BijouBlog

By Josh Eliot

I’ve been told my blogs tend to run long so I have to leave some fun stuff out of them. Below are a few previous blogs where I had to leave some “pertinent information” on the cutting room floor. What can I say, I’ve got “more than a mouthful” of things to say that don’t always fit on the page!

In no particular order, I’ll start with the blog that is the most fresh on my mind, since I found a photograph to back up the story I told. It was my 48th blog called: “The GOLD COAST Gold Rush Boys.” In that story, I wrote about the Gold Coast Bar in West Hollywood and the Bijou hit, Steve Scott’s Gold Rush Boys. I told the story about an evening when porn star Anthony Gallo and my spouse Tony Fontana (who were dating at the time) were working front door security at the Gold Coast and were attacked by an unruly patron when they tried to escort him out. I mentioned how the patron hit Anthony Gallo on the head with an object, requiring a lot of stitches, and that the scar was visible in movies shot after that date in 1995. Well, Tony just happened to find the photo of Anthony Gallo right after the incident where you can see just how awful that attack was.

Anthony Gallo fully recovered from that injury and, as far as we both know, is living in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Now on to lucky blog #13: “Is That AL PARKER in Your Photograph?” In this one, I went rummaging through my partner’s photos and found one of him with Al Parker and another of him with Estelle Getty. Another photograph I didn’t include because the blog was running long was a photo plainly displayed in our office. A picture if discovered in a pile of photos might cause me to ask, “Is That Charo in Your Photograph?” In the photo, you’ll see Tony was lucky enough to draw Charo’s attention at one of her performances he attended with his friend Art. I must say, she looks the same now from what I see on her Instagram page! Anyway, when Tony and Art got together they were kind of out of control. That evening, they sat at a table with a couple of other “fun” girls who attended the show. Complete strangers, but they all shared lots of laughs with each other. The girls had a camera with them to use when Charo hit the stage. Unfortunately, the two practical jokers, Tony and Art, ruined that moment for them. When the girls excused themselves to the bathroom, Tony and Art thought it would be “cute” to take pictures of each other making silly faces and gestures. They put the camera back on the table just in time so no one knew the better before the girls returned. At the point when Charo came into the audience and right up to their table, the girls went for their camera and started to shoot the pictures but, to their dismay, there was only 1 shot left. The girl freaked out and started screaming to her friend that she thought she had more photos left on the roll. She ran to the gift shop in the lobby to buy more film. Tony and Art played dumb and unfortunately the girls missed it when Charo literally walked up to Tony, put her breast on his head, and Art shot this picture with his Nikon 35mm camera.

I would imagine those girls were really pissed when they got home and developed the film. Blog #6 was called “A Salty Fuck in Saugatuck,” where I talked about making Thrill Me! with Ray Harley, Steve Rambo and Donnie Russo. Donnie and Rambo got into an argument over something as ridiculous as a bumble bee entering the rental unit at The Douglas Dunes Resort in Michigan. Those two stressed me out so much that when it came time for Brad Austin to shoot them together in a sex scene for his movie Deep Woods Inn, I begged Brad to let me off of doing his videography for that day. I just could not be around them; the tension between them was physically making me sick. There was always so much stress on my shoulders because, at any place or anytime someone, could get pissed and refuse to do a scene and we would be fucked. Especially out in the middle of nowhere. That would mean thousands of dollars down the drain if we didn’t return to L.A. with completed scenes. The tension between those two models was just too much - I couldn’t be on that set. Bless Brad Austin for taking it on! Brad of course said, “You don’t have to be on my set. I’ll shoot camera, it’s not a problem.” He was an angel. I was so grateful but could never tell him what I did instead. Lake Michigan is like an ocean and they have miles and miles of sand dunes there. It just so happens those dunes are very “gay occupied,” as we noticed a couple days earlier when we shot a scene for The Men of Lake Michigan, another movie I was filming back to back. I took a ride over to those dunes, hiked a bit, laid my blanket down and it took less than a minute for a few new “friends” to show up. Of course, I had to be hospitable. When I returned to the motel where they were shooting, I was pleased to find out that both Rambo and Russo were cordial with each other on the set, and other than the fact that Russo pounded Rambo extra hard, everything went just “jiffy.” Naturally it didn’t stay that way, as they went back to being enemies later that night!

