BijouBlog

Interesting and provocative thoughts on gay history, gay sexual history, gay porn, and gay popular culture.

ADAM Film World’s GAY VIDEO GUIDE

By Josh Eliot

In 2008, magazine empire owner Bentley Morris put his 50+ year old company on the market. There were no takers, and what was once called “One of the industry’s leading trade publications” by the Associated Press closed its doors forever. When I was working in the gay adult industry from 1987 to 2006, anyone and everyone in the gay industry read The Adam Film World Guide and its gay spin offs: The Adam Gay Video XXX Showcase, Adam Gay Video Erotica, Adam Gay Video Pictorial and The Adam Gay Video Directory. I’m sure it was the same for the straight industry with all of Adam's straight spin offs: Adam Directory of Adult Films, Adam Black Video Illustrated, Cinema X, Porn Star Annual and others. The magazine empire had a humble beginning as simply “Adam” in 1956, an attempt to tap into Playboy’s market by also covering mainstream films and stars. In 1966, It became The Adam Film Quarterly, then Adam Film World, with monthly publications, and finally the Adam Film World Guide. The publication started the very first adult movie awards with the X-Caliber Awards in 1975, renaming the award ceremony to The Adam Film World Guide Awards in 1981.

The original Adam Quarterly & Film World with the gay spin-off XXX Showcase
The original Adam Quarterly & Film World with the gay spin-off XXX Showcase

 

The models pleaded to be on its cover and studios opened every outlet when Adam came a-calling. The XXX Showcase spinoff would focus on a movie of the month; they would promote with the magazine cover, center layout and accompanying story. The very best movie stills were always reserved for the publication over all others and it was always a challenge to rip Catalina’s complimentary monthly copy out of any given co-workers hands in order to get a peek at the reviews and layouts. The Adam Gay Video Directory had the most prestige of the spin offs. It was a really big deal for the models and the companies to get the cover of the directory, which was released once a year.

From 1991-1993, John Rowberry was the editor of the gay directory, followed in 1995 and 1996 by Dave Kinnick and Wilder Guyjoy and finally Doug Lawrence, who took over as editor and held the role until at least 2005. Doug Lawrence took control of another series under his watch called The Adam Gay Video Erotica Magazine. The publication chose either a director or studio and featured their movies exclusively. All the top brass were chosen, like Kristen Bjorn, William Higgins, Dirk Yates, Jet Set Productions, George Duroy, John Travis, Gino Colbert, Jerry Douglas, John Rutherford, Chi Chi LaRue and even little ‘ol me.

Adam Gay Video Erotica's various director tributes
Adam Gay Video Erotica's various director tributes

 

The Films of Josh Eliot: The Catalina Collection was one of Adam Gay Video’s Erotica series of magazines. I remember when editor Doug Lawrence was putting the issue together, he came by the Catalina offices to pick out chromes from some of my favorite productions. In addition. we sat down with his audio recorder while I gave insights to an array of different movies and models. I wish I had some input into the title, because I would have asked him to cut the word “Films” and replace it with either “Movies” or “Videos.” But I never knew of the title until the copies of the magazine arrived. Doug was a real sweetheart, always very pleasant when he would come by the offices, so I was at ease sitting down with him. He allowed me to pick the movies and models I wanted to comment on, here’s a small sampling of some of the movies and models we discussed.

Cover model Ray Harley & the inside cover of The Films of Josh Eliot
Cover model Ray Harley & the inside cover of The Films of Josh Eliot

 

Some of Catalina Video's leading men: Caesar, Cole Youngblood, Scott Bond
Some of Catalina Video's leading men

 

More of Catalina Video's leading men: Chris Champion, Matt Powers, Mike Radcliffe
More of Catalina Video's leading men

 

Some of Josh's favorite movies
Some of Josh's favorite movies

 

You’ll notice I included a few pics and comments on Catalina exclusive Matt Powers. Maybe because he has been on my mind lately since he actually just reached out to me last week! Keep in mind, we have not seen nor heard from each other since we worked on Lifeguard on Duty in 1991. He responded to my YouTube trailer postings of Lunch Hour and The Main Attraction. He thanked me for doing such a great job (his words) when I directed him in Lunch Hour. He also said he was very proud of the work he did for Catalina. He lives a very different life in Massachusetts, but it’s great to see that he embraced his career as much as his fans embraced him. Currently in the modern day adult industry, Adult Video News is the top trade magazine and has been going strong since 1983. AVN and its division GayVN host the best award shows, hands down, for both straight and gay XXX entertainment. The ADAM publications, though now obsolete, will always hold a place in history as one of the pioneers and success stories in adult film history.

 

Bio of Josh Eliot:

At the age of 25 in 1987, Josh Eliot was hired by Catalina Video by John Travis (Brentwood Video) and Scott Masters (Nova Video). Travis trained Eliot on his style of videography and mentored him on the art of directing. Josh directed his first movie, Runaways, in 1987. By 2009 when Josh parted ways with Catalina Video, he'd produced and directed hundreds of features and won numerous awards for Best Screenplay, Videography, Editing, and Directing. He was entered into the GayVN Hall of fame in 2002.

