BijouBlog

By Will Seagers

Hi folks! Will here.

We're taking a little bit of a break after the two year run of my blog with Bijou.

To celebrate the two years of fun that I've had, here is a gala video for your viewing pleasure. Enjoy!

Will Seagers in L.A. Tool & Die, stylized image

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

A few weeks ago, I happened to come across a VHS copy of the William Higgins classic Big Guns on a re-sale site online. My mini collection of VHS tapes already includes a copy of my very first movie for Catalina Video, Runaways, as well as VHS copies of Valley of the Bi Dolls and Revenge of the Bi Dolls. When I saw that a copy of Big Guns, in pristine condition, was up for sale at only $20, I just had to have it. It seems that among the younger generation, VHS collecting is back in vogue, and I was thrilled to see Bijou World's website offering vintage tapes for sale, as well. What I really want to find is the original printing of Hot Rods: The Young and The Hung 2, which is the official sequel to Big Guns. The VHS box for Hot Rods, in its original printing, had a cranberry-colored, embossed foil coloring to it for the words Hot Rods. Later versions were just a flat box without the protruding title. That foil-embossed box would be the crown jewel in any collection, as there where only 2000 originally printed that way, and all other printings where pale in comparison. The sick thing is that I had a VHS of every single movie Catalina distributed, back in the day, as we could buy a copy for $5 each as employees. I foolishly sold them at a yard sale many years later, not realizing their value, and they jumped off the table at 2 for $1. Okay, I’m an idiot!

What I loved about my purchase of the Big Guns VHS is that, in addition to being in the original aspect ratio, I could tell that it was created from a 1” original master, which kept the quality amazing even while losing a generation of picture quality when transferring it to VHS. Back when we were making movies, it was always a bummer that you would have generation loss from when you shot the movie on ¾” to when it came out in stores on ½” VHS or BETA. Once digital video came along, there was no longer “generational loss,” so what was shot on the set looked exactly the same once it was released on DVD. Because of the generational loss with movies from the 1980s and early 1990s, there is a major variation from movie to movie as far as the quality. For many years, we would duplicate the movies from a 1” master to VHS, and the quality held its own, pretty much. But in later years, to save money, an S-VHS master or ¾ master was used to duplicate, and a lot of the time the picture looked muddy. This was not the case with the Big Guns VHS I purchased, and I was just thrilled to be able to use it to create a tribute for its upcoming anniversary on social media. The movie was shot in 1986 but released on video in early 1987.

I mentioned that Hot Rods was the official sequel to Big Guns, which came about in a not so ordinary way. William Higgins' original vision for Big Guns was to have it end with the Rocky Armano, Mike Henson and Jeff Quinn scene. In that scene, the three guys, in military garb, have a paintball battle in the countryside where the loser (Rocky Armano) gets tied to a rope and stripped to his undies. Higgins' intent was to continue the scene into their tent, where a highly charged threeway ensues. The problem that came about was the fact that either the VHS tapes' running time was limited or theater owners wanted to have as many showings per day as possible, and that final scene would have put the running time over what they considered suitable. I’ve heard both stories, so I’m not sure which one was the real reason, but in any case a decision was made to end the movie with a cliffhanger. The final scene of Big Guns plays to the point where Rocky Armano is tied up and hanging from a tree in his undies. The shot freezes and a title card comes across the screen stating that this scene would be continued in Hot Rods: The Young and The Hung 2. Because Big Guns was such a massive hit for Higgins, it left audiences salivating for the release of Hot Rods to see Rocky Armano, Henson and Quinn finish what they started. Hot Rods, in turn, became an even bigger hit, not only for the fact that it included the threeway, but also thanks to the Kevin Williams scene on the horizontal rotisserie, where his hot ass is spun in a circle for an array of leather dudes to penetrate.