The final blog I want to add on to is #15: "We Waited 8hrs for a Cum Shot, Is That a World Record?" I certainly had a lot to say about how producer Scott Masters tortured us trying to get Vic Summer’s cum shot. Read the blog if you’re interested - I just can’t revisit that moment again! What I was unable to talk about was the day prior to shooting the scene. Scott Masters evidently had a bottomless budget for this movie, because several wooden box crates arrived at the studio containing a custom set of neon tubes and transformers. For the final scene with Matt Powers and Vic Summers, Scott wanted an all-white heavily draped set with lots of flowing material and four round columns, as elements of a four post bed. In the scene, he wanted the columns to magically come alive with color at their first kiss, and flash throughout the scene. He rambled off quickly over the phone how he wanted the color tubes attached inside the columns, but quickly cut us off when we had questions. I was lost about how to even hook up neon or handle all the wiring. Back then, you couldn’t just Google or YouTube an instruction video. It took us all night to attach wire and get the effects to work. On the shoot day when Masters arrived, he asked us to show him the neon lighting. We proudly turned on the lights, color by color, showing him how we could control each color on its own. We were happy it all worked flawlessly… until Scott Masters barked out, “No, I don’t believe this! You’ve got it all wrong!” Our hearts dropped and our blood pressure started to rise! When he barely described on the phone how he wanted the colored tubes placed, we understood each color would be side by side at the top and bottom of every pole. One red tube next to one blue tube, next to one yellow tube… if you get my drift. No, he wanted the top all red, the bottom all blue, then the next column would be all yellow on the top, orange on the bottom, next column top green... yadda, yadda, yadda. We were mortified but more pissed that he didn’t take the time to properly describe the placement initially. I don’t have to tell you that there was no changing his mind about the order of the tubes. Luckily, I had a full crew to help me unwire and re-wire these fucking tubes and get them properly placed for what turned out to be his lame-ass finale scene. Personally speaking, the way we wired the tubes initially would have looked much better than the re-wired version he demanded. Maybe if we didn’t have to take a few hours to rewire these tubes, the models wouldn’t have gotten bored, lost their boners for each other, and well, you know the (8hr) rest.

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.

By Will Seagers

Hi Folks, Will here. As usual, I have yet another strange title for you! The name of this multi-faceted adventure won't be significant until we get to the end of the blog. Like the house that landed in Oz, this story will go through lots of turbulence before getting there. But, with the help of of my friends, it turned out quite well.

In the summer of 1975 in The Pines on Fire Island, a seed was planted by my beau of the time, Roger. He told me that he was moving to San Francisco in the fall. I was taken aback by this as Roger was a quintessential New Yorker, never having lived anywhere else in his thirty-four years. He was born in the Bronx, lived in the West Village, and was also a teacher in the NYC school system. To me, he seemed happily entrenched in his metro lifestyle. But, San Francisco bound, he was.

After an intense but brief affair, our relationship morphed into a really solid friendship. Soon, the idea (adventure) of moving to San Francisco grew on me, as well. Ultimately, this would be a move that I would make on my own. Even though I had never been there before, I was not daunted. And, it was not the first nor last time I would made that kind of move. But first, a rather eventful year would transpire before getting there.

Denis, my brilliant and zany former roommate from San Juan (Eastern Airlines days) had won a scholarship to Arizona State University and needed a "companion." Truth be told, it was really his parents' idea, as they were scared to death of him living alone and so far from their New Jersey home. Although Denis was quite book smart (Fulbright Scholar and MENSA member), his street smarts were lacking. Not having a formal plan nor date for my move to the West Coast, I agreed to be his chaperone and roommate for this truly hysterical adventure!

