BijouBlog

This is the follow up to our previous blog about Tom DeSimone, a major figure in the formation of the adult industry in the 1970s and one of the earliest directors of gay hardcore films during the establishment of the genre. He directed many well-produced and influential gay porn classics, many of which had an emphasis on narrative, character, and relationships, including Dust Unto Dust (1970), Catching Up (1975), The Idol (1979), and the 1974 documentary on gay porn history, Erotikus: History of the Gay Movie.

DeSimone's skillful filmmaking in porn led him into an extensive career working in mainstream film and television, which he elaborated upon in this continuation of our interview.

Please read part one for an interview with Tom about his filmmaking background and porn career! And see the bottom of this blog for Tom DeSimone's filmography and links to his movies.

Bijou: What was it like being one of the rare crossover filmmakers between hardcore gay films and mainstream fare?

DeSimone: I was a very well-known writer, producer, and director of gay porn at the same time that both Casey [Donovan] and Wakefield Poole [director and star of Boys in the Sand, 1971] were in the business. I was quite prolific, having made over 80 hardcore features. I wasn't what you would call “obscure” since my films were readily reviewed in all the gay newspapers and magazines and, in some cases, even in Variety, the Hollywood Bible. I was interviewed numerous times in gay periodicals, as well. You could definitely say I was “out there.” And yet I easily made the crossover into mainstream movies and television and, in most cases, my past was known, yet it didn't seem to matter. I worked with Linda Blair, Maude Adams, Jill St. John, Richard Roundtree, Dennis Christopher, Patty McCormick, Susan Oliver, and Barbara Luna, among others. The bottom line was the work, the ability to bring in a feature film that made the grade.

While I respect the work done by many of my peers in those heady porn years, there's a vast difference between stringing a series of erotic loops together under a unifying theme and turning out a traditional feature film. In some instances, the reviews of my films often compared them to Hollywood films. I was known for coaxing believable performances out of guys with no acting training whatsoever. I did all my own editing and made sure I scored the films with appropriate background music. In some cases, I also did the camerawork to be sure that I was putting up on the screen what I wanted my vision to be. I studied the Hollywood classics for years and I also had a Master's Degree from UCLA film school. My being gay had nothing to do with my work. It had always been my ambition to work in mainstream films and making porn was just a stepping stone for me, a chance to practice my art until the big break came.

Ironically, it was my porn films that opened that door. A producer, who just happened to be gay, rented a porno one night and he and his lover settled down to watch it. He was so impressed with the film that he tracked me down and then introduced me to two other producers – both straight, by the way – and it was those two who financed my first legit Hollywood film. When screening my film with them, I was curious if the sex scenes would be a turn off for them, but they weren't phased in the least. What they were looking for was to see if I had what it takes to bring in a feature or not. And that was the beginning of a long and exciting career. Six feature films and one-hundred-sixty television shows later, I'm retired now and take great pride in looking back at it all.

Hollywood was, and still is, filled with gay writers, producers, and directors... they recognize talent when they see it and they reward it accordingly. Sometimes people think we [porn makers] were all just amateurs with a brownie camera in a cheap motel room, grinding out trash. Today's audiences need to know that there were real artists working back then... myself, Jack Deveau, Peter de Rome, Jerry Douglas, Wakefield Poole, etc. We opened the doors... and some of us even stepped through to the other side.

I had always had my eye on working in the Hollywood system from the time I was about ten years old. Making porn was just a means to that end. It allowed me to practice my craft at my own pace and to learn on the job, so to speak. It actually helped me when I finally did get my break because I had learned, by then, to shoot fast and from the hip, as the saying goes. Producers always liked the fact that I didn't waste time on the set and 99% of the time my films and TV shows came in on time and on budget.

Bijou: Which was your first Hollywood film, the one that you got a deal to work on by way of a Hollywood producer being a fan of your porn films? What was that initial shift into working in Hollywood like?

DeSimone: That film was Chatterbox [1977], which was actually a sex comedy. I was introduced to a producer at a New Year's Eve party by a friend who was a writer and successful. He was always a fan of my films and wanted to help me get my foot in the door. He introduced me, the producer and I chatted, he asked to see something, I arranged a screening of The Idol, he loved it, and that was the start. I had an old script lying around that I had intended to shoot, a straight porn movie called Lips about a girl with a talking vagina. He flipped for it but didn't want to do anything hardcore, naturally. So Lips became Chatterbox and my career out of porn was born.
 

Bijou: Tell us about working on porn sets versus mainstream Hollywood sets.

DeSimone: The transition was awkward at first, because making my porn films was a small affair. Me, the cameraman, and the sound man and one assistant who did what we needed on the set. On my first film, Chatterbox, I was astounded to show up on the set and have 100 or more people all busy working and depending ON ME to get things moving and get things done. I knew how to make a film, but had to learn how to relegate duties to others. I was used to moving equipment around and wrapping cables, etc. It was a big surprise (and a lovely one) at the end of the first day of shooting – the assistant director came up to me and said, “Your car is ready.” I had no idea what he meant. I was picking up cables and wrapping them and he said, “What are you doing?” I said, “Finishing up.” He just looked at me and said, “NO... You're the director. You don't do that. The driver is here to take you home.” After that, it was all a joy!