Twenty years ago, I worked on remastering William Higgins' Big Guns for its 20th anniversary on DVD. Now, mind you, twenty years ago we did not have the technology that companies like Bijou have today to properly remaster the movies with enhanced picture, white balancing, sharpening, etc., but we did have an ace up our sleeves to promote the sales of it. It was decided to restore the movie to its original running time and to include the full threeway sex scene that was originally cut out of the movie to please theater owners. We removed the cliffhanger and let the scene continue naturally to where the movie ended as intended, extending the running time by about seventeen minutes. If you are in the market to own this little treasure of a film, I would suggest looking for the 20th anniversary edition, as it contains more bang for your buck! Oh, how I wish that the current owners of the Catalina Video library of movies would release a 40th anniversary edition of this classic, with all the bells and whistles of enhancement, but DVD versions of these movies are harder and harder to find, as more companies opt to only stream them instead of offering physical copies. Melusine.com (check them out) is doing amazing work on restoring and repackaging “straight” adult classics in limited edition pimped out packaging for movies like Behind The Green Door! They include many “on set” photographs, in book form, and bonus footage. Most sell out, and these limited editions will one day be collectors’ items, like my fabulous copy of Big Guns!

Here I am chatting away, and I haven’t even gotten into the “meat and potatoes” of the movie Big Guns, itself, or it’s incredible cast, which includes Mike Henson, Jeff Quinn, John Davenport, Chris Gray, John Rocklin, Jeff Boote, Kevin Wiles, Chad Douglas, Mike Ryan, Rocky Armano and a super young Kevin Williams! Well, I guess you know what that means! Yes, in Part 2 of the Big Guns 40th anniversary celebratory blog I will talk about the boys, and that very, very famous Chad Douglas/Kevin Wiles scene that was burned into my brain as a young 24-year-old when I first saw it. Not to mention the John Davenport/Chris Gray scene on the firing range, which I will go out on a limb to say was one of the sexiest seduction scenes ever in a gay adult film, past or present! It really is a “dream cast” who worked in this movie, and I’m looking forward to highlighting and honoring all of them! Like the original version of the movie, Big Guns, I am ending this blog with a “cliffhanger,” as the real payoff will be in the sequel!

Watch Josh Eliot's trailers for the following classics:

Big Guns, Runaways, Valley of the Bi Dolls, Revenge of the Bi Dolls

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

Recently I discovered an awesome channel on YouTube called Barefoot and Independent. Ryon Heath came up with the title and his brother Jason Heath has the largest presence on the site. The most prominent postings on the channel in recent years are segments that fall under the “Squeaky Clean Adult Films” category, but as I learned, the site contains much more diverse viewing material than you would ever expect, dating all the way back to 2012. Featuring a stylish Warhol-esque vibe to every post, there is literally something for everyone. I love quirky and cool, and I consider this channel to be both. I discovered, through my conversations with front man and director Jason Heath, that there is a much larger presence behind all of their diverse postings. Jason and Ryon are part of a film troupe known as The Broken Spoons, who describe themselves as “a group of music-obsessed filmmakers that were raised on television.” The channel features postings related to Jason’s first 16mm film, Trite This Way, and his second feature, The Boy That Dripped Blood, as well as an editing project, The Battle of the Broken Spoons, which Jason describes as “a bunch of weirdos with a lot of problems.” He is currently working on a new short film titled Intersection and Union, to be released this year.

Jason was part of the sketch comedy show The Written Word & The Blank Page, and in 2017 while spit balling ideas for the channel, he proposed “G Rated Adult Films,” where he would take classic adult films and edit them so they could achieve a G rating. The group did not warm up to the idea, so Jason decided to do it on his own. He started with postings under “G Rated Pornos,” but found G was too difficult and quickly switched it to “PG Rated Pornos.” Like with many companies, posting adult content the series got many strikes, suspensions, warnings and copyright violations from YouTube. When the channel was struck down for the first time, they came back as “Squeaky Clean Adult Films,” dropping the “P” word. Unfortunately, that did not stop it from getting thirty-day suspensions a few more times with no instructions from YouTube as to how to fix the problem. At his wits end, Jason reached out to a famous YouTuber friend, who had what turned out to be the solution. This YouTuber informed Jason that YouTube wanted a transformation. Jason argued that going from XXX to G rating is a transformation, but his friend explained that the edit alone was not transformative enough. He told Jason that if he added “personal commentary” to the adult-themed segments, YouTube would leave him alone. He explained that they want personalities and commentary, like an influencer, but anyone who has watched Jason would notice that the influencer thing is not for him. He’s more like: “Don’t subscribe, don’t like, don’t share, just watch.” 