His parents gave him a car. After loading it to the hilt, we left NJ on Route 80 for the trek to Tempe, AZ. I only wish that we had a video camera to record our antics en route. I don't think I have ever laughed as much in my life! Between our two unconventional outlooks on life, there was never a dull moment. I do remember nearly running the car off various interstates in fits of laughter on several occasions! We arrived in Tempe and took up lodgings at an apartment complex complete with pool!

He went to school and I went to work as a bartender... something I had never done before. I relied heavily on my appearance to keep these gigs afloat! A bartender I am not! I also had some small legit modeling jobs at a local agency. I did manage to land a cattle call and get a small part in a crowd scene in the Barbra Streisand remake of A Star is Born. I was within arm's reach of Kristopherson - not so much Ms. Streisand!

As Denis finished up his school year, I was contacted by a dear friend, Lou Thomas, of Target Studios. I had done some print work for him in NY and in Arizona. Lou asked me if I would be interested in working for John Whyte at the Boatel in Fire Island Pines. I jumped at the opportunity (as I had nothing planned for after Arizona). So, back across the country I zoomed!

My summer of 1976 at the Boatel deserves and will get its own chapter in my upcoming autobiography. Suffice it to say that it was a vivid and fabulous experience that I repeated again in the summers of 1977 and 1978! But, the most important events to happen during that first summer were meeting Chuck Holmes (of Falcon fame) and becoming "family" with my Boatel co-workers. Chuck Holmes offered me a job at his SF restaurant, Trinity Place, as well as modeling work with his studios. And, my Boatel co-workers all wanted to move to SF at the close of the season on the Island. Synchronicity, eh?

So, Denis popped up again. He requested the pleasure of my joining him on a trip to Mazatlan, Mexico as soon as I finished up with my Fire Island duties. Naturally, I joined him... but not before seeing "Irma" in Huachuga City, AZ. I told him about SF. But, he said it would only be a week at Mazatlan's beautiful beaches. After he picked me up at Tucson airport, he drove me to see "Irma," the tiny trailer where he lived in Huachuga City. BTW, this was the rather hilly and very green section of Arizona where the high speed driving scenes were filmed towards the end of A Star Is Born. More synchronicity?

We left for Mazatlan from Nogales, AZ on an ancient but beautifully preserved train - a la Orient Express! It was mid-October... and guess what? That's the height of Mexico's hurricane season. So, we had no sun for that week! This made me even more anxious to set sail for San Francisco! After getting back to the U.S. and to Tucson Airport, I finally departed for the "City by the Bay" with only the clothes on my back and a small duffel to stow overhead.

Arriving in San Francisco but not knowing the workings of the BART system, I paid the hefty cab fare to my Castro and 19th St. destination. Although I was offered only the floor of one of my co-worker's tiny flat... this was my liaison in SF! I wasn't concerned about my accommodations - I was finally here! After a few hugs and putting away my duffel bag, I ventured out.

As I eased my way down the steep slope of Castro Street towards 18th and Castro (the gay crossroads of the world), I felt like Dorothy swinging open the door to her house that had just crash landed in Oz. Gazing around at all of the men and the "gaiety" that blanketed the area, I could only think: Nope... This Sure Ain't Kansas!

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 photo

By Will Seagers

Hello folks! Will (At Large) here with some thoughts and feelings from the past.

First of all, a big Happy Valentine's Day wish to all of you Bijou fans and readers! Although posting time for this blog comes a little after the fact, nonetheless I am writing this right smack in the middle of Valentine's Day! I hope you all are or will be having a warm and cozy time with those near and dear to you!

Lying in bed this morning in the haze of just having awakened, I wanted to prowl that foggy state to think of what to convey today. The men that kept coming into my memory were my Gemini loves! Not that I haven't had great relationships with those of other signs, it was just too obvious that these guys and their signs stood out! Astrology has been a love and study of mine since the age of 18. And, NO the first thing I ask someone is not, "What's your sign?!" Lol. As a story teller, I just look back and assemble my mental and emotional notes as accurately as possible. Not only have I met and had significant relationships with men born under this sign, but astonishingly right down to one day... May 22nd!