Bijou: Onto a couple of specific mainstream titles, what was it like working with punk musician Wendy O. Williams in your 1986 women in prison genre satire, Reform School Girls?

DeSimone: Wendy was unique and a mystery. She was very quiet, kept mostly to herself, ate in her trailer most of the time, and didn't socialize or mingle on the set with others, not even me until she had to. She had very strong opinions of what HER FANS would want to see her do, so many times we had to hash things out before doing a scene. She had a manager/Svengali sort of man, who was also her life partner. His name was Rod. He actually created WENDY O.WILLIAMS. That wasn't her real name and he fashioned her entire persona, her look, and her style and she looked to him for everything. Many times while shooting, I had to confer with him about what she would or wouldn't do in the film. Eventually we became friendlier and I was even invited by them to visit in New York, where they lived and worked in a huge loft. It was quite an experience seeing them in their own world. Unfortunately, he eventually took a position in upstate New York to teach at some university and took her along. It was my understanding that they had married. Sadly, being a faculty wife in a small academic community didn't make it for her and one morning she went out into the woods with a rifle and shot herself. Sad ending to a tumultuous life.

(Read more about Tom's work on Reform School Girls in this interview.)
 

Bijou: What was it like working with The Exorcist's Linda Blair in your 1981 cult horror film, Hell Night?

DeSimone: Linda was a gem. We hit it off immediately and remained friends for several years after the film wrapped. She was hesitant at first about doing another horror film after doing a couple of Exorcist films, but we convinced her that her character wouldn't end up being a victim but, instead, would be the one who saves the day. She was always professional and has a great sense of humor, which made the work a lot easier. The entire film was shot at night, so working was difficult and, at times, really a struggle in the cold nights outdoors. We shot over the Thanksgiving holiday and even Christmas. When we took a break from shooting for Christmas, she arranged a big party for the entire company, actors and crew, and had it catered and everyone was invited to her home. I thought that was pretty special of her, since most actors would have wanted to take the time away from everything and just relax. We stayed in touch for several years after the shoot, but now only on occasion do we cross paths.

(Read an interview with Tom about the making of Hell Night here.)
 

Thank you again to Tom DeSimone for generously discussing his career!

Tom DeSimone's Partial Directorial Filmography:
(From IMDb and Gay Erotic Video Index)
Links to movies available through Bijou Video

The Collection (as Lancer Brooks) – 1969
One - 1970
Dust Unto Dust (as Lancer Brooks) – 1970
Peter the Peeker – 1971
Lust in the Afternoon - 1971
Gay Tarzan – 1971
Confessions of a Male Groupie – 1971
Black and Blue - 1971
The Gypsy's Ball - 1972
Prison Girls – 1972
Chained (as Lancer Brooks) – 1973
Swap Meat (as Lancer Brooks) – 1973
Sons of Satan (as Lancer Brooks) – 1973
Black Heat (as Lancer Brooks) – 1973
Games Without Rules (as L. Brooks) – 1974
Erotikus: A History of the Gay Movie (as L. Brooks) – 1974
Station to Station (as L. Brooks) – 1974
Everything Goes (aka Anything Goes) (as L. Brooks) – 1974
Duffy's Tavern (as Lancer Brooks) – 1974
Blue Movie Auditions (aka How to Make a Homo Movie) - 1974
Assault (as Lancer Brooks) – 1975
Sur - 1975
Good Hot Stuff – 1975
Aphrodisiacs in the Male Animal (1975)
Catching Up – 1975
Chatterbox! - 1977
Hot Truckin' (as Lancer Brooks) – 1978
The Harder They Fall (aka The Frenchman and the Lovers) – 1977
Gettin' Down (as Lancer Brooks) – 1978
The Idol – 1979
Bad, Bad Boys (aka Bad Boys) (as Lancer Brooks) – 1979
Hawaiian Eyes (aka Gay Guide to Hawaii) – 1979
Private Collection – 1980
Heavy Equipment (as Lancer Brooks) – 1980
Wet Shorts – 1980
The Dirty Picture Show (as De Simone) – 1980
Flesh and Fantasy 1 – 1980
Dirty Books - 1981
Hell Night – 1981
The Concrete Jungle – 1982
Skin Deep (as Lancer Brooks) – 1982
Bi-Coastal (as Lancer Brooks) – 1985
Bi-bi Love (as Lancer Brooks) – 11986
Nightcrawler: A Leathersex Fantasy - 1986
Reform School Girls – 1986
Angel III: The Final Chapter – 1988
Freddy's Nightmares (TV Series, 4 episodes) – 1988/1989
Super Force (TV Series, 6 episodes) – 1991/1992
Dark Justice (TV Series, 18 episodes) – 1991 - 1993
Swamp Thing (TV Series, 3 episodes) – 1992/1993
Acapulco Bay (TV series) – 1995
The Big Easy (TV Series, 4 episodes) – 1996/1997
Coming Distractions (as Lancer Brooks) – 1997
Pensacola: Wings of Gold (TV Series, 1 episode) – 1998
She Spies (TV Series, 1 episode) – 2002

Mainstream film/television and porn director Tom DeSimone (also credited as Lancer Brooks) was one of the major figures who helped to form the adult industry in the 1970s, during the birth of hardcore pornography as a film genre. Initially shooting films for Shan Sayles of the Park Theatre in the L.A. area, DeSimone made some of the earliest gay porn films within the burgeoning industry, including the very first plotted, feature-length gay porn film, The Collection (1969). DeSimone's porn films typically centered around stories and he made technically high-quality productions - well-made narrative movies with developed characters and performers cast to suit their roles - that showed care for the craft.