 

You can read Josh Eliot's previous blogs for Bijou here:

Coming Out of my WET SHORTS | FRANK ROSS, The Boss | Our CALIGULA Moment | That BUTTHOLE Just Winked at Me! | DREAMLAND: The Other Place | A Salty Fuck in Saugatuck | Somebody, Call a FLUFFER! | The Late Great JOHN TRAVIS, My POWERTOOL Mentor | (Un)Easy Riders | 7 Years with Colt Model MARK RUTTER | Super NOVA | Whatever Happened to NEELY O’HARA? | Is That AL PARKER In Your Photo? | DOWN BY LAW: My $1,000,000 Mistake | We Waited 8hrs for a Cum Shot... Is That a World Record? | Don't Wear "Short Shorts" on the #38 Geary to LANDS END | How Straight Are You Really? | BEHIND THE (not so) GREEN DOOR | The BOOM BOOM Room | CATCHING UP with Tom DeSimone | Everybody’s FREE to FEEL GOOD | SCANDAL at the Coral Sands Motel | DEEP INSIDE THE CASTRO: The Castro Theatre | DEEP INSIDE THE CASTRO: The Midnight Sun | RSVP: 2 Weeks Working on a Gay Cruise Ship | VOYAGER of the Damned | I'M NOT A LESBIAN DIRECTOR | Diving Into SoMa/Folsom: THE FOLSOM STREET FAIR | Diving into SoMa/Folsom: A TALE OF TWO STUDS | BALL BROTH | My 1992 “Porn Set” Diary | Out of Print | There’s a Gloryhole WHERE??! | LUNCH HOUR: When the Big Boys Eat | IN and OUT and All ABOUT | UNDER the COVERs with Tom Steele | 8 Is Enough on Sunsex Blvd | Steve Rambo & Will Seagers For Breakfast | The Many Faces of Adult Film Star SHARON KANE | The ALL-MAN Magazine Interview: The Man Behind Catalina Video | Captain Psychopath | BAD BOYS SCHOOL | VAMPIRE'S GRAVE | The Making of CatalinaVille (PART 1) | The Making of CatalinaVille (PART 2) | Private Dick & The Young Cadets | Meet RAY HARLEY | The GOLD COAST Gold Rush Boys | Colt Model MARK RUTTER: In His Own Words | Bringing in the BIG GUNS | “WHAT THE F@CK?” Moments | You So RUSSO | Bond, SCOTT BOND | I Just Watched: KILLING ME SOFTLY | Sex in Tight Places | Calling GLORIA | DOWN FOR THE COUNT | More Than a Mouthful | When JON KING Returned to Catalina Video | Junior Meets the BEAR Patrol | A Taste for Leather and Fur | Straight to Bed | The Hills Have Bi’s | The Malibu Pool Boy: Cody Foster | New England Summer | The Making of RUNAWAYS 1989 | The Making of FULL SERVICE 1989 | Hot Buttered Cop | The Making of HARD TO BE GOOD 1990 | The Real CONJURING HOUSE | It’s Not a Crime, It’s a SCORE | I Just Watched: Steve Scott’s SCREENPLAY (1984) | Wet and Wild | 69: Discover the Secret | What Really Happened BEHIND THAT BARN DOOR! | I Just Watched AL PARKER & WILL SEAGERS in WANTED | Secret Boys Club | Jawbreaker Pt. 1 | Jawbreaker Pt. 2 | I Just Watched CRUISIN’ THE CASTRO | 80s/90s Porn Star RYAN YEAGER

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From the Archive: Director Michael Goodwin

By M. Webster

Looking through our archive the other day, I came across some treasures - photocopies of collaged pages full of newspaper clippings, photos, flyers, event invitations, interviews, articles write-ups, and more presumably from the personal files of visual artist, gay porn director, and NY Jacks member/resident artist, Michael Goodwin.

Michael Goodwin's Goodjac series, with stills of him sketching a J/O party as featured in his debut movie, THE GOODJAC CHRONICLES
Michael Goodwin's Goodjac series; Goodwin sketching a J/O party in his debut video, The Goodjac Chronicles

 

These materials include:

-Invitations to art shows, Jacks events, and a Goodjac event at NYC nightclub The Saint

Flyer for gallery show at A Different Light and L.A. Leathers, with gallery opening photos of Goodwin

 

Flyers for Goodwin's group art show at NYC's The Basement and a J.O. party in honor of a fellow artist
Flyers for Goodwin & friends' art events & photos of their openings: a 1985 solo show at adjacent businesses A Different Light bookstore & L.A. Leathers; a 1984 group show at NYC's The Basement; "Orgasms of the Mind: a graphically inspired j.o. event designed to celebrate the unique talent of artist Felix Irizarry" (1984)"

 

for event at NYC nightclub The Saint showing some Goodjac performers and Goodjac's J/O sketches
Ad for event at The Saint, June 15, 1986 - a benefit for 1986 NYC Pride; Goodwin J/O sketches in a magazine

 

-A 'thank you' note from 1986 Pride march organizers Heritage of Pride

-An announcement of an Independent Filmmaker of 1988 award that Goodwin received
 

Thank you from Heritage of Pride to The Goodjac Chronicles for their 1986 event and text of a press notice about Goodwin receiving a 1988 Independent Filmmaker of the Year award
Thank you from Heritage of Pride (L); Award announcement: "Michael Goodwin will be nominated this year as the Independent Filmmaker of 1988. His contribution documenting the sexual revitalization of the human body is extending the boundaries of the U.S. & is now shown in Europe & even the Soviet Union. Filmmakers all over the world are studying Mr. Goodwin's new art form as a breakthrough in the human expressions.

