BijouBlog

By Josh Eliot

[Originally published 02/14/25]

The year was 1970. I was nine years old and my parents were getting ready to leave for the cinema with my Uncle Normand and Aunt Irene to see Russ Meyer’s Beyond the Valley of the Dolls. I actually remember spotting the advertisement for the movie in the entertainment section of the newspaper, which I was known to scale up and down. Looking at the movie ads always got my imagination going, thinking about what they were about. When they told me the movie they were going to see, I recall yelling out to my parents, “Are you going to see an X-rated movie?!” My mother, looking for a good cover story, said the movie was rated X because of the language. With that, they rushed out the door, obviously not wanting to talk about it. Even at nine years old, I knew what an X-rated movie was - well, sort of. They did take me to see The Graduate when I was seven, after all. This would be one of only two X-rated movies my parents have seen, as far as I know, the other being A Clockwork Orange. Oh and one XXX movie, Deep Throat, but that wasn’t really their thing, so I think the list ended there. The next day, my mother couldn’t say enough bad things about “Beyond,” and I think they actually might have walked out. I guess, thinking about it now, if that generation was expecting a real sequel to Valley of the Dolls and got “Beyond,” it would have been a bit of a turn off. I had no idea at the time that this was my first real introduction, in conversation with my parents at least, to the world of Russ Meyer.

The very first Russ Meyer movie I ever saw was Faster Pussycat, Kill! Kill! (1965), when our make-up man, Buddy, brought a VHS of it to the Catalina Studio set in 1988. He was surprised that I hadn’t seen the movie, even though it always played once or twice a year at the Castro Theater and also at the Strand on Market Street. When my roommates and I watched it, I was sold the moment Tura Satana appeared on the screen. Russ Meyer's cult favorite follows sadistic go-go dancers Varla (Tura Satana), Rosie (Haji) and Billie (Lori Williams), who escape the nightclub where they perform and head out to the desert to start random acts of violence. Varla, a karate expert, kills an innocent man, and then along with her two friends takes his girlfriend hostage. They run into an old man and his brain-damaged son and problems erupt when they try to rob them blind. The movie is shot in glorious black-and-white, even though the movie poster says it’s shot in “Black-and-Blue.” Blue movie, get it? Russ Meyer’s trademark nudity is nonexistent, but the movie is filled with campy performances, sexually-charged bad-ass vixens and a ton of brilliant one liners! I think the incredible dialogue was what pulled me head-first into the world of Russ Meyer more than anything. I’d be totally lying if I didn’t admit to lifting and rewording a bunch of Mr. Meyer’s “one-liners” at least a dozen times over the years, especially in my bisexual movies. With a budget of only $43,000, Meyer’s stylish camerawork and flair made Pussycat look much more like a big budget movie. Japanese born actress Tura Satana’s original movie debut was a cameo as Suzette Wong in Irma la Douce with Jack Lemmon and Shirley MacLaine. In Pussycat, she did her own stunts and received critical acclaim for her aggressive character portrayal of “Varla.” She also designed her own costumes, make-up and martial arts sequences. For me, I found the strong sexual female character on screen a role model for the type of female lead I would like to create for my first bisexual movie, which I knew one day my producer would approve for me to make.

Over the years, I literally watched every Russ Meyer movie ever made. I fell in love with Lorna, Up!, Mudhoney, and Blacksnake, but I would say the two standouts were Vixen! and Beneath the Valley of the Ultra Vixens. They were the most influential to me when developing my bisexual movies. Vixen! (1968) is a softcore sexploitation film starring Erica Gavin. Gavin plays the nympho wife of a pilot who flies tourists around on wilderness expeditions in Canada. While he’s away, she has a bunch of adventures with a Canadian Mountie, a married couple, and even her biker brother. In my personal favorite, Beneath The Valley of the Ultra Vixens (1979), Meyer pulls out all the stops with a cast headed by starlets Kitten Natividad, Uschi Digard and Anne Marie and a cameo by Candy Samples. Candy Samples, during the 1970s, was a mostly R-rated starlet with roles in Prison Girls 3D (directed by Tom DeSimone), Super Chick (1973) and Flesh Gordon (1974). Candy Samples went on to make hardcore adult films from 1980 to 1989, most notably John Homes and the All Star Sex Queens (1980) and Inside Candy Samples (1984). I would say I watched this movie more times than any of the others because of the downright campiness of its female leads. Little did Sharon Kane know that I would be taking elements from all of these ladies and sprinkling them into the characters she would play in future roles for Cracked, Switchcraft, The Rascal and especially for the three different characters she played in Night of the Living Bi Dolls.