Having said that, Jason makes a pretty damned good influencer, in my book; he started adding his own personal touch to introduce the G and PG-rated movies, and packs the intros with lots of movie trivia. The “Squeaky” series contains a wide variety of vintage adult movies, classics like The Devil in Miss Jones (1973, 57K views), Pretty Peaches (1978, 118k views), Debbie Does Dallas (1978 - 136k views), Behind The Green Door (1972, 213k views) and the sites’ most viewed posting, Taboo 2 (1982), with 2.3 million views! The site is not strictly straight-oriented; like any great artist-run venture, it also includes postings of gay and bi content like H.I.S. Video’s Total Corruption 2 (1996), Catalina Video’s Morewood Contractors (2005) and Boy Band (2002) and Richard Mailer’s Switch Hitters series, to name a few.

As of last week, in addition to Boy Band, I have another one of my titles featured on their site: my bisexual movie titled SwitchCraft, with Sharon Kane, Chi Chi LaRue and Tina Tyler. SwitchCraft was based on the 1970’s TV movie The Girl Most Likely To, starring Stockard Channing and co-written by Joan Rivers. Jason reached out to me and asked if I would like to be part of his “All Celebrity Request March” for 2026. The recurring celebrity series was started in 2025 and featured interviews with actor Richard Pacheco (from Irresistible), writer Cash Markman (from House Arrest), actor Sean Elliot (from Debbie Does Dallas 2 and Scoundrels) and podcaster Patrick Palmer (from JizzTalking.com). Over a four-week period, Jason has his celebrity guests pick one of their favorite movies, interviews them for the intro, shows the PG version of the movie, then finishes their chat after the film. This year the series included actress Amber Lynn (Jane Bond Meets Octopussy), actress Melissa Hill (Penetrator 2), director Josh Eliot - me (SwitchCraft) and actress Porsche Lynn (Girl With The Million Dollar Legs). These iconic actresses’ segments were incredible to watch, and I had a blast talking to Jason. Having the opportunity to show my bisexual movie to a much more diverse crowd than would normally view it felt great, and the comments were very positive.

In addition to the great “Squeaky” series that I’ve been writing about, there is so much more content that deserves praise. Jason is smack dab in the middle of his episode-by-episode salute to his favorite viewing experience ever, Twin Peaks, which is totally giving me flashbacks to when I saw the pilot in Palm Springs before its debut on television. The cast was sitting in the two rows behind Chet Thomas (Catalina editor) and me, then giddily made their way to the stage for Q&A after the screening.

The site also has a lot of photography postings from the troupe, Jason and others - so stylized and unique that any or all of the photos could make several amazing coffee table books! The imagery is so interesting and fun, it’s like going to a gallery opening! In addition, Jason’s VHS tape collection that he shares photos of is probably one of the best in the country! I just love looking at old movie posters and source material from yesteryear, and the first-edition VHS boxes from classic horror movies that he possesses had me glued to the site for hours! How I wish I had kept my old VHS tapes instead of selling them two for $1 at yard sales back in West Hollywood! I actually just found and purchased an original VHS of William Higgins' Big Guns online for $20, pristine quality! That title is quite a find for my “mini” collection! In my mind, Barefoot and Independent is a mash up of Waiting For Guffman, Multiple Maniacs and my favorite “bizarre” web page, Something Weird Video, all mixed together to make one amazing scrolling experience. As of this writing, the official site(s) Barefoot and Independent has a presence on YouTube with 37.8K subscribers, Instagram (15K), and Facebook (42K). I’ve packed this page with links, so click anywhere above where you see blue and it will direct you to each particular posting on their site! 

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

This is officially my 100th blog for Bijou World and I could not be more happy than to present my continuation of Derrick Stanton: Life on the Set. We are discussing his movies from 1982 and beyond that he shot for director William Higgins – These Bases Are Loaded (1982), Members Only (1982), Printer's Devil (1982), Class Reunion (1983), and Route 69 (1984) – plus a couple of later productions after his time with Higgins. Our Q&A in 2026 marks a 50 year anniversary from the first time Derrick Stanton set foot on a movie set for his first film, Hardhat, shot in 1976 and released in 1977. I want to thank Derrick for being so candid regarding his experiences while making many of his hit movies from yesteryear.