 

-Reviews of Goodwin's movies 

A Goodwin sketch, photo of Goodwin on the Goodjac Chronicles set, magazine headline, caption, and review of Goodjac
A Goodwin sketch; Goodwin on the Goodjac Chronicles set; magazine headline with caption, "If your lust button hasn't been pushed lately, the Goodjac videos are one way of reactivating it - safely"; review by Patrick Hoctel: "Better than most erotic films I've seen, Goodwin's videos capture that feeling of mounting sexual excitement, the intensity, the release, & the closeness afterwards. And you get here what you seldom get from porn: the love, the celebration that men can find with each other & with their own bodies - before, during, & after sex. The Jacks' influence is reflected in the good will, the camaraderie among the men that shines through - what I'd call 'an erotic tenderness.'"

 

-An entry pass from his appearance on the Gay Cable Network's Men & Films TV show (which also profiled Rod Phillips, Casey Donovan and Daniel Holt, as seen in our recent re-release

Gay Cable Network logo and set pass for Michael Goodwin, still of Goodwin sketch in the Men and Films intro
Gay Cable Network (GCN) logo & set pass for Michael Goodwin dated June 30, 1985, plus Goodwin's sketch that appears in the Men & Films TV show intro (as seen in our Men & Films release)

 

-Interviews with Goodwin, as well as interviews he conducted, via Stallion magazine, with Joe Gage, Wakefield Poole, Tom of Finland, playwright Robert Chesley, and others

-Letters to Goodwin from fellow legendary gay porn directors Christopher Rage and Joe Gage 

Goodwin interviews Gage, notes from Rage and Gage (R)
Goodwin interviews Gage (L); notes from Rage & Gage (R)

 

Relevant to multiple upcoming Bijou Video releases (hint!) are the notes to Goodwin from Rage and Gage - a cool peek at correspondence between some of the figures behind major works of the early years of gay porn filmmaking and their respect for each other's work. The output of Goodwin and Rage - while of entirely different natures emotionally and tonally - has clear connection as some of the most artistically innovative and experimental 1980s gay porn.

Text of Rage's note (November 9, 1983): "Dear Michael, I wanted to make sure you know how much I appreciated my visit with you - most especially the drawings you gave me. Of course, it's always nice to hear compliments about one's work... but to hear them from someone who is so talented is extraordinarily welcome. I trust you will be able to make it back to the city at the beginning of the year and that we'll be able to spend some time together then. As I mentioned, if there's anyone I can help put you in touch with, please let me know. Again, thank you for the samples of your work. They are inspiring. Best wishes, Tray Christopher Rage"

Text of Gage's note (circa 1982): "Michael, many thanks for the prints - they are beautiful. The shooting went well - I made two films back-to-back: 'Closed Set II' on video and a film called '501.' As you can imagine, I'm up to my ass editing all this, and will be for a while. It all looks good. See you this winter. Cheers! Joe"

Also tucked into the files is this bio of Goodwin (text below): 

Photo and bio of Michael Goodwin

"Michael is the resident artist of the New York Jacks and is planning to tour his tapes throughout the U.S. visiting Jacks organizations and  doing fund raising J.O. benefits for various AIDS research groups. Eventually he plans to visit the newly founded Jacks groups throughout Europe, starting with the Amsterdam Jacks. Goodjac feels in this time of confused sexuality and  the lack of spirituality and  sensualness in our lives that his efforts are necessary and  will go unwasted in helping to re-unite our beliefs in ourselves and  one another. 'There is an important message in my tapes,' he says. 'Besides, it gives me a great thrill to know I have planted some new seeds of imagination and  brotherhood within my viewers.'"

 

Goodwin blowing up a condom in Crazy Horny Nutz and some of his drawings featured in that movie
Goodwin & some of his drawings in Crazy Horny Nutz

 

Bijou currently carries Goodwin's The Goodjac Chronicles (1986), Goodjac Too (1987), and Crazy Horny Nutz (1988) from on DVD and Streaming - and stay tuned for Goodjac 4: Hot Sunday - coming over the next few months! 

Goodjac 4 VHS cover art with handwritten note on the back
From the back of our VHS copy of upcoming release Goodjac 4, a note from Goodwin to Bijou's owner Steven Toushin, dated 2/2/88: 'Thank you Steve for making this possible. Michael'

 

  164 Hits

The Rise of 1980s-90s Porn Star RYAN YEAGER

By Josh Eliot

Back in 1989, the San Fernando Valley was the hot spot for all things porn, gay or straight. Specifically Chatsworth, CA, where adult film production houses migrated because of low rent and access to the mainstream movie business. Located thirty miles north of Los Angeles, it allowed access to Hollywood directors, as well as talent and crew who moonlighted for some extra income or chose a different career path due to declining productions within L.A. County. Since the 1970s, homes in the Hollywood Hills played host to a majority of the West Coast XXX-rated film productions. A rush of warehouses opened up in the valley, retrofitted as studios, so they could reap their share of the nearly four billion dollars in sales that the San Fernando Valley took in annually. Specifically for gay porn studios in the valley, when I was first working in the industry, there was mainly (VCA) HIS Video, InHand and Vivid Man as our competition.