I had very mixed feelings when I first viewed Beyond the Valley of the Dolls (1970) many years after its release, but I can say that it grew on me over the years. I bought a VCD copy (from Japan, on two discs that also play in DVD players) of the movie and still to this day I’ll pop it into the DVD player to play in the background because of the incredible musical soundtrack! Especially the song “Look On Up” I would let it play while doing my “spring cleaning” or some other projects, stopping every now and then to watch the scenes. The music by The Sandpipers, Strawberry Alarm Clock and Stu Phillips is the best, and quite addicting to listen to. In fact, I found most of those songs on Spotify and now have my “Beyond Playlist” for when I am really feeling nostalgic. The Vixen, herself, Erica Gavin joins lead Dolly Read, Cynthia Meyers and Edy Williams in this “Psychedelic Sexual Shocker” that couldn’t be any further removed from Neely O’Hara, Jennifer North or that big screen bore Anne Welles.

A decade or so ago, there was a full set of DVDs from Japan that I purchased on eBay, which contained all of the Russ Meyer movies. The packaging was Japanese-designed, but the movies were great beautiful prints with and without Japanese subtitles. It was a bargain for around $50, but now I see that fantastic offering is no longer available anywhere and the individual movies are selling substantially higher, which is great for the Meyer legacy. Back in the day, we would see Russ Meyer in Las Vegas at the Consumer Electronics Show personally selling the VHS, then DVD versions of his movies at a premium cost of around $79. I remember stopping to talk to him once with co-worker Chet Thomas (Sal). He was incredibly nice and was very open with all of our questions. He personally signed each copy he sold during the convention and was on the same floor as the adult companies. I’m pretty sure that’s where Chet purchased his Beneath the Valley of the Ultra Vixens movie poster that he had hanging in his editing room at the Catalina offices. Bosomania was the company name Russ Meyer used for the VHS / DVD / Laser Disc packaging of his library of movies.

A true one-of-a-kind filmmaker whose work has undoubtedly influenced and molded not only myself, but also both the mainstream and adult industries. Passing away in his home on September 18, 2004 at the age of 82, Russ Meyer became one of the first moviemakers in his particular genre to move to mainline cinema without altering his style. Credited with inventing the "skin flick," he also drew praise for the artistic vision and raw energy he brought to his films, many of which are in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art.

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

In 1982, after living in San Francisco and studying filmmaking at the Art Institute, I found myself at a crossroads. I moved to Hollywood and started attending a film school on La Brea Avenue, but within a few days I had dropped out and returned to Rhode Island. I could not handle the drastic change of environment and loss of my friend group, so I took a time out and moved back east. I found myself working back at the Bostitch Staple Factory in East Greenwich, where literally all of my siblings, cousins and extended family worked. I was depressed and smoking a lot of weed: a joint on the way to work, another during my first ten minute break, a third at lunch, a fourth to wake up at my second ten minute break and one when we drove home after punching out for the day. Bostitch, now Stanley/Bostitch, had a mega warehouse with many departments. My mom and sister put the staplers together, my dad was a drill press operator, my brother worked in the nail department and I drove a fork lift. That is, until I wasn’t paying attention and bent a shelf, causing a skid with thousands of metal pieces to fall to the ground. My supervisor ripped up my forklift license right in front of all the onlookers, and I got written up for not wearing my safety glasses. I felt like I had taken ten steps backwards and thought that my dream of being a filmmaker would never happen. I found myself stuck in: “The Worst Big Warehouse in Rhode Island.”