Over the span of his porn filmmaking career, which also included sexploitation and bisexual films, DeSimone worked with many important contributors to the industry, including performers Gordon Grant, Al Parker, Jack Wrangler, Roger, Michael Christopher, David Ashfield, J.W King, and Fred Halsted, and filmmakers Nick Elliot, Jason Sato, William Higgins, and Jack Deveau. Deveau's New York-based studio, Hand in Hand Films, distributed several of DeSimone's films (Catching Up [1975], The Idol [1979], and others) and DeSimone also worked behind the scenes with Hand in Hand as the cameraman for three of their releases directed by Deveau (Ballet Down the Highway, Wanted: Billy the Kid, and Good Hot Stuff, all from 1975). (DeSimone extensively discusses his career in the newly released book, Good Hot Stuff, about Hand in Hand and Deveau.) DeSimone also made the historically notable film, Erotikus: History of the Gay Movie (1974), which is part documentary and part porn and which was released as a porn film and played in porn theaters.

DeSimone was one of a small number of individuals from the porn industry who successfully moved into working in mainstream film and television. (See the correction in our previous Casey Donovan blog, which left out mentions of those who did cross over into mainstream work.) This included Hell Night (1981) starring Linda Blair, Reform School Girls (1986) starring punk musician Wendy O. Williams, and extensive television work. (See the bottom of this blog for Tom DeSimone's filmography and links to his movies.)

DeSimone recently answered some questions about his career, which we are excited to share in this week's blog, the first of two installments, this one focusing on his introduction to filmmaking and directing porn films.

Bijou: What are some of your favorite films?

DeSimone: I can't really pick one favorite film out of the thousands I've seen and hundreds I love. On the list are Duel in the Sun, The Letter, 8 ½, The Little Foxes, The Rose Tattoo, Atonement, Pennies from Heaven, Incochine... so you see, I have a lot of favorites. A “favorite” is any film I can watch over and over and never tire of and also one in which I continue to find more and more elements of pleasure each time I view it. Among this list, The Letter is probably my most watched film and it never gets boring and I never cease to discover something new each time.

Bijou: Did you make short films while in school for film? What were those like?

DeSimone: At UCLA, where I got my master's degree, I made three short films. One of them, Wooden Lullaby, won best director at the Cine Film Festival in Washington D.C. Another, The Game, won me a scholarship to complete my studies in graduate school. Both films were screened for the public in the Annual Student Film Programs at UCLA. My film, The Game, got me an interview with Columbia Pictures at the time... but nothing came of that beyond the meeting.

Bijou: What were your goals and philosophy towards making your porn films (especially as one of the people who helped to form hardcore as a genre)? Did those persist or did they change over time as you continued to work in film?

DeSimone: Going into it, I didn't really have a philosophy. That came later. I got started because after film school there just wasn't an easy way to break into the Hollywood firmament. Film students back then weren't being sought after as they are now. I was tired of waiting tables and taking actors' portraits for their resumes.

At that time, adult film theaters were just starting to come out in the open. But they were all straight porn. No one was openly screening gay stuff. Then came the Park Theater near downtown L.A. They were showing “gay loops.” A loop, in the business then, was a short film, no plot or acting but just quickies featuring nudity and not much else... there was NO sexual activity, just implied, like holding hands, walking on the beach, or hugging at sunset... or looking longingly into each other's eyes while reclining – all sorts of innocent attempts to convey gay relationships or gay attraction. And NEVER erect!

Someone suggested to me that I might make a few bucks if I tried something. I contacted the Park Theater, got the name of the owner, and got myself an interview. Long story short, he told me to go shoot something and come back and see him and he'd decide if he was interested in me as a filmmaker. I did a short “loop” and loaded it with sexual activity... nothing hard core but definitely sexual love making... all shot discreetly, of course. I screened it for him and he hired me on the spot, built me a studio with cutting rooms, a sound stage, and anything I needed to turn out features for his theaters. That was the start of feature films for the gay market. That film was The Collection... followed by many more small, insignificant ones to fill the screen across the country at his theaters.

It wasn't until I started out on my own that I started to think about what I wanted to say or do with my films since, by now, I had created a career out of it all and was becoming known. (Or, at least, Lancer Brooks was.)

I soon discovered that films about “relationships” were most successful. So The Idol, Skin Deep, Catching Up, and also The Harder They Fall were huge successes. (The Harder They Fall was also released under a different title, The Frenchman and the Lovers.) I was interested in exploring gays in love or at least relationships. My stories pretty much gravitated to those situations. I was tired of all the films that started with the pizza boy delivering and ending up on the couch. That's not to say I didn't make a few of those, too. But when I really wanted to do something creative and when I got juiced up to do something, it always seemed to go to the relationship stories.

Bijou: Who was your producer (also credited as a performer in The Collection), Max Blue, from early in your career?