My first 5/22 love was a big and burly man, Roger, whose physique caught my eye on the dance floor of the Ice Palace in Cherry Grove, Fire Island in 1975. Our "dancing in bed" was only matched by our dancing on the dance floor! That summer on Fire Island, whether in the Pines or the Grove, we became a recognized "thing" every time we came out to party. People actually backed away and gave us a little extra room for our (appreciated) dance antics! It was Roger who planted the seed for my moving to San Francisco. He moved there in 1975 and I followed in 1976. My move there was aided by the assurance of a job provided by the owner of Falcon Studios, Chuck Holmes.

So, here we are in 1976 where I'm working my first season for John White at his Boatel/Blue Whale complex in the Pines. I was secretly infatuated with his chiseled good looks. He had recently retired from being one of New York's top male super models. Little did he know that I enjoyed basking in his limelight! This was all a fantasy for me... nothing ever came of it. Oh, and did I mention that his birthday was May 22nd!

Now, staying in that same year, 1976, I took a leap of faith and moved to San Francisco with a troop of my Fire Island work comrades. It was here where I met Tommy (yep, another 5/22!). This was the sweetest set of coincidences! I met him at the bar and restaurant, Trinity Place. It was owned by Chuck Holmes and was one of the jobs that was used to lure me to San Francisco. Tommy was adorable with beautiful brown eyes you could get lost in. I found out in short order that he was a devout Will Seagers fan. After gifting me with a beautiful gold chain and a lovely dinner, we went back to his place and tore things up! That one night blossomed into 13 years! Soon, I found out that he met Roger through a common love of opera. (This turned out to be another 5/22 trait that they also shared with John Whyte!)

Although not born on May 22nd, two more loves of my life were born in the season of Gemini. And, these two men I shared with all of you readers and viewers! I am talking about Jim Bentley and Richard Locke. There was a similar thread to meeting the two of them. We had the pleasure of jumping the gun and getting together before our "screen work!" Believe me, by the time we were in front of the cameras there was no loss of spontaneity. We interacted with the prior knowledge of what a good a fit we were! LOL!

I think that showed with Richard and me on the set of L.A. Tool & Die. It turned out that I got a bit more involved with Jim. We had a lot of similar interests - particularly birds. We both had Moluccan Cockatoos! I had one and he had a pair.

We were in a pretty torrid affair for a while. Me being his senior by a few years, I can actually remember him wearing me out! One thing that I picked up over the years with my Gemini "buddies" is that even if the lust diminishes, the friendship remains.

So, these were "The Days of Our Lives." Some of my cherished and wonderful memories. And, I am very happy to have conjured them up for for all of you on this day of AMOUR!

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 photo

By Josh Eliot

I am writing this on Saturday January 13th, 2024. I specifically blocked out time on this day as it was exactly 25 years ago that my partner (from 1992-1999) Yves-Claude Theriault aka Mark Rutter passed away. When I was pulling photos for my last blog about the Gold Coast Bar and writing about Mark working there, I discovered it was the 25th anniversary. I’ve spoken about our relationship in the past (“7 Years with Colt Model Mark Rutter”), but this time I think it would be special for Mark’s words to do a little story telling. I re-discovered a diary Mark had started to work on but never got to complete. I never thought his words in writing would ever find an audience, but thanks to BijouWorld and this blog excerpts now will. The passages I will share may not read like a story and have a beginning, middle and end like a blog should, but it makes me really happy to give them some life, with an audience.

Mark Rutter was born Yves-Claude Theriault, on October 8, 1951, a French Canadian growing up in Maine. After shooting a photo layout with Al Parker for the Surge Studio magazine Pit Stop, he was introduced to Jim French at Colt Studios and worked exclusively for them in films. Mark passed away at the age of 47, leaving siblings who include his sister Charlene, his brother Rick, nephews Pierre and Jeremy and his Mom. We had his ceremony at The Little Brown Church in Studio City, where celebrities Marlon Brando, Debbie Reynolds and Mickey Rooney were married and the Reagans renewed their vows in 1992. He was cremated and buried over his father’s grave in Maine. Here are some of his thoughts, as written, with only punctuation, spelling and my real name changed, along with a ton of pictures!