After getting my shit together, I moved back to San Francisco, reconnected with my friend group and took a job as a medical claims examiner. At some point, I attended The Baillie School for video production, and then made an indie movie called Fright Night of the Living Dead (1986). Somehow the movie was chosen by The San Francisco International Video Festival, which helped me land a new job with Catalina Video in 1987. In 1990, Catalina moved me from San Francisco to West Hollywood and I now worked out of another kind of warehouse. Unlike working at Bostitch, which made me depressed, developing my career in the Catalina warehouse helped me to flourish. A couple years later with new management in charge, we moved the warehouse from North Hollywood to a smaller one in Reseda, CA. I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the fact that there were so many great people working behind the scenes at the Catalina offices. Names you’ve never heard of or knew about, because even though they were part of the process for each and every movie, their names were not in the film credits. This is a good opportunity to acknowledge their contributions.

All of us bonded like family and fought like family, but mostly bonded. My biggest nemesis was Steven, who was in charge of the money! We always paid the talent in cash; I needed to get large sums several times a month and dealing with him was like pulling teeth. When money wasn’t an issue, we bonded by hanging out and going to parties and clubs, but when I would pop in for a cool $10K, he became a raving bitch - but I’m sure he had a lot of pressure on him. It’s not like he could say no, though - we had to shoot movies, and weren’t we making money for his ledgers, anyway?! In the sales department was Lance, a wiz at getting companies to pick up a lot more pieces of a new release by being super aggressive and utilizing smart sales techniques. He was non-stop sales 24/7, but ended up leaving after about a year for medical reasons. He was replaced with Jeff, who had a true hidden talent: how to get free food from fast food restaurants by calling the managers and complaining, even if he hadn’t ordered anything in the first place! I can’t tell you how much contraband we ate thanks to him! He also had an artist’s touch when he took on building the mirror frame which Scott Bond walked through in my movie Object of Desire. Not only that, he hand-painted my jeans that I wore, with a military jacket, to receive my very first award for videography. He bedazzled them and painted in script: “What the hell is a Josh Eliot anyway?” I’m still trying to figure that one out.

TJ Renzi ran the art department, and was always up for taking my unconventional box cover ideas to the next level. We had an ongoing banter between us because of his constant denial that he was not wearing colored contact lenses, when he obviously was! I still, to this day, have no idea if his eyes are brown or blue. He swore his baby blues were real, but I definitely saw some brown around the edges of those lenses. Clint Yeager eventually took over for TJ and started running the art department. In addition to designing the boxes and promotional material, Clint was an amazing guitarist and vocalist. He performed two songs in my movie The Hills Have Bi’s: “White Trash” and “Desires of the Heart,” which was a duet with Sharon Kane. Over a thirty-year period, he worked with bands Daisy Face, Sour, Speed Queen, Super Fiends, BC and the most recent being GAYC /DC. Unfortunately, he passed away of a respiratory infection on August 15th, 2023. His best friend, and some would say brother, Tom Walker (@djtommyrocker), worked in our marketing department after Chi Chi LaRue moved on to greener pastures. Tom arranged some amazing promotional parties at the Saint New York and other larger than life venues, and is a very renowned DJ at the Eagle LA and other venues. Tom was my absolute favorite at the company, once Chet Thomas passed away, and I’m so thrilled to see him achieve his goals and dream of being a mega DJ phenom! Last but not least was Javier in the warehouse. If you ever ordered a movie from Catalina, chances are Javier, who worked there before and after me, packed it personally. A special high-five to him for always packing and mailing the Christmas gifts I brought in to send back east! These guys all helped keep the engine running and the movies flowing out the door! I fondly remember the Catalina facility as: “The Best Little Warehouse in Reseda!”

All of that brings me to: The Best Little Warehouse in L.A. (1982), a William Higgins classic which featured Michael Christopher, Giorgio Canali, Kurt Williams, Rick Kennedy, Cliff Austin, Terry Craig, Mike Dean, Frank Johns, Ed Michaels, Dusty Sands, Lance Whitman and Morgan. This movie was actually shot in West Hollywood, at the original warehouse of Laguna Pacific. 1984 XRCO winner for best actor Michael Christopher with his 10” thick piece leads the cast of Warehouse and is best known as a strong top. However, he did bottom in this movie for Giorgio Canali and in the movies Shore Leave (Nova) and Tony’s Initiation (Rollo Productions). I recently discovered an interview with him from the 1984 film Trick Time with Joey Yale and Fred Halsted. I am linking the YouTube video from Boy Culture at the end of this blog, which shows a very interesting side of this icon. Interestingly, the majority of the actors in Warehouse were one-offs, performing in only this or maybe one other movie.