DeSimone: Max Blue was a pseudonym for my partner at the time, Nick Grippo. We often just used silly names on our films because in those days no one was using their real names for legal protection since it was still against the law to make these films. We were always hiding underground. He just pulled that one out of the air since there was a popular film playing then called The Blue Max and he liked it. I chose an even sillier name, Lancer Brooks (just totally made up), but fate took over. When we were meeting with the distributor who peddled our films to theaters, he said to be sure to use the same names we did on our previous one, because they liked our work and he could barter for more money if he told them it was from the same team... so we checked what we had used on our last feature and it turned out to be those two names.

Bijou: Did you shoot other films of Jack Deveau's besides the grouping from 1975: Ballet Down the Highway, Wanted: Billy the Kid, and Good Hot Stuff? Did you do much other film work in New York around that time or were you mostly working in L.A.?

DeSimone: After I did Erotikus and was shopping for a theater in New York, I met Jack. He was operating the 55th St. Playhouse at the time and was running the very successful Boys in the Sand, so he was looking for something to follow it up since he knew it couldn't run forever and he needed product to keep the theater operating. We met, he looked at the film, and was interested in us working together on several projects. Jack was pretty inexperienced in filmmaking but wanted to get into the production side. He figured I could bring something to Hand in Hand. I spent a summer in New York working with him on several projects, then returned to L.A. and did The Idol for his company to release. We remained very good friends up until he passed way due to cancer. He was a great party guy – loved to party hard and long, into the New York underground scene, a lot of drugs and sex and a terrific guy to know... if you had the stamina!

Bijou: Did you know Penelope Spheeris (director of The Decline of Western Civilization and Wayne's World) around the time of Confessions of a Male Groupie (1971)? A couple who are the focus of two of her early short films (I Don't Know and Hats Off to Hollywood) appear in the party scene in Groupie. I was curious about the community of people who make up the cast of that film – I read somewhere that they were a community or group of friends you were affiliated with.

DeSimone: I met Penelope only once at a film festival in L.A. We spoke briefly about the emergence of underground films but we never were involved beyond that meeting. The two people you mention just happened to be in the party. I didn't know them personally.

That big party scene was the reason I made that film. I ran with a pretty eclectic crowd back then and many of the actors who appeared in my films were drawn from that crowd. Many others, who didn't really want to appear having sex in a movie, also wanted to be “in one of my films,” so I decided to make a film featuring all of the crazies I knew and loved. So The Groupie came about – and when I announced I wanted them to all appear in that scene, all hell broke loose and you can see in the film what we were all about. I should mention that, unfortunately - or not, I was on acid while we were filming that scene (most of us were), so I didn't cover as much as I wanted, but what I got was enough to throw together what's up on the screen.
 

Bijou: It's interesting to learn how many friends you worked with in your movies.

DeSimone: I rarely socialized with the models in my films if they weren't already part of my group. For a number of reasons I preferred not to get too involved in their lives and vice versa. If I used friends, they were already friends and in my social group. In Hot Truckin', the redheaded boy at the end – the one in the threeway – was my partner at the time. He was SO hot for Gordon [Grant], I agreed to let him be the trick they lured into the truck. Everyone was happy, particularly my friend, Bob.

My reasons for being separate, if I could, with the models was only because I didn't care to have them know too much about my life or where I lived, etc. I was strictly interested in them as models/actors. For me it was strictly a business situation. Very few outside my inner group even knew what I did or who Lancer Brooks was.
 

Bijou: I guess Groupie was a rare exception, as your film utilizing members of your friend group, in that case.

DeSimone: Yes, Groupie was an exception... but as I mentioned, I made it specifically to make a film and use many of my friends. Sweet Lady Mary was a dear friend, Elaine. The rock group, The Electric Banana, was another trio of buddies who fantasized about being a rock group, so I made them into one for the film. All the players were close friends who had wanted to be in a picture, so I concocted one so that I could use them. The party scene was the culmination of all the gang we ran with in West Hollywood at that time. Of course, there were several in the party scene who just showed up to be in the film. Sadly, 90% of them are gone now. The plague taking most, unfortunately. We had no idea then that what we were experiencing would have such consequences... who did? The cute redhead, Bob, was also a victim years later.
 

Bijou: How did you get such strong performances out of your porn actors who had no acting experiences?

DeSimone: Getting performances was always a challenge. I always blocked out all the action in my films in advance and also broke down the script, scene by scene, even indicating where the dialogue would be in close up, two shots, or masters. That way I could get what I needed to edit the film and the performances in a cohesive work. I knew these guys would never be able to carry an entire scene in a master shot (a mistake many filmmakers made back then). So I would film short sections, working with them on just those few lines at a time, then cover the scene with the other actor or actors in the scene, and it would all play together nicely. If one of them screwed up or was lousy, it was simple to shoot several takes of a close up until it was good, rather than shoot the entire sequence over and over. I was a master at editing and it was fun cutting together a performance from very little. Many times the actors would be amazed (and impressed) when they came to the screening to see the film.
 

Bijou: Which is your favorite of your porn films?

DeSimone: I guess I could say Catching Up, Skin Deep, and The Idol. These, to me, have good plots, good acting, and really decent production values for porn.

Read part two of this interview, focusing on on Tom DeSimone's mainstream film/television career!
 