Derrick Stanton today at age 70, surrounded by some of his hit movies

THESE BASES ARE LOADED (1982)

JE: In These Bases Are Loaded, you sported a different hairstyle than we were used to – shorter on the sides. It was a good look! Take us into the locker room, where beers were passed out and the team (Chris Burns, J.W. King, Jon King, Jack Burke, David Hix, Tony Prince and yourself) started a simultaneous jack-off session on the benches. What do you remember?

DS: We all connected in that moment. Most of us had already worked together previously. For me, watching J.W. and Jon together was mesmerizing. Jon had a crush on J.W. but it was not mutual. I could see on Jon’s face that he was a bit hurt.

JE: The ending orgy contained everyone from the opening J/O scene minus Chris Burns, and with the addition of Steve West. It’s a lot for anyone to handle when shooting an orgy; did Higgins get overwhelmed or was there any drama?

DS: Higgins had become quite nimble moving around the set. He caught some amazing moments along with his co-cameraman, Barry Knight. He was strict when directing and asked us individually to call out when we were ready to cum. He would often say, “Watch out, Derrick cums a lot – don’t miss any cum ropes.” Haha.

MEMBERS ONLY (1982)

JE: In the opening of your threeway scene, you were sucking both Greg Hanson and John King in the hot tub. This was Greg’s one and only movie and he looked like he had a large dick. The three of you appeared totally into it. I’ve never seen Jon King harder in a movie, especially without a dick in his mouth. Greg Hansen topped you first, then he topped Jon King, then you inserted your dick – all the way, I might add – into Jon at the same time. Was double penetration a thing in films back then or were you trend setters? It felt like it was happening in real time, where normally it’s a real hassle to capture double penetration on film. How did it all play out?

DS: Jon and Greg really connected hot and heavy. Jon was riding on Greg’s cock and deeply making out with him. Higgins, in the spur of the moment, asked me to do a double penetration. I was worried about hurting Jon but he mumbled, “Go for it.” I slowly got it in and felt Greg’s cock surging and sliding against mine. Higgins shouted, “Get the fill light, I can’t see it clearly!” The fill light was a simple, very hot, thin tube. Barry accidentally brushed it against my skin, which hurt like hell. I stayed hard and kept pumping despite the burn. It felt amazing. I had never been a top in a double penetration. Suddenly Jon loudly came on Greg’s chest. Higgins missed it and loudly cursed Jon. It was another “great golden copulation.”

JE: I remember that cumshot of yours on the mirror while standing over Greg and Jon’s faces from when I first saw the movie as a twenty-year-old. No doubt on my first VHS machine. Just a general question: did you go to see your finished movies at the theaters or was it not until they came out on VHS that you could view some of your work?

DS: I usually went to the Century Theater for premieres or on my own. Once I sat in a dark row next to a Filipino guy (he told me later) for one of my films screenings. We gave each other mutual hand jobs, as one does in dark porn theaters. At one point he looked at me, then the screen, then back to me and said, “OMG that’s you!” I nodded and then gushed a mega load, as did he. Unfortunately, he pointed my dick into my pants that were around my ankles. I had to walk to the lobby with cold cum in my shorts. Oh well, it was worth it.

PRINTER'S DEVILS (1982)

JE: Your scene with Mike O’Leary in the room with the mirrored tiles and red couch featured some incredibly strong fucking from you as the top. Was there a special connection with the co-star?

DS: I was rarely a top. When I was, it was due to what Barry called "rubber dick " of the designated top. I tried to get to know who I was going to pair with a little before we were on camera. It helped to put both of us at ease in that very artificial setting. I wish I was still a mega loader today… but hey, I’m 70.

JE: Your cum shots in all of your movies were over the top!

DS: I had a routine at home before a shoot where I edged myself several times to help fill my proverbial reservoir. I took large doses of Vitamin E to help build that load, as it seemed to help. On set, I would continue to edge myself in order to create the mega-load fireworks.

CLASS REUNION (1983)

Regarding the movie Class Reunion, I’ve always heard that all of the stars agreed to work for free in exchange for a lottery ticket for a drawing to win the motorcycle shown in the movie. Is this true?

DS: I insisted on being paid. That many guys on the set was unwieldy, to say the least. I really couldn’t get into the mood with this film. Too many bitches.

JE: When Leo Ford won the motorcycle, what were your co-stars' reactions?