Chatsworth, CA – porn capital of the 1990s
Chatsworth, CA – porn capital of the 1990s

 

With all the hardcore content flooding the video stores back in the late 80s and 1990s, it’s no surprise that several movies were made, both mainstream and adult, featuring the story of a small town boy or virginal girl dreaming of going to Hollywood - a story told brilliantly by director Paul Thomas Anderson in Boogie Nights (1997) featuring Mark Wahlberg as adult film sensation Dirk Diggler. Seven years prior to the premiere of Boogie Nights, a newcomer to the industry, Ryan Yeager, played a similar role as a cornfed country boy rising to fame in the adult industry in a movie called The Rise (1990). Iconic director Chi Chi LaRue wrote and directed The Rise as a way to promote what he, himself, calls his first true discovery. Back in 1989, Chi Chi was working for InHand Video gaining experience as a new director, when Vivid Man persuaded him to start working for them in promotions with the opportunity to also direct. Chi Chi was a bit frustrated with InHand at the time because there was a lot of internal drama within the company, so it was an easy yes. Prior to leaving InHand, a potential new star came across Chi Chi’s desk - it was Ryan Yeager. Chi Chi debuted Ryan in Screwing Screw Ups and Flex 2: Pumping Up, which Chi Chi directed prior to jumping ship. In 1989, Chi Chi brought Ryan to Vivid Man, maybe as a bargaining tool, and was allowed to direct him in Buddy System. He was also loaned out to another Vivid director, Patrick Dennis, who starred him in Air Male and Davey and the Cruisers. Patrick Dennis was a pseudonym for adult star and director Jim Steel, who had a tenured history with Vivid Man. Jim Steel and I stood side by side along with John Rutherford and Steven Scarborough when the four of us were inducted into the GayVN Hall of Fame in 2002.

In 1990, Chi Chi was invited back to Catalina Video to start directing features, and Ryan was with him all the way! Our first time working together was for The Rise, and the crew and I quickly learned that Ryan had absolutely no problem ejaculating twice for a scene. We made the best use of that by having him cum after oral and then again after anal, and each load looked like a full one! My very first acting performance was in The Rise as the driver of the van that picks Ryan up in the sticks and drives him to Hollywood Blvd. Chi Chi and I were both super pissed when Scott Masters made the editor cut my scene before release because he didn’t think it was wise for the production head to be on camera. The finished version only shows Ryan in the van talking to my voice, but none of the lead up alongside the road where we met. But I am, despite Scott Masters, in a wide shot on the movie set, holding a 16mm camera during the montage. Additionally, my patched up favorite jean jacket is worn by Vic Youngblood in the full scene he has with Scott Bond, because the shirt he was wearing when he showed up to set was too flashy and Studio 54-looking.

In the movie, Ryan gets discovered by Chi Chi in an adult cinema and enters the porn world while, coincidently, his longtime lover from his his home town ends up taking the same path and, in the end, they meet up on a XXX movie set. Ryan could not have been more perfectly cast, all the way down to his natural pubic hair that he didn’t “groom” for set. Total all-American boy to the core, which felt very rare to us. The movie won Best Erotic Scene and, for the very first time, Chi Chi LaRue took home the award for Best Director.

Ryan Yeager in The Rise, Stranded Enemies & Lovers for Catalina Video
Ryan Yeager in The Rise, Stranded Enemies & Lovers for Catalina Video

 

That same year, we also had the pleasure of working with Ryan in Enemies and Lovers (1990). This was our first trip up the mountains for an extended stay with Chi Chi and her brood of boys. Taking Chi Chi up those swirling mountainous roads to Arrowhead Lake was a hoot, as his stomach couldn’t handle it very well. Everyone was a joy to be around – well, maybe except for model Matt Gunther, who was very well known to be a twat on the set. I’ll blog about that movie down the road - I think our trauma deserves its own piece.

In 1991, Chi Chi directed a star vehicle movie for Ryan called Jumper for (VCA) HIS Video, written by Stan Ward. This was Ryan’s moment for sure, and Chi Chi’s as well, because Jumper won Best Picture, Best Actor (Ryan Yeager) and Best Newcomer (Danny Sommers) at the 1992 AVN Awards. It also won Best Screenplay at the Gay Erotic Video Awards and the Grabby Awards. In addition to making Ryan a household name, it projected Chi Chi LaRue’s career as director into the stratosphere. Even though Ryan was super angelic in real life, he did stretch his acting abilities to play an actual angel in Jumper. His role was that of a soldier in the Revolutionary War who is killed at Yorktown and becomes an angel. Angels have missions in Jumper, and Ryan’s is to influence the lives of men in, of all places, West Hollywood. When the movie was released, critic Dave Kinnick called it “VCA’s strongest gay title in years.”

Ryan Yeager's early movie Davey & the Cruisers & his Best Actor role in Jumper
Ryan Yeager's early movie Davey & the Cruisers & his Best Actor role in Jumper

 

At Catalina Video in 1991, we shot Ryan in King of the Mountain, Powertool 2, Head Struck and In Your Face. After that, we never saw Ryan on our schedule again, even though he continued working. Ryan Yeager had a short but impressive career, when he suddenly made a quick exit after he met and fell in love with a mystery man outside of the industry. In the late 1990s, Sabin, the producer of the Gay Erotic Video Awards, reached out to Ryan asking him to be a presenter at an upcoming awards show. Ryan made it very clear that his time in the industry was in the past and he had no desire be connected to it any further. Regardless his legacy speaks for itself, and I have to add that while he was working with us, I was impressed with how incredibly down to earth and non-pretentious he was. There is very little content online, so I was able to gather a lot of my information about Ryan Yeager from Chi Chi LaRue’s excellent book, Making It Big, Sex Stars, Porn Films and Me

The industry itself has changed over the years. Gone are the valley studios in Chatsworth for gay porn, and it seems that the newest semi-capital of gay porn is San Francisco, with most of the top companies residing there: Colt Studios (founded 1967), Falcon (founded 1971), Hot House (founded 1993), Titan Men (founded 1995), Treasure Island (founded 1998) and Raging Stallion (founded 1998), all of which contain outstanding libraries of content, making them modern day powerhouses.