Tom DeSimone's Partial Directorial Filmography:
(From IMDb and Gay Erotic Video Index)
Links to movies available through Bijou Video

The Collection (as Lancer Brooks) – 1969
One - 1970
Dust Unto Dust (as Lancer Brooks) – 1970
Peter the Peeker – 1971
Lust in the Afternoon - 1971
Gay Tarzan – 1971
Confessions of a Male Groupie – 1971
Black and Blue - 1971
The Gypsy's Ball - 1972
Prison Girls – 1972
Chained (as Lancer Brooks) – 1973
Swap Meat (as Lancer Brooks) – 1973
Sons of Satan (as Lancer Brooks) – 1973
Black Heat (as Lancer Brooks) – 1973
Games Without Rules (as L. Brooks) – 1974
Erotikus: A History of the Gay Movie (as L. Brooks) – 1974
Station to Station (as L. Brooks) – 1974
Everything Goes (aka Anything Goes) (as L. Brooks) – 1974
Duffy's Tavern (as Lancer Brooks) – 1974
Blue Movie Auditions (aka How to Make a Homo Movie) - 1974
Assault (as Lancer Brooks) – 1975
Sur - 1975
Good Hot Stuff – 1975
Aphrodisiacs in the Male Animal (1975)
Catching Up – 1975
Chatterbox! - 1977
Hot Truckin' (as Lancer Brooks) – 1978
The Harder They Fall (aka The Frenchman and the Lovers) – 1977
Gettin' Down (as Lancer Brooks) – 1978
The Idol – 1979
Bad, Bad Boys (aka Bad Boys) (as Lancer Brooks) – 1979
Hawaiian Eyes (aka Gay Guide to Hawaii) – 1979
Private Collection – 1980
Heavy Equipment (as Lancer Brooks) – 1980
Wet Shorts – 1980
The Dirty Picture Show (as De Simone) – 1980
Flesh and Fantasy 1 – 1980
Dirty Books - 1981
Hell Night – 1981
The Concrete Jungle – 1982
Skin Deep (as Lancer Brooks) – 1982
Bi-Coastal (as Lancer Brooks) – 1985
Bi-bi Love (as Lancer Brooks) – 11986
Nightcrawler: A Leathersex Fantasy - 1986
Reform School Girls – 1986
Angel III: The Final Chapter – 1988
Freddy's Nightmares (TV Series, 4 episodes) – 1988/1989
Super Force (TV Series, 6 episodes) – 1991/1992
Dark Justice (TV Series, 18 episodes) – 1991 - 1993
Swamp Thing (TV Series, 3 episodes) – 1992/1993
Acapulco Bay (TV series) – 1995
The Big Easy (TV Series, 4 episodes) – 1996/1997
Coming Distractions (as Lancer Brooks) – 1997
Pensacola: Wings of Gold (TV Series, 1 episode) – 1998
She Spies (TV Series, 1 episode) – 2002

By Josh Eliot

In early 1984, while working as an insurance claims adjuster in the Financial District of San Francisco, I hung around with my co-workers Fred, Fritz, Peter and Richard. I was 21 and they were all in their early 30s. We all partied together in clubs, bars like the Stud and even at work during our shifts! Lunch break consisted of sandwiches and joints, sometimes with a Quaalude chaser. I wrote about Fred and Fritz in my previous blog, “Everybody’s FREE to FEEL GOOD.” Richard was more straight than bi and Peter was partnered, so neither of them were included in that story about my sexcapades. Three of the four of them had one thing in common with countless other men in San Francisco, including the couple who lived in the downstairs flat of our 629 Castro Street Victorian—they all looked like Daniel Holt!

Daniel Holt’s image on screen and in print exemplified how an entire generation of gay men looked and dressed. San Francisco is where I saw seven out of every ten guys featuring that look. In the late 1970’s and well into the 1980’s, the “Castro Clone” look became one of the first most widely recognizable gay male images. It is documented on hunkytops.com that the look was devised as a way to remove the stereotype of gay men being feminine. It was all about showing strength, masculinity and sexual independence. There was a very specific look and dress code involved with being a Castro Clone, which included: tight Levi 501 jeans, a plaid flannel or white t-shirt, a leather belt and black boots. The addition of a bushy mustache, gym built body, aviator sunglasses and a bandana in the back pocket completed the image. The look was not limited to San Francisco, as it quickly spread throughout the world. My spouse, Tony, was living in Australia at the time, and if you held up a picture of him in the same year as Daniel Holt you would see that there was virtually no difference—as is true with thousands of other men who joined in. I’m certain that Daniel Holt's quick rise to fame in early 1980’s adult films inspired many, many men to also emulate him.

Swiss-born porn star Daniel Holt was born Daniel Vladimir Niedorf on August 18th, 1958 in Geneva, Switzerland. His father was American and his mother was British. According to the captivating interview with him in the Bijou release Men & Films (1987), he was bullied as a seventh grader after he unexpectedly got an erection in the gym class showers. His bratty classmates nicknamed him “Beat Off Dan.” The bullying got so bad that his family moved to a different district and, with a doctor’s note, he was excused from attending gym class. He mentions that he knew he was gay at age 12 when he experimented sexually with others his age at summer camp. The family eventually moved to Los Angeles and Daniel attended Fairfax High, where he started the Gay Student Union program. In his early 20s, while studying music (both classical and opera), he learned to play the flute, took singing lessons and also started posing naked for some straight erotic photo shoots. While in New York City, he visited the Show Palace and spontaneously jumped on stage, joining the nude performers. The club executives liked his energy and big fat piece so much that they hired him for a month-long gig. At one point, he auditioned for Joe Gage’s off-Broadway show, Naked Highway, but was not offered the role. During his time as a dancer at the Show Palace, Daniel was introduced to Christopher Rage, who offered him his first movie role in Sleaze (1982).