*****

I knew I was HIV+ in 1982 without actually going to see a doctor or being diagnosed. Something was going on with my body that let me know I was positive. I can almost pinpoint the day I feel I was infected. It was through intravenous drug use and I knew the dangers at the time but was not very knowledgeable that it could happen to me. I went into denial for 5 years because there was so little help out there and decided to not go on whatever medication was available. People were going through terrible side effects and were still dying left and right. One day in 1987 while walking to work I noticed a small purplish dot on the inside of my elbow. I knew right away what it was, Kaposi Sarcoma, a type of cancer associated with HIV. I freaked out but was not the least bit surprised. I kept it to myself for 3 or 4 weeks and finally told Rick, my brother, who was my roommate at the time. I was still against any medication. I was going to let the process take its course. I finally called my sister and found the nerve to tell her about it. We discussed it at length but I was still determined not to do anything about it. She got very angry with me and said I was being irresponsible.

I decided to go to the Gay & Lesbian Center on Highland Blvd to get tested and be told all my options. Two weeks later I returned for my blood results as instructed. By then I had developed two more lesions on my right arm. A counselor took me in this little room and informed me that my test results were back and my results were negative. My mouth dropped to the floor and I had chills up and down my spine. I said to the counselor, showing her my arm, “Then what is this?” She proceeded to shuffle papers around and her face turned ghostly white. She was very upset and told me that she was looking at someone else’s results. She was devastated and did not know what to say or do next. I told her not to worry, that I had known about my results, and I ended up counseling her.

Mark ended up being referred to a research program for treatment using Tran Retinoic Acid, a derivative of Vitamin A. Eight pills three times a day for one year until the KS went into full remission. In the next excerpt, we jump ahead a number of years. Mark’s brother Rick confessed that he too was HIV+. The two shared an apartment until a falling out over Mark’s partying too much, with his friend Kelly, so Mark moved out. Kelly was a fellow bartender at the Gold Coast and was also dealing coke. Mark was hanging out with Kelly and his partner Don all the time.

*****

I was hanging around my friend Kelly a lot and was doing a lot of cocaine, while my health was getting worse and worse. My T-cells were dropping at an alarming rate. By this time by an act of God I met someone at the Gold Coast and we made plans for dinner. I was a little apprehensive and felt awkward, we were to meet on safe grounds at Rafters (bar) and then go to dinner from there. I asked my friend Valerie and her girlfriend (Michelle) to join us for a drink before dinner. When I walked into Rafters he was there wearing a denim shirt, jeans and a black leather jacket. I was wearing a denim shirt, jeans and a black leather jacket, the only difference was that mine was pressed and starched and his was wrinkled. HaHa. His name was (Josh) by the way. I asked him if he wanted a line and his eyes lit up and he said yes, and off we went to the bathroom. I thought… there goes dinner. We stayed at the bar until closing, by then Valerie and Michelle were drunk and obnoxious. I asked him if he wanted to come over and he answered yes.

The next morning we took showers and he said he would take me to breakfast since we missed dinner altogether. We went off to Silver Spoon, one of the worst places to eat in town, but I was not really bothered by it because something was happening. Shelly Winters was sitting next to us and was yelling and being obnoxious. She needed butter for her fucking toast. After breakfast I drove (Josh) back to his truck which was parked down the street from Rafters. We exchanged phone numbers and promised to call one another.

We started meeting a few times a week for dinner. I was showing (Josh) the fine art of dining and expanding his horizons. He kept my feet on the ground and in control, it was a perfect match. I remember Kelley saying: “If you fuck this up I’ll kill you.” Kelly and Don were very fond of him. I remember we had a date to spend Easter together. I stopped by Thrifty’s and got him an Easter basket to impress him. Well when I got to his place he had a dozen roses and a box of Godiva chocolates. I felt like a fool with my little basket from Thrifty’s.