DS: We knew it was going to be him. That’s why I insisted on being paid.

JE: I’d always heard that it was rigged for Leo to win. What are your thoughts on that?

DS: No big deal, really... Years later, I was on a small yacht owned by some wealthy... ahem, benefactors for an afternoon cruise out of San Pedro, and lo and behold, Leo was there. We chatted and connected warmly with each other. He was a really cool guy. It was devastating to hear a few days later he died in a motorcycle crash.

JE: Any standout memories while making that movie?

DS: It was annoying as fuck to be on that set. Halfway through, Higgins told me he regretted the whole set up for this film.

JE: In the “circle suck” portion of Class Reunion, who where you sucking and who was sucking you?

DS: I don’t remember, other than I wanted to be with Giorgio Canali. I really, really wanted to be paired with Giorgio, especially on Class Reunion… I wanted to suck that glorious large, uncut cock. Unfortunately, it never happened. 😢

ROUTE 69 (1984)

JE: It's listed that this as your last movie for Catalina and William Higgins. Here’s my impression of the Frat House orgy scene you were in with Todd Eagles, Danny Parks, Tim Lees, Daryl Thompson and Mike Gibson. It looked like you were all stuffed into the tiniest living room in Hollywood, and the only one I saw giving energy to the scene was you. You seemed to take the initiative to drive the scene forward, keep it interesting and elevate the sex. Your experience as a well-seasoned performer was evident, and I dare to say if you weren’t there to rally the troops, it would have been a big yawner. What is your recollection?

DS: Your observation is spot on. The group of actors who were sometimes worn out tired from escort work the night before were just looking to get it done and get paid. So, I attempted to rally the troops. One of the actors had a huge dick, which I tried to focus on. I attempted a 69 with him, though I realized that 69-ing was way overrated and uncomfortable. I didn’t do it in real life. After a bit, I thought that just for fun (John Waters' influence) I would add some over the top dirty talk. Fans later on said it was distracting to them, but it was a hoot to emulate the spirit of Pink Flamingos. It was filmed in Higgins' house on east Melrose Avenue, and yes, in a tiny room. I can say that Bill Higgins and I got along quite well, which wasn’t always the case with others. He could be quite temperamental on the set, but never with me. I was proud to introduce him at his Hall of Fame ceremony in 1999.

JE: After Route 69, you no longer worked for William Higgins and it appears that the Al Parker-directed Surge Studio production Strange Places Strange Things was your final movie for many years in 1985 – is this correct?

DS: Yes, Strange Places Strange Things.

STRANGE PLACES, STRANGE THINGS (1985)

JE: What was the vibe on the set?

DS: Barry Knight asked me to come along to be his sound man. One of the actors didn’t show, so I moved in front of the camera that day. My co-actor, Tony Kennedy, couldn’t get hard, as it was his first film and he was so nervous. I topped him on the fake window washing scaffold. They needed a cumshot from Tony and he was just too nervous to get hard. We waited for maybe two hours, which added extra pressure on him… poor guy. Barry concocted some fake cum using egg white, cream and flour, which I held in my mouth until Tony got half hard, put his dick in my mouth then pulled out while I simultaneously released the sticky brew from my mouth. It actually looks like he came in my mouth. Maybe I shouldn’t have shared that? Hahaha. On another scene, I was once again Barry’s sound man and observed Scott Taylor's dick pumping. After pumping up his now ginormous cock with air, he slid a pencil shaped plastic tube down his urethra, slowly sliding it in and out of his dick hole, then pulling it out followed by a gusher of cum. Later Barry asked him how he got his dick hole large enough to take the plastic shaft. He conveyed to Barry, who told me, that he allegedly numbed his hole while really high and sliced it with a razor, and then taped a guitar pick there to keep it from healing over. He barely recovered from this. Scott was the king of gay kink and did many live pumping shows in San Francisco. Pumping became the rage at the time. Allegedly, Al Parker cornered the dick pump mail order market and became quite wealthy from it. Who knew?

JE: Can you tell me why you left the industry?