 

Bio of Josh Eliot:

At the age of 25 in 1987, Josh Eliot was hired by Catalina Video by John Travis (Brentwood Video) and Scott Masters (Nova Video). Travis trained Eliot on his style of videography and mentored him on the art of directing. Josh directed his first movie, Runaways, in 1987. By 2009 when Josh parted ways with Catalina Video, he'd produced and directed hundreds of features and won numerous awards for Best Screenplay, Videography, Editing, and Directing. He was entered into the GayVN Hall of fame in 2002.
 

 

You can read Josh Eliot's previous blogs for Bijou here:

Coming Out of my WET SHORTS | FRANK ROSS, The Boss | Our CALIGULA Moment | That BUTTHOLE Just Winked at Me! | DREAMLAND: The Other Place | A Salty Fuck in Saugatuck | Somebody, Call a FLUFFER! | The Late Great JOHN TRAVIS, My POWERTOOL Mentor | (Un)Easy Riders | 7 Years with Colt Model MARK RUTTER | Super NOVA | Whatever Happened to NEELY O’HARA? | Is That AL PARKER In Your Photo? | DOWN BY LAW: My $1,000,000 Mistake | We Waited 8hrs for a Cum Shot... Is That a World Record? | Don't Wear "Short Shorts" on the #38 Geary to LANDS END | How Straight Are You Really? | BEHIND THE (not so) GREEN DOOR | The BOOM BOOM Room | CATCHING UP with Tom DeSimone | Everybody’s FREE to FEEL GOOD | SCANDAL at the Coral Sands Motel | DEEP INSIDE THE CASTRO: The Castro Theatre | DEEP INSIDE THE CASTRO: The Midnight Sun | RSVP: 2 Weeks Working on a Gay Cruise Ship | VOYAGER of the Damned | I'M NOT A LESBIAN DIRECTOR | Diving Into SoMa/Folsom: THE FOLSOM STREET FAIR | Diving into SoMa/Folsom: A TALE OF TWO STUDS | BALL BROTH | My 1992 “Porn Set” Diary | Out of Print | There’s a Gloryhole WHERE??! | LUNCH HOUR: When the Big Boys Eat | IN and OUT and All ABOUT | UNDER the COVERs with Tom Steele | 8 Is Enough on Sunsex Blvd | Steve Rambo & Will Seagers For Breakfast | The Many Faces of Adult Film Star SHARON KANE | The ALL-MAN Magazine Interview: The Man Behind Catalina Video | Captain Psychopath | BAD BOYS SCHOOL | VAMPIRE'S GRAVE | The Making of CatalinaVille (PART 1) | The Making of CatalinaVille (PART 2) | Private Dick & The Young Cadets | Meet RAY HARLEY | The GOLD COAST Gold Rush Boys | Colt Model MARK RUTTER: In His Own Words | Bringing in the BIG GUNS | “WHAT THE F@CK?” Moments | You So RUSSO | Bond, SCOTT BOND | I Just Watched: KILLING ME SOFTLY | Sex in Tight Places | Calling GLORIA | DOWN FOR THE COUNT | More Than a Mouthful | When JON KING Returned to Catalina Video | Junior Meets the BEAR Patrol | A Taste for Leather and Fur | Straight to Bed | The Hills Have Bi’s | The Malibu Pool Boy: Cody Foster | New England Summer | The Making of RUNAWAYS 1989 | The Making of FULL SERVICE 1989 | Hot Buttered Cop | The Making of HARD TO BE GOOD 1990 | The Real CONJURING HOUSE | It’s Not a Crime, It’s a SCORE | I Just Watched: Steve Scott’s SCREENPLAY (1984) | Wet and Wild | 69: Discover the Secret | What Really Happened BEHIND THAT BARN DOOR! | I Just Watched AL PARKER & WILL SEAGERS in WANTED | Secret Boys Club | Jawbreaker Pt. 1 | Jawbreaker Pt. 2 | I Just Watched CRUISIN’ THE CASTRO

  245 Hits

"Werk!"

Bijou Blog header
By Will Seagers

 

[Originally published 02/07/25]

Hi folks, Will here! And yet another odd blog title. I am actually poking fun at the word "work." I thought I'd choose the common and current vernacular of choice. Nevertheless, no matter how you spell, it it all boils down to the same thing.

With all the changes happening around us within the past two weeks, I thought it would be sensible to head back to the workforce. I have enjoyed the past six years of retirement. But, there are some serious signs appearing on the horizon of our great country that are creating a lot of insecurity within me.

Oddly enough, I had been contemplating a part time job for the past year or so. I have a good work ethic and miss employing it. My idea was to take on the simple job of working at my gym for a couple of days a week. I know the place like the back of my hand, since I am there five or six days a week anyway.

Will taking a selfie and working out at his gym, present day
Will at the gym, present day
 

I had approached the husband and wife team who own the place with my idea about a year ago. It's a small operation, personnel-wise, and there were no openings at that time. All of that changed just recently.

I received a call about two weeks ago asking if I was still available. I paused for a moment and asked myself if I really wanted to go back to work at the age of 74. It didn't take more than a second to reply with a solid, "Yes!" So, I have been in "training" mode for the past week.

Pair of dumbbells and gym interior with workout machines
 

I have loved this gym for the past six years because of the way it is maintained. I have no problem with being a "scullery maid" to keep it that way. It is the membership and bookkeeping aspect that is a bit thorny. And, I live only a mile away!