One thing led to another and we started dating exclusively. We really got along very well together. It was my first serious relationship since I was a gay man and it felt good. He’s fun to be around and is very compassionate and takes very good care of me. We are complete opposites but complement each other. After dating for a year we started talking about getting a place together. That scared me a little since I had been living on my own since I was 16 years old. I was very good at changing the subject and I managed to avoid it for another year.

It literally took months of being together before I was able to wean Mark off his addiction to Kelly and their cocaine lifestyle. I knew he was a party animal from the start but I wasn’t about to buy into it. I was not into the whole drug as a lifestyle thing and made it very clear from the get go. We cut our visits to their place to once a week, if that, but I’m sure they were doing coke while working their shifts at the bar. I did eventually convince him to look at a great condo in West Hollywood that I strong-armed him into moving into with me, finally conquering his fear of living with a partner. Later that year. Kelly’s partner Don passed away and Kelly ended up moving back home to Tennessee. Shortly after moving there, he was riding on the back of a friend's motorcycle when it went off the road and they both were killed. Mark was devastated, naturally, but by this time his health was better and he stopped drinking and drugging. His HIV was under control and we had a good number of years ahead of us.

When Mark started these writings it was not long before he started having issues with CMV, which affected his eyes. He was let go from the Gold Coast at this time, leading to depression as his failing health got the best of him. Unfortunately, his brother Rick passed away a few years later. I’m just happy to be able to get a couple passages of his words in print somewhere even though they are minimal. I’ve had these writings in a file for 25 years and the timing of this blog could not be more appropriate. Reading Mark’s writings, it was almost as if I could hear him reciting the words. Twenty-five years is a long time ago, but in the case of so many of the adult film and video actors who entertained and aroused us over the years, their performances are eternal. Thanks to companies like Bijou, their work is being preserved, allowing them to live on for future generations to enjoy.

Thank you to Josh Eliot for use of his photos.

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.

By Josh Eliot

When I saw a recent special offer on the BijouWorld email for the restored and remastered movie Gold Rush Boys, it reminded me instantly of a West Hollywood gay landmark bar called The Gold Coast. The Gold Coast is no longer operating, in fact it closed its doors in 2020 because of COVID-19 and rent negotiation gone south. The property sat vacant for quite some time, but is now beautifully restored and slinging cocktails once more as OR Bar.

First things first, the 1983 Steve Scott directed movie Gold Rush Boys features a great cast led by Michael Braun and featuring: J.W. King, Nick Jarrett, Kurt Williams, Joe Reeves, Paul Monroe, Brian Nichols, Ben Barker, Lee Adams, Jay Cole and Rick Faulkner. Taking place mostly in an all-male house of ill repute, this authentic looking western is even more of a feast for the eyes thanks to the amazing restoration it received at the hands of Jules and Steven at Bijou. The cast is dressed in authentic garb from the period and the movie is full of rock hard pieces, beautifully photographed. I personally feel this movie was one of Steve Scott’s finest. I have to admit, I never heard of it prior to recently seeing it on the BijouWorld site and when I watched it I wondered why it was never one of those “staple titles” on any gay collector’s list. It certainly deserves to be. It has a strikingly handsome cast for that time period and perfect camera work and lighting. The more movies I see from director Steve Scott, the more impressed I am with his body of work. When I referred to him in a previous blog as gay porn’s Martin Scorsese, it couldn’t be any more accurate. In fact, I might go a step further in saying that the next generation of gay porn directors - with the exception of some - couldn’t hold a candle to the quality of Scott’s work.

Steve Scott's Gold Rush Boys (Available on DVD & Streaming through Bijou) and star Michael Braun

The Gold Coast Bar, some might say, was another place of ill-repute. It opened in 1981, making it the oldest gay bar in West Hollywood, keeping its doors open for 39 years. It also featured an authentic wood and brick façade that looked like it was straight out of a western. The place was a goldmine for spotting porn stars and a throw-back, even in its day, to the “drinking man’s bar” like you find in San Francisco. The drinks were strong and the prices low, the bartenders in the 1990’s when I hung out there were friendly and flirty. I met my first long term partner, Mark Rutter, there as he was one of the bartenders. I remember first locking eyes with him when I ordered a drink for my friends and I. Before pouring the drinks that I ordered, he threw two shot glasses down, made a couple of kamikazes, pushed one to me then held his up to toast. We both shot them back. No words, but I knew exactly what he was saying to me. When he gave me the drinks I ordered, he shoved the money back at me and, without missing a beat, turned and walked off to get someone else’s order. Attitude for days - I was so impressed. Later on, I saw him at a party in the condo of the Manager Karl Ethridge, real life uncle of Melissa Etheridge, and within weeks we were locked into a seven year relationship. You can read more about that on my blog “7 Years with Colt Model MARK RUTTER.”

