hangout for the gang, was inspired by two Santa Monica restaurants: 

Chez Jay, 1657 Ocean Avenue, Santa Monica, CA

Ye Olde King's Head, 116 Santa Monica Boulevard, Santa Monica, CA

And if you're in the Sherman Oaks area, be sure to stop by Mr. Furley's Bar for a drink...

Locations Visited: June 2021, February 2023, June 2023

Locations Master List