In addition to “household names” Christopher and Canali, there is another lesser known mainstream actor featured in this movie, who actually did quite a bit of work for Higgins. Lance Whitman’s debut in Warehouse was followed with a solo in Strictly For Ladies Only (1983) and full scenes in Cousins (1983), Class Reunion (1983) and Young Olympians (1985). Later, in 1985, he appeared in Hard Action for Junior Studios before leaving the industry. The Best Little Warehouse in L.A. has a lot going for it as a film, but these days is mostly talked about because of one star, a model named Morgan. Morgan had a minuscule career, but became one of the biggest phenoms in our industry. Gracing the box cover of Warehouse was his biggest role, and many in the chat rooms think it was his only role, but he actually worked in some other projects during his brief career from 1979-1984. He played a newspaper delivery boy in Newspaper Boy (1979) and a homeowner who gets seduced by a city official in Meter Man 2 (1979), both for Magnum Griffin. After a brief reprieve he showed up on the cover of Best Little Warehouse in L.A. (1982) , then performed a solo in Catalina's Strictly For Ladies Only (1983) and finished out his career with YMAC's Peep Show 1 (1984) and Morgan and Friends (1985). In 1985 things get a little weird, when Morgan is suddenly nowhere to be found, and conspiracy theories started brewing. Some say that his quick disappearance from the industry was because his father found out that he was making films and moved him out of LA. It’s even written that Morgan met two guys for sex, who abducted him and held him captive for a week, after which the men threw him off a cliff. Others say he was part of a hiking group that fell off a cliff in 1985, as noted in the newspaper. William Higgins stated in a podcast that Morgan was going to Big Bear Lake with his dad, stopped to take a leak and fell off the side of the mountain. It’s got my mind racing, and usually I can dig up something, but I have to admit failure. For fans of Morgan, and there are plenty, you can access his paperboy scene in Magnum Griffin 14, where he is credited as Nick, but it’s Morgan, 100%.

I might have found “my” best little warehouse in Reseda, but you might find the newest version of William Higgins The Best Little Warehouse in L.A. to be your favorite. The current Anniversary Edition is packed with extras, three J/O extras to be exact. Seamlessly intercut into the movie, it features the individual solos of Michael Christopher, Mike Dean and Lance Whitman, which were originally shot for Strictly For Ladies Only, which I doubt is still in print. Let’s end this with some hope: one believable follow-up was posted to a forum in 2010 by a longstanding employee of William Higgin’s Drakes Bookstore on Melrose Avenue. He confidently believes the version told to him by a co-worker, “Lawrence.” The story is that Morgan’s dad did in fact find out about the films and convinced him to come home to the Torrance area, with the idea to further his education. The story of his death was made up and spread to prevent anyone from looking for him. He looked very young for his age and their were inquiries back in the day. I hope Morgan is out there somewhere, in his mid 60’s, happy that he split the scene back in 1985, and started a productive life for himself. If anyone has proof of Morgan being alive and well, I’m sure the chat rooms would love to hear that there was a happy ending after all.

Video Links:
Michael Christopher Interview
Josh Eliot's Fright Night of the Living Dead - full movie!
Teaser Trailer: The Best Little Warehouse in L.A.
Clint Yeager sings "White Trash" | Clint & Sharon Kane perform "Desires of the Heart"

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.

Hi Folks! Will here. As promised, I will be dancing down a memory lane of club life during my 1994 - 1995 winter stay in South Beach. Although brief, it was vivid and left some indelible mementos. Of course, everywhere you looked there were those gorgeous indigenous palm trees to remind you that you were '"No longer in Kansas." The second half of today's title honors one of the most iconic clubs in South Beach of that time period ... Club Amnesia!

The magic and the skies above Club Amnesia!