Daniel's first year in films also included roles in The Subway, Le Voyeur and Alister Armando’s 501, directed by Joe Gage and available from Bijou Video. In 1983, Holt worked in a remarkable 14 movies, including In The Name of Leather, The Rock Creek Gang, Red Ball Express and Giants 2. In 1984, he worked in a total of 12 films, including Non-Stop, H.E.A.T., Chain Reactions, Closed Set 2 and Daddy Dearest. Among other releases, in 1985 he was featured in one of Nova Video’s first “talkie” features, Hunk, along with New Wave Hustlers, Steve Scott's 2x10 (as a "stunt dick") and Surge Studio's Therapy.

His career in films became less frequent, due to a fading reputation on the set, but continued until 1988 with roles in Dynastud (1986), Nightcrawler (1986) and A Night Alone with Al Parker (1988), which was his final release. Compilations of his work were released well into the 2020s, and in 2025 one of his films (Daddy Dearest) was restored from a 2K print scan and featured in Seattle’s Northwest Film Forum for a week long run March 20-30th, 2025.

Daddy Dearest is a 1984 film by Arthur J. Bressan Jr., which starred Richard Locke, Daniel Holt and Johnny Dawes. It was chosen by the Seattle-based forum to celebrate its 40th Anniversary, and was screened as part of a double feature alongside Juice. Juice was another Arthur J. Bressan Jr. Film, also celebrating its 40th, and starring Michael Christopher and Eric Ryan. When Daddy Dearest was made, both Locke and Holt were considered two of the biggest names in the gay adult industry. Holt appealed to the Castro Clone crowd, while Locke was able to use his mature blue collar image to his advantage with a wider audience. Daddy Dearest also stands out as the last film Richard Locke made, pre-condom. After his positive HIV diagnosis, Locke became a pioneer for HIV/AIDS and toured the country promoting safer sex awareness. At the Northwest Forum, the double feature screened a total of 10 times, which included matinees and evening showings. I was able to find a trailer for the restored print and the quality looks amazing. It’s wonderful that the Forum embraced the amazing work of Bressan Jr. and the outstanding cast. Since no one from the cast or crew was available to attend the screenings, a Seattle-based OnlyFans star, SeattleDad, was invited to be part of the post screening discussions.

During his career, Daniel Holt, in addition to working in movies, started his own modeling and escort agency. In addition, his love for photography led him to many jobs, including shooting the stills for Steve Scott’s Screenplay. He worked on photographing hardcore photo essays with males from his agency or models he interviewed with the idea of publishing a hardcover book. Because of his ongoing obsession with drugs, his reputation on set and as an escort/model agent disintegrated quickly, which contributed to ending his career and ultimately his life. It is written that on November 20th, 1993, Daniel Holt passed away from an overdose, which was complicated by a heart attack.

When I watch Daniel Holt on screen, I immediately flash back to the 1980s era which gave us our sexual freedoms, but at the same time took away our hope for the future. For me, watching him in a movie makes me happy to remember all the good of the decade, like how three out of four of my closest friends had the Daniel Holt (Castro Clone) look. But then again, I also ache over how each and every one of those friends was taken from us way too soon.

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

The 1978 Alex DeRenzy film Pretty Peaches was made during what many call the golden age of pornography in America. Desiree Cousteau’s performance won her the 1979 AFAA Award for Best Actress, but she wasn’t the only standout in this classic film. A brand new starlet was cast in a scene opposite Joey Silvera and even though it was her first time on-screen, the audience and critics noticed her energy and gave rave reviews of her performance. This rising star with charisma was none other than Sharon Kane. Sharon Kane and Desiree Cousteau were both working as dancers in DeRenzy’s theater, The Screening Room at 220 Jones Street in San Francisco, when he offered her the role. Little did she realize at the time that she embodied the qualities that superstars are made of. With decades of work featuring the inclusion of diverse roles, great performances and the introduction of her original music into the productions, it’s no wonder that her star shines like no other.

In 1991, Sharon Kane began work on her first project as a director on the movie Stairway to Paradise for VCA Studios. The cast was considered A-list, a testament to Sharon’s nurtured relationships within the industry over the years. She cast Nina Hartley, Randy Spears, Aja, Peter North, Victoria Paris, Lee Carroll, Kay Parker and her very first co-star and friend, Joey Silvera. Based on an original story by Sharon, the script was formed by the man responsible for making her directorial debut possible, Jim Holliday. Holliday and Kane met on the set of Sorority Pink (1989) and continued a true friendship and working relationship with each other throughout the years. The movie itself follows Nina Hartley’s other-worldly experience, including a regression into her previous lives. The movie’s mystical edge, added to both the storyline and sex scenes, sets it apart from the more mainstream themed features of the time period. Sharon waited to read the finished script before writing the official theme song so that she could incorporate a good deal of the movie’s content into the piece. The 1991 original theme song, “Stairway to Paradise,” has a holistic feeling and is enhanced with an addicting melody.