A lot has changed in the past forty years since I worked in the gyms of San Francisco - in terms of data collection in the membership process. I will be using three computers in this process. Seniors and people in the workforce whose memberships are part of their insurance coverage use one computer program. And, the other two computers deal with cash and credit card sign-ups. It's a bit daunting. But, sheer repetition will have me up and running in no time.

Of course, as I have mentioned in previous blogs, my San Francisco gym experiences were in gay gyms. This one is decidedly co-ed. It is a nice blending of locals - some average and some stunning - all here for the simple purpose of getting fit. I will have to remind myself to keep my tongue in my mouth when the stunners approach! LOL.

Men inside San Francisco gym The Pump Room in the 1970s
Back in the day, my co-worker Bill from The Pump Room (S.F.)
 
Will and two other shirtless men in an ad for a '70s San Francisco gym
Another "back in the day" - shirtless attire in San Francisco's gay gyms
 

So... wish me luck in my gym career redux! This will be like a lot of jobs I have had in my lifetime, where I have had a second or even third chapter. The key thing for me to remember is that "it's just like riding a bike"... I hope!

Guy on bike emoji

 

Bio of Will Seagers:

Will Seagers (also credited as Matt Harper), within his multifaceted careers and participation in numerous gay communities across the country in the '70s and '80s and beyond, worked as a print model, film performer, and DJ, just to name a few. He made iconic appearances in releases from Falcon, Hand in Hand, Joe Gage, Target (Bullet), J. Brian, Steve Scott, and more, including in lead roles in major classics like Gage's L.A. Tool & Die (1979) and Scott's Wanted (1980). He brought strong screen presence and exceptional acting to his roles and was scene partners with many fellow legends of classic porn.

Will Seagers, recent image, holding a globe
Will Seagers, present day


You can read Will Seagers' previous blogs for Bijou here:

Welcome Matt/Will | What's For Dessert? | On and Off the Set of L.A. Tool & Die | Wanted, Weekend Lockup and Weekends in Hermosa Beach | Honeymoon in the Palms | Birds of a Feather | The Stereo Maven of Castro Street | The Pass Around Boy | The Ecstasy and the Agony | Fitness and Fantasy | Chasing the Boys and Chasing the Sun | Becoming Invisible | The Reverse Story of Dorian Gray | Pin Money | One Organ Leads to Another! | The Wheels of Steel | Feast and Famine | An Alphabet Soup of Powders and Pills | Merry Christmas (and Getting Re-Organized) | Now and Then | DEEP INSIDE THE CASTRO: The Badlands | DEEP INSIDE THE CASTRO: Moby Dick Bar | DEEP INSIDE THE CASTRO: "Just Another Stroll Down the Castro!" | Diving Into SoMa/Folsom: Hamburger Mary's | Diving Into SoMa/Folsom: Long Live the Stud! | Diving Into SoMa/Folsom: Club Life..."Hit me with your Rhythm Stick!” | A "Split Ticket": SoMa/Folsom and The Haight! | Staying Vanilla in a Flavorful Culture | A Little Secret | Recollections of the 1977 S.F. Gay Pride Parade | Life's a Beach | Flora & Fauna | Once Is Just Not Enough! | A Love of Cultures – A Knack for Languages! | For the Birds | It's About Time! | The Perfect Storm | Hello Chicago/Adieu Fire Island Pines! | Sex in the Woods! | My Life at the Gym | The Last Picture Show | Cumming Attractions! | The Peter Pan Syndrome | Valentine's Day Reflections | The “Idus Martias” and a Peacock! | Taxing I.M.H.O. | Nope...This Sure Ain't Kansas! | The French Connection | Water Baby | Pride: You Wear It Well! | Life Goes On... | The Dance Floor and the Booth, Part 1 | The Dance Floor and the Booth, Part 2 | The Dance Floor and the Booth, Part 3 | A Christmas Haiku | It's My Party & I'll BLOG If I Want To!

  73 Hits

I Just Watched CRUISIN’ THE CASTRO (1981)

By Josh Eliot

[Originally published 01/31/25]

It might seem odd for me to pick Cruisin’ the Castro as my second choice in the “I Just Watched” series of blogs, but you’ll discover, as I did, that there is much more to this movie than meets the eye. Certainly Cruisin’ did not have the polish, notoriety or deeply layered storyline of Steve Scott’s Screenplay, my first blog in the series, but it did have a desirability factor for me, so I chose to view it. After all, I did live in the heart of the Castro from 1983 - 1988 on the corner of Castro & 19th, a mere block away from the epicenter. So when I stumbled upon it while scanning through the Bijou Video On Demand list of titles, I was sold even before looking at one frame of the movie, and that was for a couple of reasons. The first of which was that I saw Dick Fisk’s name in the partial credits listed on the page. The second was when I started thinking about the joint venture Will Seagers and I worked on together where we each contributed three blogs about the Castro District in San Francisco during the 1970’s and 1980’s. I’ll link those blogs at the end of this one, just in case you want to read them.