This icon of club life was patterned after a sister club in Ibiza - just off the coast of Spain. The two entities not only held the common thread of incredible music from world renowned DJs, along with breathtaking lighting, but also sported "open air" ceilings that invited in the participation of Miami's skies, clouds and the stars above! As I remember, for South Beach's gay clientele, there was a Sunday afternoon Tea Dance. Truth be told, it was never totally gay or straight ... just a pleasant mix of beautiful people. The only problem was that despite the huge dance area, it got so crowded you could hardly move. (Of course, that made for some intimate "close encounters!" LOL.) A lot of the beauty found in this club stemmed from the fact that Miami was a crossroads for some of the top international modeling agencies. And, during the peak of the season it was not uncommon to see "stars," the likes of Madonna and Prince, right there on the dance floor next to you! Everybody was there for the same thing ... one helluva party!

The White Party - it all started here.

In the same vein of party and celebrities, another kind of party happened on an annual basis - "The White Party!" It first started on December 1st, 1985 and was held at the wonderous villa of Vizcaya in Miami. This themed celebration was held as a charity event to bring in funds for AIDS and HIV support. Vizcaya Museum and Gardens, located at 3251 S. Miami Avenue, with its superb grounds and waterfront "landings," is still featuring the monochrome event every year. I mentioned the waterfront part because it was not uncommon for attendees to arrive by yacht to further enhance the glamour aspect. Alas, I do regret not attending this gala the one and only year that I was in South Beach. I just forgot to bring my white tux! (I wonder if a white Speedo would have worked?!) 

Washington Avenue. If you ventured a few blocks in from the beach and explored South Beach's main business thoroughfare, several other dazzling night clubs were at your disposal. Twist and Paragon topped the list.

My favorite neighborhood bar.

Back in '94 when I frequented Twist, it was a fairly small bar and dance floor that was on a second floor. (Here we go again with climbing stairs to get to the music! LOL.) But, the climb was well worth it. This bar was always packed and had some of the best music of the day. I introduced myself to the DJ and we became friends. He even invited me to take a "spin" at the turntables. But, not knowing the music, I graciously declined and instead pounded my feet on the dance floor with the other revelers. As fate would have it, I ran into this fellow in San Francisco on a vacation back in 2015. I thanked him for the wonderful times I had at Twist. The world can be such a small place!

Incredible men ... Incredible Dancing!

The other memorable spot on Washington Avenue was "Paragon," dubbed "The Saint South!" It was quite common in season for hundreds to descend from NYC on the weekends ... just a cheap and quick two and a half hour flight from New York. I spent many Saturday nights there awaiting the customary 3 AM lowering of the huge mirror ball and surrounding lighting grid from the (original theater's) lofty ceiling to just above the heads of the party goers. That always brought a roar!

A side note. Not one but two of my boyfriends were harvested from that glamourous chaos. Both great dancers and sexually insatiable, I really got to know what the term "Hot Latin Lover" meant! These relationships were both short lived. "Daddy" just couldn't keep up with the antics of these young men! If I could have, either one of these guys would have fucked around the clock! Sex was the singular and mandatory currency of this territory. 

Meanwhile, back at the ranch (my South Beach motel room), it became a regular thing for guys with whom I had tricked to come by at all hours of the night knocking at my door - looking for more! I had to mention this because of one memorable night. It was about 4 or 4:30 AM when I was awakened by a rapping at my door. Dazed and not expecting company at this hour, I opened the door to find a former trick with a very handsome guy for us to "share!" Luckily, I am a neat freak and always kept my humble abode clean and ready for surprise parties! Once again, it was fast and furious without even a name exchange for the new guy! But, hey! This was partying at the BEACH! 

Spring was in the air and it was time for me to wrap up my South Beach adventure. New York beckoned and I was ready to "come home" to some familiar turf. Little did I know that a life-changing rendezvous was about to take place. It was my first weekend back in New York and I was headed out to the legendary dance club, "The Roxy." So many good things happen on a dance floor ... stay tuned!