DS: I had a boyfriend at the time who asked me to stop, so I did. I do regret this now, as the boyfriend was a secret cheater. I mean, an open relationship would’ve been fine with me. Everyone has an opinion about it, open relationships vs monogamous. I would say to anyone in a relationship to have an HONEST conversation with your partner! Men are wired differently to be more sexual, more often. At a minimum, don’t be lazy, just pay attention to your partner with loads of daily affection and recognize that men truly value genuine regular intimacy. Today the young’uns call this being a “side” and lots of cuddling, where penetration isn’t always necessary. Okay, I’ll get off my gay daddy soapbox.

JE: With any of your features back in the day, did you hit the road and do public performances? If so, can you tell me about some of those experiences?

DS: Before too long, I realized I had made a lot of films and didn’t realize or even believe I had a growing fan base until I was asked to strip dance at the Follies in NYC. Sex on stage could be quite satisfying for my exhibitionism. My dance routine was emulated in the movie Performance (Steve Scott), where I cum on Al Parkers husband’s face. At the Follies, I chose my own music. The last song in my set was Blondie’s Atomic, which was perfect to cum to… as in, “Oooh ooh, Atomic, Atomic.” New York City’s Times Square was gloriously filthy back then. I got to meet Divine at an afterhours club named Magique, where she performed while a massive amount of down feathers were released. I also experienced Studio 54, albeit not in its prime.

JE: You were well known for your reliability to show up and put on a great show with a very happy ending for any director. Were you ever in a situation where you were called on to stunt dick for a movie? Was there ever a time in a scene where a stunt dick was called in to top you?

DS: I was definitely known as Mr. Reliable – especially if someone didn’t show, they knew they could count on me to show up. Never a stunt dick for me or anyone else.

JE: What porn icon, that you didn’t work with, did you have the hots for, either while working in the industry or after retirement?

DS: Melchor Diaz. He was cast in Strange Places, but I was not granted the opportunity to pair with him. Some directors, unlike Higgins, were quite strict about whom you paired with. I’m attracted to opposite looks.

JE: You were entered into The Gay Erotic Video Awards Hall of Fame in 1995. Tell me about that night, what it meant to you and who you went to the awards with that evening.

DS: It was fun, especially to hang out with all the folks in the business. Jeff Stryker opened the show by walking out on the runway fully erect. He did a penis injection prior to his entrance. It was a great opening act, for sure. It took place at the Hollywood Palace, now Avalon. My supportive partner went with me.

JE: Is that where you met Jerry Douglas, who would later cast you in Family Values for a comeback? Or had you stayed close to the players in the industry all along?

DS: We met at the GayVN awards.

FAMILY VALUES (1997)

JE: For the movie Family Values, what was the vibe on the set after not being in front of the cameras for so many years?

DS: I was calm and appreciative to work at age 39 with my pal, cameraman Barry Knight, again. He loved his porn craft and made everyone look good.

JE: Jerry Douglas had a reputation for prioritizing the storyline over the sex scenes. Some models have said that they were so exhausted from all the takes, that by the time they set up to shoot the sex, the models weren’t that into each other anymore. Any signs of this with your scenes?

DS: Well, the story was a bit freaky, in that I played on older gay player who never fell in love with his tricks until he met Kurt Young, who eventually finds out that I’m his long lost father. To prove my love, I finally let him top me in the end on a boat drifting off into the sunset. Kurt and I connected well – he was soft spoken, a little shy and a sweetheart, for sure, and of course, quite sexy. Jerry was a fastidious director, for sure. His final edit was always superb on screen. Steve York was brought back [from retirement], as well, but looked a bit weathered, as did I. He couldn’t get hard and Jerry was having a loud meltdown, which made matters worse. I was often called on as an emergency fluffer. I had a scene with Steve in the past, and in speaking with him prior he said his favorite sex was getting sucked. He would sometimes go to bookstores in the Midwest to get sucked off at gloryholes. I knew what to do and began worshiping that huge, magnificent cock. He got hard, and Jerry and Steve thanked me profusely. Look, porn sets are artificial and not often conducive to sex. Kurt Young was not that into me, as far as I could tell, and I mistakenly took Dramamine to ward off sea sickness. Unbeknownst to me, Dramamine causes impotence. My last cum shot at the end of the scene had to be before the sun actually set. I struggled mightily against the Dramamine. Of course, Jerry was freaking out loudly. I finally found the right fantasy in my mind to cum… whewww! There was no Viagra available then; you had to have the right state of mind to literally pull it off on the set.