I have to admit, I never met Dick Fisk or even remembered, until researching for this blog, that I saw him in the movie Spokes. My 1980’s San Francisco friend Fred Fazzina from the blog "Everybody’s Free to Feel Good!" would always talk about “little Dickie Fisk,” a good friend of his and his partner. He often told stories about the group of friends which included Fisk, the shit they would get into and just how much they all missed him. Seeing his name in the credits sparked my interest to watch Cruisin’. I wouldn’t exactly refer to Dick Fisk as Little Dickie Fisk, girth-wise - maybe height-wise, but that’s how he was endeared to Fred. In a tragic turn of events, on Halloween evening 1983, Dick Fisk (Frank Ricky Fitts, 28 years old) lost his life along with that of his lover, Joe Howard, in a car accident. He is best known for gracing the cover of Falcon Studio’s The Other Side of Aspen alongside Al Parker and Casey Donovan, an iconic photo for sure.

Dick Fisk modeling & with legends Al Parker & Casey Donovan in The Other Side of Aspen
Dick Fisk modeling & with legends Al Parker & Casey Donovan in The Other Side of Aspen

 

Before landing upon Cruisin’ the Castro, I was leaning toward something from NOVA Studio directed by my previous producer, Robert Walters (Scott Masters). I thought it would be a challenge to pick something that was more music-enhanced and in line with the Brentwood/John Travis movies, to switch things up from my first blog in the series, where Steve Scott’s Screenplay had a heavy script and character development. Cruisin’ has a combination of both music-enhanced scenes and live action sound. All that was left now was to get comfortable, so I sat my butt down and started streaming, noticing a few things that stood out to me right away. First and foremost was the title itself, which was the same image as on the movie poster I remembered seeing, probably at the Screening Room Theater back when I worked there in the early 1980’s. The title was written alongside a Victorian building, as is reflected in the original movie poster. The second was the cast; I was like, really? The cast was very impressive. What was this movie I never saw that had all these headliners? Stars include Richard Locke, Will Seagers, Dick Fisk and Johnny Harden, who honestly looks the best he’s ever looked in this film and graces the newer DVD box cover on the Bijou restored version. Supporting cast includes Don Talon, Jack Holtz, Mark Majors, Tom Manley and Tony Natali.

The handsome cast of Cruisin' the Castro, plus title with Victorian building imagery
The handsome cast of Cruisin' the Castro, plus title with Victorian building imagery

 

Before getting into it, I’ll just say one thing: the guys in this movie all have big fat rock hard pieces and they all seem to be very cock-hungry and overly horned up. Granted, it has a paper-thin storyline connecting all the scenes, but this is one of those movies that makes you not care, because of the quality of the good looking, well-built and toned cast. They are hot, handsome, hung and hungry. They are into it and it shows, thanks to the direction of Michael R. Newman. Who? Has anyone heard of Michael R. Newman? IMDB shows Mr. Newman as only having one directorial credit to his name, and that is for Cruisin’. When coming across this information regarding the director, I emailed co-blogger Will Seagers to see if he had any more information about this guy. A stage-name, for sure, but could he be someone who didn’t want to be known? Well, get this, even more interesting is the fact that this movie was credited as a CinArt production. CinArt is the production company of the notorious Mitchell Brothers, who broke box office records with Marilyn Chambers in Behind the Green Door (1972). Was this them dipping their feet in the all-male market? Was Michael R. Newman a Mitchell Brother? The chances of that being reality are probably a million to one; it’s more likely the fact that CinArt simply produced and distributed this movie. CinArt and the Mitchell Brothers had never released an all-male movie before or after this one. By emailing Will, I was hoping to see if he remembered shooting his scene with Don Talon and Richard Locke, and more importantly, who directed them? There is no actual shoot date information, but evidently it was shot in the late 1970’s and released in 1981. Why the hold up? More questions than answers, for sure.

The first scene with Mark Majors and Tony Natali is, in my opinion, the very best. The two guys, virtual unknowns, meet on the street and end up climbing through a rooftop enclosure. Rock hard fat pieces from both, and they are all over each other, adding to the sexiness of it. Not to mention they both have great bodies and are really handsome. In scene two, the Tom Manley (aka Chad Scott, the scene-stealer from NOVA's Little Brother’s Coming Out) again commands the audience with his good looks and hungry boy sexiness with co-star Jack Holtz. Jack Holtz, in the one and only “live-sound” scene of his career, brings his crazy-hick energy, especially when eating handsome Tom Manley’s cum-covered ass. In scene number three, Johnny Harden, looking G-G-G-Great, performs what I think is one of his very best signature load-on-the-face J/Os, keeping it interesting to watch the entire time. Not-so-little Dick Fisk is paired with Mark Majors (from scene one) and gives a great performance, both topping and bottoming for his well-hung co-star. Mark does feel the burn when taking Fisk’s fat dick up the ass moments after finishing up topping.

Tom Manley (aka Chad Scott) in Little Brother's Coming Out; original Cruisin' the Castro posters & the new DVD cover with Johnny Harden
Tom Manley (aka Chad Scott) in Little Brother's Coming Out; original Cruisin' the Castro posters & the new DVD cover with Johnny Harden

 

The movie ends with a very good looking, and clean shaven Don Talon cruising out his bedroom window from a Victorian house that looked very much like it was on my block when I lived there! It doesn’t take very long for daddy Richard Locke and sexy young buck Will Seagers to take the bait and make their way up and into Talon’s private playroom. Great energy is evident between the three men, which finishes with a very well-planned and executed simultaneous three-way cum shot sequence. That’s how you know they were into each other.

Update: So I heard back from Will Seagers regarding his scene in the movie. He didn’t remember anything about the director, but the scene with Richard Locke was shot prior to working with Locke in Joe Gage's L.A. Tool and Die; it was their very first time working together, so that means it was shot in 1978 or 1979. He also confirmed that the house they shot in was on the same block I lived on a few years later, Castro and 19th - I knew I recognized that house! He believed word got out that he was cast for L.A. Tool and Die and the producers wanted to cash in on pairing him with Locke prior to that movie being filmed. This movie, Cruisin’, however, had a delayed release date of 1981, while L.A. Tool and Die came out in 1979.