Mark Rutter during his Colt years and bartending at the Gold Coast

Porn Star Anthony Gallo and my spouse of 23 years, Tony (ten years legally married), were partners at the time when they both worked as bouncers for the Gold Coast back in 1995. For the most part, everyone who worked or hung out at the bar were in good spirits. It was famous for being a very social neighborhood place to hang out, listen to music, play darts and do shots. Although one night, a new face showed up acting strangely and making inappropriate statements to the patrons. When Tony tried to escort him out, he got pushed, then the guy picked up a barstool to hit him. The bartender on duty, our good friend Mark, jumped over the bar and, along with the help of Anthony Gallo, they threw the assailant out the door and onto the street. The lunatic grabbed a brick from his pocket and hit Anthony in the forehead, causing a scar you will see in any of his movies shot after 1995. The nut job ended up being arrested by the West Hollywood sheriff’s department.

Newspaper headline about the Gold Coast Bar attack

All in all, there were many more great times than negative ones. Mark Ferguson and Yves-Claude (Mark Rutter), as Gold Coast bartenders, were responsible for starting the Red Dress Party in 1997. Mark Ferguson and Mark Rutter had a secret agreement that whomever passed away first, the other would wear a “red dress” to their memorial. Mark Ferguson passed away while Mark Rutter was out of town, and when he returned, he asked one of the Gold Coast owners, Bob Hastings, to throw a charity event for individuals living with HIV and AIDS. At the event, everyone invited was asked to wear a red dress to celebrate Mark Ferguson’s life. The event was a huge success and the Red Dress Party is still a yearly event, not only in West Hollywood but many cities, with the Gold Coast hosting it for 23 years straight.

Red Dress Party photos

The Gold Coast was located kitty corner to the famous Circus of Books (watch Ryan Murphy’s documentary on the subject) so the porn star vibe dominated the area. Aside from the fact that Kevin Williams had sex with my partner Mark Rutter in the toilet, most of the porn star memories are fun and cheery ones! Steve Regis and Cole Philips pulling raffle tickets one night, Eduardo and Sam Carson (real life and on-screen lovers) frequented the place. Blue Blake from England, Daryl Brock from Vancouver. I want to say that Chi Chi and Ryan Idol came with us there after we shot the scene for Idol Thoughts. The West Hollywood Cheerleaders hosted the Sunday Beer Brunch, which was a huge hit until the state of California stopped it because there was no way to control how much beer any given person was served. Cheerleaders simply walked around constantly refilling everyone’s mugs. My friends Lenny, Jerin and I were there every Sunday, just like church. It was even at the Gold Coast where the GM of Catalina offered me Scott Master’s position of producer, once Scott Masters quit. I remember one night over drinks convincing my friend Rosalyn to go to dinner with straight (gay for pay) porn star “Ty,” who had tagged along after a shoot. It turns out she cut the date short because he actually licked his plate at the restaurant, freaking her the fuck out.

Josh with Lenny & Jerin | Anthony Gallo, Sam Carson & Eduardo | Article: "Gold Coast Bar Supports Aid for AIDS"

The neighborly feeling of the Gold Coast and its patrons in the 1990’s is nearly impossible to replicate these days. About 30 or so of us patrons even went camping together - a few times! A great historical landmark for sure, a goldmine of memories. Hopefully the building absorbed all the love, lust and wicked behavior that was the Gold Coast, and the new bar, OR, has the same wonderful run.

Check out Gold Coast Bar Group on Facebook for some great historical posts.

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.