JE: During the long gap between Strange Places Strange Things and Family Values (1984 – 1997), how had you reinvented yourself and your everyday life?

DS: I worked as a public employee and became a successful union organizer. I was one of the founding members in 1994 of Pride at Work AFL/CIO, the still active gay constituency group with the AFL. I think I survived porn in that I had a regular job. Many other actors had to rely on prostitution to augment their income, and it was quite lucrative if you were a porn star. My last partner, who is Vietnamese, embraced my porn identity and actually played an extra in a Family Values orgy scene.

JE: What was your biggest takeaway after shooting Family Values?

DS: Kristian Brooks, a beautiful muscular blonde, and I were paired together. There was time to get to know each other in another room on the house boat. We played for real – but had to hold back on cumming. The tight quarters on the boat, wearing condoms (necessary), all the technical shit around us and a sometimes grouchy director made it rough, but our scene together in the movie looked quite natural. He expressed interest in getting together another day. Unfortunately, I was in a relationship and my boyfriend, Quan, was on the set. BTW, he never interfered with the process or got in the way. A strict condition for his presence. Years later, I heard Kristian committed suicide in Europe. Very sad, indeed. Our scene together in Family Values was a bit magical. Also, I spoke on the phone with Jerry in NYC at the end of the pandemic. He was on his deathbed. We had grown fond of each other over the years. My last words to him were that I loved him.

JE: Having this amazing career behind you, have you ever given into the idea of returning to the screen as a “Hot Daddy?“ Or will Derrick Stanton be remembered as an early pioneer who became a gay adult film icon and stepped away gracefully?

DS: I could return, but I am 70, although in decent shape, and HIV+ (undetectable), which might be a concern. Stigma still exists in 2026. Many, many gay porn stars did not survive the plague years… I almost didn’t. Hot Daddy? I remember I was in the shower at the 1350 bathhouse in Long Beach, California ten years ago, when a guy came up and called me a hot daddy. I embraced it. I embrace my age. I never hid in shame from my porn career, if you will. No one could ever blackmail me. Like any job I did in life, I did it well, including this one. Stonewall veterans said to me at the 25th reunion in 1994 that they fought for sexual freedom that was denied to gay people then. I would not and did not let them down. “GREAT GOLDEN COPULATIONS,” indeed (Jim Morrison from his American Prayer spoken word album).

Derrick Stanton aging gracefully through the years

 

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 | ADAM Film World’s GAY VIDEO GUIDE | ERIC STONE: Ranger in the Wild | THRILL ME with a SINGLE WHITE MALE... | The SPOILED BRAT | BUSTER & STEVE YORK | LANCE, TEX ANTHONY & MICHAEL GERE | KIP NOLL: The First Real Twink Superstar | THE GREASE MONKEYS | The "Other" Idol | The AMERICAN Way | DERRICK STANTON Talks About Life on the Set, Part 1

By Josh Eliot

In 1993, I was videographer on the Catalina Video movie The Bite for director Chi Chi LaRue. It featured a great cast headlined by Jon Vincent, and featured Derrick Corbin, Dillon Reid, Londun, Max Holden and Rob Cryston. We shot it at the same time as a movie I directed called Sex Between The Lines in a Hollywood Hills house formerly owned by Fatty Arbuckle, but at that time occupied by squatters. Say what? Ask Scott Masters! He had some really funky connections! I do remember regretting that I had not come up with the vampire movie idea; it was right up my alley, as I was born and raised in one of the most haunted states in the union. But I was just glad to be shooting a horror-themed movie, and Chi Chi did a great job with The Bite and The Bite 2! I never went the vampire route in any of my movies, but I probably should have If I had, I would have drawn upon two of the most notorious cases below.

A farmer named George Brown lost his wife, Mary, and daughter, Mary Olive, after both became sickly and died one after the other. In 1892, another daughter, Mercy, died at the age of 19. Two months later, George Brown’s teenage son, Edwin, became sick and frail. The village doctor told George that it was “consumption” that was taking his son, but occupants in the town of Exeter had another explanation. The undead.