Is Cruisin’ the Castro from a pristine 16mm print? No, and the restoration process pales to the kind of advanced restoration work Bijou does today and over the last number of years, but... There is a very important but, which is: We are so lucky to even be able to view this movie today. I doubt very much a 16mm print is even around anymore - talk about looking for a needle in a haystack! The fact that Cruisin’ is even available for viewing is something we should be grateful for; it’s far from perfect, but can you imagine performances from stars of this caliber being lost forever? Thanks to BijouWorld, who hunt things down like this film, we are able to revisit movies like this one that could have easily fallen along the wayside. While not a perfect movie, there are some scenes of greatness inside it. The bottom line is this movie did make history for several reasons I explained above, and thank goodness Bijou is here to protect and honor our history so we can all see the movie that even the Mitchell Brothers themselves wanted released.

Find Cruisin' the Castro on DVD and Streaming through Bijou and watch Josh Eliot's newly edited Cruisin' the Castro trailer and Screenplay trailer!

Josh Eliot and Will Seagers' DEEP INSIDE THE CASTRO series of blogs:
The Castro Theatre (Josh Eliot)
The Badlands (Will Seagers)
The Midnight Sun (Josh Eliot)
Moby Dick Bar (Will Seagers)
Just Another Stroll Down the Castro! (Will Seagers)

 

Bio of Josh Eliot:

At the age of 25 in 1987, Josh Eliot was hired by Catalina Video by John Travis (Brentwood Video) and Scott Masters (Nova Video). Travis trained Eliot on his style of videography and mentored him on the art of directing. Josh directed his first movie, Runaways, in 1987. By 2009 when Josh parted ways with Catalina Video, he'd produced and directed hundreds of features and won numerous awards for Best Screenplay, Videography, Editing, and Directing. He was entered into the GayVN Hall of fame in 2002.
 

 

You can read Josh Eliot's previous blogs for Bijou here:

Coming Out of my WET SHORTS | FRANK ROSS, The Boss | Our CALIGULA Moment | That BUTTHOLE Just Winked at Me! | DREAMLAND: The Other Place | A Salty Fuck in Saugatuck | Somebody, Call a FLUFFER! | The Late Great JOHN TRAVIS, My POWERTOOL Mentor | (Un)Easy Riders | 7 Years with Colt Model MARK RUTTER | Super NOVA | Whatever Happened to NEELY O’HARA? | Is That AL PARKER In Your Photo? | DOWN BY LAW: My $1,000,000 Mistake | We Waited 8hrs for a Cum Shot... Is That a World Record? | Don't Wear "Short Shorts" on the #38 Geary to LANDS END | How Straight Are You Really? | BEHIND THE (not so) GREEN DOOR | The BOOM BOOM Room | CATCHING UP with Tom DeSimone | Everybody’s FREE to FEEL GOOD | SCANDAL at the Coral Sands Motel | DEEP INSIDE THE CASTRO: The Castro Theatre | DEEP INSIDE THE CASTRO: The Midnight Sun | RSVP: 2 Weeks Working on a Gay Cruise Ship | VOYAGER of the Damned | I'M NOT A LESBIAN DIRECTOR | Diving Into SoMa/Folsom: THE FOLSOM STREET FAIR | Diving into SoMa/Folsom: A TALE OF TWO STUDS | BALL BROTH | My 1992 “Porn Set” Diary | Out of Print | There’s a Gloryhole WHERE??! | LUNCH HOUR: When the Big Boys Eat | IN and OUT and All ABOUT | UNDER the COVERs with Tom Steele | 8 Is Enough on Sunsex Blvd | Steve Rambo & Will Seagers For Breakfast | The Many Faces of Adult Film Star SHARON KANE | The ALL-MAN Magazine Interview: The Man Behind Catalina Video | Captain Psychopath | BAD BOYS SCHOOL | VAMPIRE'S GRAVE | The Making of CatalinaVille (PART 1) | The Making of CatalinaVille (PART 2) | Private Dick & The Young Cadets | Meet RAY HARLEY | The GOLD COAST Gold Rush Boys | Colt Model MARK RUTTER: In His Own Words | Bringing in the BIG GUNS | “WHAT THE F@CK?” Moments | You So RUSSO | Bond, SCOTT BOND | I Just Watched: KILLING ME SOFTLY | Sex in Tight Places | Calling GLORIA | DOWN FOR THE COUNT | More Than a Mouthful | When JON KING Returned to Catalina Video | Junior Meets the BEAR Patrol | A Taste for Leather and Fur | Straight to Bed | The Hills Have Bi’s | The Malibu Pool Boy: Cody Foster | New England Summer | The Making of RUNAWAYS 1989 | The Making of FULL SERVICE 1989 | Hot Buttered Cop | The Making of HARD TO BE GOOD 1990 | The Real CONJURING HOUSE | It’s Not a Crime, It’s a SCORE | I Just Watched: Steve Scott’s SCREENPLAY (1984) | Wet and Wild | 69: Discover the Secret | What Really Happened BEHIND THAT BARN DOOR! | I Just Watched AL PARKER & WILL SEAGERS in WANTED | Secret Boys Club | Jawbreaker Pt. 1 | Jawbreaker Pt. 2

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