It was something of a cultural phenomenon back in the day. Roller Derby was a boisterous niche entertainment option in these parts that featured both men and women in what amounted to equal roles.

Some of those rough-and-ready female skaters became, if not household names, at least well-known to a devoted segment of the general population during Roller Derby’s heyday in the 1950s, 1960s and into the 1970s.

A personal favorite was Ann Calvello. She was the Bay Bombers’ bad girl, a wildly aggressive skater who delighted in pile-driving her opponents (Joanie Weston was a favorite target) into the boards (the derby’s layout featured steeply banked setups that allowed skaters to accelerate relatively safely). It was a gender-neutral hoot.

Calvello, who lived for years in San Bruno and worked for a time at a Safeway in Millbrae, became a Roller Derby fixture via local TV. But Roller Derby, at least in its most vibrant and manic form, petered out after awhile. Calvello and her peers eventually retired, although she would make professional appearances on occasion .

A younger generation probably has no clue what these folks brought forth decades ago.

So it is with some sense of history that we note Millbrae’s official welcome to the Peninsula Roller Girls, a much more subdued and genteel skating version of the old rambunctious derby. The outfit is going through a trial period on a Millbrae tennis court through Jan. 16.

The group’s aims and rules would not suit a tough, tattoo-adorned skating practitioner like Ann Calvello, a ferocious female who made most of us look like pantywaist crybabies out there on the track, or outside it for that matter.

Any sort of overt hostility is frowned upon in this new version, although some contact is permitted. Pounding an opponent over the boards and into the cheap seats at a venue like ancient Kezar Pavilion, which hosted more than its share of Roller Derby action, isn’t going to be duplicated on that Millbrae tennis court.

For one thing, the tennis court is flat. For another, the Roller Girls aren’t supposed to whack one another in the ribs and scream obscenities along their whirling way. It’s a much more gentle approach, more attuned to today’s delicate sensibilities, not to mention any liability concerns of the organizers.

Ann Calvello almost certainly would have struggled in this controlled environment in her primal prime, but she no doubt would have appreciated at least this fresh nod to her chosen profession; lamentably, she died in 2006 at a local hospital due to an illness.

Optimistic boulevard

Speaking of marvelous Millbrae, it would be difficult to a find a downtown Peninsula street that better mirrors the area’s rapidly changing demographics than Broadway in that suburban hamlet.

There, with increasing frequency, immigrant-owned enterprises tend to dominate. Which can lead to some interesting business names as the considerable and challenging nuances of the English language prove to be understandably daunting for some industrious newcomers to these shores.

A distinct sense of optimism seems to influence more than a few of these pleasant monikers.

For instance, the Wonderful noodle shop on Broadway is located less than a block north of the Happy Beauty Center. Hey, I’m all in. I feel better already.



John Horgan’s column runs weekly in the Mercury News. He can be contacted by email at johnhorganmedia@gmail.com or by regular mail at P.O. Box 117083, Burlingame, CA 94011.