Between 1790 and 1899, it was not uncommon in New England, particularly Rhode Island, for family members to demand that the bodies of their deceased family members be exhumed. The reason being that they suspected the dead of being “undead” and afflicting the living. Sometimes going as far as to burn the hearts, lungs and livers and mixing the ashes into a solution to administer to the afflicted as a treatment.

In March of 1892, villagers, a local doctor and a newspaper reporter, along with George Brown, entered the Chestnut Hill Cemetery, under the wild idea that one of the deceased members of George’s family was leaving the grave at night to suck the life out of his son, and only by killing the undead could Edwin be saved. The bodies of George’s wife and daughter Mary gave no clues, but when Mercy Brown’s body was exhumed, it appeared oddly well preserved, appearing like her hair and nails had also continued to grow. When they prodded the body with the shovel, they found it filled with fresh blood. They continued on and removed her heart and burned it on a nearby rock. All documented. The ashes were added to Edwin’s medicine, but he died a short time later. Rhode Island’s South County between 1870 and 1900 was known as the “Vampire Capital of America.” Rumors, accusations and panic set in. Bram Stoker, who wrote Dracula in 1897, kept newspaper accounts of “vampire” Mercy Brown in his files that were discovered after his death. For the less superstitious, the well-preserved condition of Mercy’s body could be due to the fact that she was buried in the ground during the two coldest months of the year. Mercy’s grave is one of the most visited to this day and is reinforced with a metal band connected to a post to protect it from being stolen. The Mercy Brown case is one of the best documented cases of the exhumation of a corpse in order to perform rituals to banish an undead manifestation.

Vampire's Grave is located in a rural 19th century cemetery by an old wooden church in West Greenwich Rhode Island, not all that far from the real Conjuring house at 1677 Round Top Road in Burrillville, RI.

 

Starting back in the 1960s, stories related to an occupant of the graveyard spread like wildfire around the state. A teacher at Coventry High School told the students the story of Mercy Brown, a young woman whose body was exhumed and heart removed because family members were convinced she came back from the dead. Bram Stoker’s Dracula was based in part on Mercy Brown, and she is currently buried in a graveyard in Rhode Island. The students, mixing up their details, tracked down the wrong cemetery and headstone belonging to Nellie Vaughn. Nellie Vaughn died in 1889 at the age of 19 from pneumonia. When the students came upon her headstone which read in epitaph, “I am waiting and watching for you,” the legend of Nellie Vaughn being a vampire was born. Still the talk of high school in the 1970s, my friends and I along with probably every other student in the state at some point went to Vampire's Grave after smoking a ton of weed. Of course we were 100% sure that she was in fact a living dead vampire. The night we were there was scarier than hell; to reach it you drive for miles through a thick forest to a very desolate area. It is at a crossroads where you come upon the Plain Meeting House Cemetery. It took us forever to find her headstone, and yes, no grass was growing over her grave like the story said. Although it was a very creepy experience, no sightings of strange phenomena occurred that night.

Today, that headstone has been removed because there was too much vandalism of her grave site over the years. Nellie Vaughn has no marker and is in an unmarked grave. However, people have reported seeing a woman in Victorian clothing in the cemetery before vanishing into the woods, and also hearing a young woman’s voice near the grave site saying, “I am perfectly pleasant.” Almost as if she is trying to clear her name. Trying to tell the visitors that she was not an evil, frightening vampire, but only a very pleasant, proper young lady. The worst thing for us that night was driving home from the grave, still very stoned, going down that very winding wooded road in the middle of nowhere. We turned a corner that opened up to a big field on the right side of the road. There was a huge barn fire with about twenty to thirty people in white robes standing around it in a circle. Very scary, “devil worshippy” and demonic! We all screamed when we saw them and hit the gas to get out of there, constantly looking in the rear-view mirror to make sure no one was coming after us.

I promised that when I wrote this final “Halloween” themed blog, I would include a little bit of sizzle in keeping with the fact that this is after all for the BijouWorld website. So, after our harrowing adventure to Vampire's Grave, we dropped off the girls (our high school “girlfriends” at the time) and met up with one of their brothers named Michael and his “friend” Donald. There was a house in the neighborhood that was vacant and under construction. David and I had been “working” these two for what seemed like forever, getting a little flirt here and there, always followed by a big fat “nothing.” We met up with the boys, smoked some more weed; then, after months and months of build up, I did Donald, while my friend David did Michael.

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.