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, present day

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

Welcome Matt/Will | What's For Dessert? | On and Off the Set of L.A. Tool & Die | Wanted, Weekend Lockup and Weekends in Hermosa Beach | Honeymoon in the Palms | Birds of a Feather | The Stereo Maven of Castro Street | The Pass Around Boy | The Ecstasy and the Agony | Fitness and Fantasy | Chasing the Boys and Chasing the Sun | Becoming Invisible | The Reverse Story of Dorian Gray | Pin Money | One Organ Leads to Another! | The Wheels of Steel | Feast and Famine | An Alphabet Soup of Powders and Pills | Merry Christmas (and Getting Re-Organized) | Now and Then | DEEP INSIDE THE CASTRO: The Badlands | DEEP INSIDE THE CASTRO: Moby Dick Bar | DEEP INSIDE THE CASTRO: "Just Another Stroll Down the Castro!" | Diving Into SoMa/Folsom: Hamburger Mary's | Diving Into SoMa/Folsom: Long Live the Stud! | Diving Into SoMa/Folsom: Club Life..."Hit me with your Rhythm Stick!” | A "Split Ticket": SoMa/Folsom and The Haight! | Staying Vanilla in a Flavorful Culture | A Little Secret | Recollections of the 1977 S.F. Gay Pride Parade | Life's a Beach | Flora & Fauna | Once Is Just Not Enough! | A Love of Cultures – A Knack for Languages! | For the Birds | It's About Time! | The Perfect Storm | Hello Chicago/Adieu Fire Island Pines! | Sex in the Woods! | My Life at the Gym | The Last Picture Show | Cumming Attractions! | The Peter Pan Syndrome | Valentine's Day Reflections | The “Idus Martias” and a Peacock! | Taxing I.M.H.O. | Nope...This Sure Ain't Kansas! | The French Connection | Water Baby | Pride: You Wear It Well! | Life Goes On... | The Dance Floor and the Booth, Part 1 | The Dance Floor and the Booth, Part 2 | The Dance Floor and the Booth, Part 3 | A Christmas Haiku | It's My Party & I'll BLOG If I Want To! | "Werk!" | Heart Throbs from the Past! | Traveling the Arc | Music Is My Way of Life, Part 1 | Music Is My Way of Life, Part 2 | Music Is My Way of Life, Part 3 | Music Is My Way of Life, Part 4 | "Brick Wall" | A Gap! | Life in South Beach

Hi Folks! Will here. I am taking liberties with a popular song title for today's adventure. Although originally released in 1941, many covers of this romantic hit are out there. For me, it's just a throwback to the inevitable allure of beach life.

The iconic beach.

It's September of 1994. I was fresh to South Beach and freshly out of a home!! That didn't last long, as I scrambled to get the lay of the land and find a modest and affordable abode. I was working with no time cushion. My friend and travel partner from N.J. had just up and left. 

I lucked out in finding a nice simple motel with long-term rentals at the northern end of South Beach. Its layout was more like a studio apartment with plenty of room for all the stuff I had hauled down from the north. It was just a block or two from the ocean ... but, a long and healthy walk to the southern and popular end of South Beach.

Aerial view of my walk down to the Gay Beach.

A gym. This was my next box to check off of the list. We were in "Speedo Country," and nothing short of perfection would do on this beach. I was 44 and was pleased that I could still slip into my little black swimsuit without a hitch. With the help of my mile and a half walks to the gym, I really whittled off all remaining body fat. Although it was a very popular gym, I can't remember its name. What I do remember were all of the beautiful and buff members and its location at the top of Lincoln Road.

On this walk to the gym, I traversed numerous neighborhoods, most of which I assumed were gay. Frequently, curtains were drawn back and overt gestures to come on in happened on these walks. It was starting to dawn on me just how sex-crazed South Beach really was! I loved it and I fit right in making new friends straight away. The next box to be checked was finding a job.

I felt like "Lady Luck" had tapped me on the shoulder. A new resort hotel was opening just a few blocks from my motel. It was the second iteration of the famous Shore Club Hotel and Resort which originally opened in 1949. I really wasn't sure what position I was looking to fill. But, I decided to dress to the nines in a great Giorgio Armani double-breasted suit that I had acquired while working at Neiman Marcus in San Francisco.

Deco Heaven

As luck would have it, the first person to see me arrive was the food and beverage manager. Although I don't remember his name, I do remember that he bore a striking resemblance to Fred Astaire. He was also in a fashionable suit and took notice of mine. He asked me if I had any food service experience. I rattled off a litany of restaurants and mentioned that I was the head waiter at the Pines Boatel restaurant on Fire Island. He wanted to make sure that I had table side food prep experience including Caesar Salads, Crepe Suzettes and the like. I retorted back: "I just hope I don't have to wear ruffled cuff shirts with my tux, as I have been known to set them on fire!" He chuckled and said I had the job (as head waiter!).