She is credited with creating an enduring legacy within the industry, which included working on set in the role of art director, make-up artist, musician, production assistant and producer. She’s won numerous awards for Non-Sexual Performer, as well, including for her role as Joan in my bisexual movie, Cracked! She’s credited with a solid reputation for creating songs and musical scores used by top directors throughout the gay, straight and bisexual industry. In 2011, Sharon Kane left the industry and relocated to a quiet, rural community. In 2022, she was introduced to musician Jimmy Michaels, who was working on a project with adult actor Richard Pacheco.

Jimmy Michaels started making music at a very young age and, as a member of the hard-rock duo, Waco, he produced and recorded the song “Dark Lady” in 1995, which became a local rock hit in Philadelphia. When the band broke up in 1996, Jimmy thought he was done with music. Nearly a decade later in 2007, associates convinced him to open a studio and label to begin producing and recording indie rock bands. By 2009, he was honored with a listing from the Independent Music Guild of America as one of the top ten mix and mastering engineers in the United States. In addition to engineering music from 2007-2014, he released solo albums, including writing and recording with 1970’s Disco icon, D.C. Larue. With the introduction of “at-home” mixing technology, Jimmy closed the doors to his studio in late 2016. He currently manages the worldwide licensing for Dick Hieronymus and his publishing firm, Mumbles Music.

In 2022, Jimmy was producing audio books for adult film star Richard Pacheco’s two novels he had written. They had the idea of finishing the second book with an original song that Jimmy would write about Richard’s life, and they wanted a female in the adult industry to perform it. Richard suggested Sharon Kane as his choice; the problem was that she was retired and living out in the boondocks somewhere, so it turned into a huge challenge to track her down. Finally, success!

To say that Jimmy and Sharon hit it off on their first phone conversation is an understatement. Aside from sharing the same birthdate, they connected on many levels musically and personally. It was like two kindred souls finding each other. When Jimmy noticed that Sharon added background vocals to his original song, and those vocals enhanced it, he was sold on her talent and immediately asked her to come out of retirement and work on a project he was producing. The project involved 1970’s and 80’s pop hits, and once that was complete, they started working on the Stairway to Paradise album.

Jump forward to the present as Sharon Kane and longtime collaborator, Jimmy Michaels, announce the re-imagined version of her song—with an additional third verse added and an expanded running time of 7:23. The completely new recording gives this 35 year old song a big, bright, beautiful new life! Not only was that 1991 classic given the special treatment by Sharon Kane and Jimmy Michaels, it is also just one song of a complete album. The album, also entitled Stairway to Paradise, features an otherworldly cover of both Kane and Michaels and is packed with new recordings and reinterpretations of works from both Sharon and Jimmy.

On the Paradise album, as well as other releases the duo worked on together, Sharon uses the pseudonym Char Char. When I asked her about it, this was her exact reply:

“I used to have chickens. Jimmy and I would be discussing music and I would abruptly mention I had to 'go feed the chickens'. So he started calling me farmer Char Char. At the time the first album was being released, I was debating whether I should use my real name or another name. So I said, 'What about Char Char?' And there you have it! 😁 It was a nickname from Jimmy.”

This album is one awesome collaboration, and I want to thank them both for sharing the songs with me. The full album is now available, for a reasonable $7.99 price, at Bandcamp.com.

A new interview with Sharon Kane was released recently on Barefoot and Independent’s YouTube Channel, where they discuss her directorial debut movie, Stairway to Paradise, and the new release of her song and music video. The interviewer, Jason, does an extensive comparison between the original song and the re-imagined disco version, before screening his PG-Rated cut of the movie and a follow-up chat with Kane. The full uncut, extended interview between Sharon and Jason was also just released.

UPDATE: I’m happy to announce that their newest project was just released as I was finishing up writing this blog! The pair released yet another album, this one called To Josh With Love. This new album is a remastering and re-working of the songs Sharon Kane wrote and performed in movies I directed for Catalina Video. I am very honored by the title, obviously, and am so thrilled to now have the full uncut, remastered versions of these songs available, complete with all the bells and whistles.

I’ve had a lot of people ask where they can find the soundtrack music from many of my movies, and now I can let them know that for $7.99 they can download them. Unfortunately, Sharon was not able to locate “Friends and Lovers” (CatalinaVille), even after going all the way back to her floppy disc collection! That one will be missed.

I’ve added some great links for you, including:
-The new Sharon Kane interview with Barefoot & Independent and their censored Stairway to Paradise cut
-The new “Stairway to Paradise” music video
-The album download page for Stairway to Paradise
-The newest album release, To Josh With Love
-And the most important—The Official Sharon Kane Bandcamp Page, featuring all of Sharon’s (aka Char Char's) musical releases, past, present and future.

She’s also on Spotify, which I also linked, so add her to your playlist! Her legacy continues!

SIDE NOTE: If you still haven’t had your fill for all things Sharon Kane, check out my blog from two and a half years ago, “The Many Faces of Adult Film Star Sharon Kane,” where I wrote about all of the amazing characters she portrayed in my movies.

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

Which came first? The “Pizza Oven” or the “Pizza Boy”? In the case of the William Higgins 1985 film, The Pizza Boy: He Delivers, the concept of the Pizza Boy came first, then Higgins used the movie’s budget to gift himself a pizza oven. Even though the opening shots of a fully cooked pizza-pie coming out of an oven were actually shot in a real pizza parlor, Higgins had one of the rooms in his house transformed into a faux pizzeria, where much of the movie’s storyline took place. Just one of the perks of being the writer, producer and director. Even though the cheap wall paneling and fake brick ruined the realism, it certainly wasn’t the focus for the audience, who was treated to a movie jam packed with hot stars. The film made such an long lasting impact that there were many other studios trying to cash in on the delivery boy theme, but there are only three official sequels released by Catalina Video.

The box cover photo art for Pizza Boy was everything! A 6’ 1” tall, naked muscular stud lying on red satin sheets, looking sexy and vulnerable. I remember those very sheets when I started working with Catalina Video in 1987, as they were part of our inventory in the wardrobe and props department, just like the wrestling uniforms from Down for the Count, which I used years later in SwitchCraft and The Rascal Joins the Wrestling Team. I never thought to take a black light to the outfits or props we had stored at the studio, but if I did I’m sure it would not have been pretty.

Steve Henson was the chosen one to grace the movie poster and VHS cover for the film. He was someone Higgins had pined for since he met him through Matt Sterling in 1984. Sterling’s movie Like a Horse (1984) was a massive hit, which also featured Steve Henson on the cover. He was the new “It” boy of the moment, but exclusive contracts weren’t really a thing back then and the big wigs of the major studios (HUGE, Catalina and Falcon) all played nice—mostly—and shared with each other. Nine times out of ten, Matt Sterling, John Summers or John Travis got a hold of the new studs and prepped them for stardom. In addition to narrating the movie, Steve Henson performed in the final scene of the film with co-stars Chaz Holderman, Brian Hawks and Matt Ramsey (Peter North). Side note: Peter North has a new documentary coming out discussing his career—the trailer is on YouTube! He was such a nice guy when I shot him for Valley of the Bi Dolls, and from what I can see from the trailer, it was not a fluke. My cameraman, Brad Austin, begged me to let him shoot the cumshot from underneath and I obliged, of course. Who knows, maybe I would have taken one for the team if I was single at the time!

In 1985, Steve Henson worked with Troy Ramsey in the opening scene of Pizza Boy. Troy Ramsey also worked for Catalina Video in The Young and The Hung, and Bi Coastal in 1985 for director Tom DeSimone. He returned in 1988 and I worked as videographer with him in The Big One and Powerline. Steve Henson then went on to work for Sterling again in Inch by Inch in a threeway with Brian Estevez and another Pizza Boy alum, Tony Stefano. Tony Stefano made only one other movie in his career before leaving the business, Delivery Boys (1985), where he was introduced as Tony Marconi. Prior to that, he made a couple of solo posing films in 1980 for the Athletic Model Guild. After leaving the business, he worked in New York City as a bartender at Uncle Charlies, then died at age 30 of an accidental overdose. Steve Henson’s career kept rising, with a role in Falcon’s The Other Side of Aspen 2 (1985) with Eddie Marks and Jeff Turk, and in Giants (1987) with Brian Maxon, Cory Monroe, Mark Miller and Bill Bix. In 1989, director Marc Fredericks cast Henson in two scenes for View to a Thrill opposite Adam Grant and Rex Chandler. After that movie, Steve Henson left the industry, and there is little to no information about him since then.

Even though the image of Steve Henson as the original Pizza Boy is burned into the brains of all of us from that era, the movie itself featured an amazing cast of players, which includes Chad Johnson, David Ashfield, Grant Fagan, Brent Woods and Michael Gere, in addition to others. The sequel, Pizza Boy 2: Meat Lovers Special (1999), features Tuck Johnson as the beloved delivery boy with something extra. I produced and Mark Jensen (Mike Skiff) directed the feature. I have to say that Tuck Johnson was always, always one of my very favorite models to work with. Super sexy, handsome, with a big ole dick, all wrapped up into the sweetest, kindest soft spoken guy you could ever meet. I directed him in Boy Band, Voyager, Score, The Rascal, Escape to Echo Beach and others. If you are not familiar with his work, I urge you to look him up; what an underrated, stand-out performer--who never needed Viagra! A powerhouse top or bottom who left it all on the set before going home to where he lived with his mother—so sweet!

Hans Ebson took over the role in Pizza Boy 3 (2000) for director Peter Romero. Hans shone in Hostage in the Grand Canyon (2000) as the kidnapped victim held captive by an escaped mental patient. This storyline was, as Chi Chi would say, “Hot... So hot.” As for his stint as the lead in Pizza Boy 3, it was a little uncooked, so we stopped continuing the series after that one. I’m ashamed to say that I even made the director use a frozen pizza in a scene just to keep the budget on track. However, after Channel 1 Releasing purchased the company, they put out a fresh from the oven new version entitled Pizza Boy 4: Slice of Pie? (2017), starring Xavier Hux and directed by Catalina alum Chi Chi LaRue! I know absolutely nothing about that movie, as I have never watched it, but if Chi Chi was involved, I’m sure it is a solid piece of entertainment. It kind of speaks to the quality of Steve Henson as a performer—when you start with the best, it’s really hard to improve.

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.