This would have been my miracle job if the hotel's new owners hadn't overextended themselves in the redux process. The manager and I had lots of meetings to prep the waitstaff on dining room protocol. Just as things seemed to be moving along nicely, the owners ran out of money! On my third week there, I was paid in $5 bills. As my manager was counting off the fives, he told me that the owners were desperately fighting off bankruptcy. They were flat broke. My heart sank. The only bona fide shift I ever worked was slinging hamburgers, poolside, at a pre-opening party a week before the plug was pulled on the entire project. Oh well, I guess "Lady Luck's" tap on the shoulder turned into a kick in the pants! It was a good thing that I had come to town with a bit of a financial cushion. The job prospects were few and far between. So, for the time being, I decided to turn this into a long vacation and to return to New York in the Spring.

Here's what's left of the second iteration of the Shore Club!

Meanwhile, here I was in an internationally famous beach resort with some of the most handsome men on the planet. You know what they say: "When life gives you lemons, make lemonade!" And, that I did. Within a week of arriving, I started seeing a very handsome and sexually crazed young man from South America. But, he made me feel old ... I just couldn't keep up with him. I soon found how transitory life in South Beach was. When I didn't fulfill his sex quota, he dropped me like a hot potato. "Next!" Yup, it was like a production line. And, not just with him. I found that to be the standard operating procedure with most of the guys I met there.

"Paradise Found"

But, there were some really good times, too. Most of them were "random" sex encounters - two of which are still vividly burned into my memory 32 years later! The first went something like this ... I was walking south on the beach from my apartment toward the gay section, when a gorgeous hunk with long dark brown hair signaled me to come over to him. He was standing on the patio at the edge of his beachfront property clad in just a towel. (Sounds like the plot to a porno film, eh?) Anyway, the closer I got the more astonishing he looked. He reached out and clasped my hand with a very manly shake and invited me into his bedroom - just off this patio. It was one of the most fiery sexual encounters I have ever had. I was glad that we were both versatile, as no position was neglected in this afternoon delight!

The other over the top sexual encounter happened right on the beach! I am still trying to figure out how we got away with it! Muscular, lean and tall, I recognized this sexy, bald-headed Latino man from mags and videos. Once again, I was just "beach-combing" my way south to the gay section as he swerved from his path to cross with mine. For a second, I was spellbound. But, I came to my senses when he flashed his brilliant smile. I responded in kind. I don't remember how, but seconds later we were both naked and rolling around on his beach blanket under a palm tree. We were just yards away from the surf and definitely within view of anyone walking by. Again, it was quick and intense with no specific roles taken. We kissed and said goodbye without any intentions of a rematch. Ah ... this was life at the beach. 

Of course, club life at the beach was both famous and infamous. After all, how could you have this many gay men together and have it turn out any other way? This deserves its own review. So, stay tuned!

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, present day

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

Welcome Matt/Will | What's For Dessert? | On and Off the Set of L.A. Tool & Die | Wanted, Weekend Lockup and Weekends in Hermosa Beach | Honeymoon in the Palms | Birds of a Feather | The Stereo Maven of Castro Street | The Pass Around Boy | The Ecstasy and the Agony | Fitness and Fantasy | Chasing the Boys and Chasing the Sun | Becoming Invisible | The Reverse Story of Dorian Gray | Pin Money | One Organ Leads to Another! | The Wheels of Steel | Feast and Famine | An Alphabet Soup of Powders and Pills | Merry Christmas (and Getting Re-Organized) | Now and Then | DEEP INSIDE THE CASTRO: The Badlands | DEEP INSIDE THE CASTRO: Moby Dick Bar | DEEP INSIDE THE CASTRO: "Just Another Stroll Down the Castro!" | Diving Into SoMa/Folsom: Hamburger Mary's | Diving Into SoMa/Folsom: Long Live the Stud! | Diving Into SoMa/Folsom: Club Life..."Hit me with your Rhythm Stick!” | A "Split Ticket": SoMa/Folsom and The Haight! | Staying Vanilla in a Flavorful Culture | A Little Secret | Recollections of the 1977 S.F. Gay Pride Parade | Life's a Beach | Flora & Fauna | Once Is Just Not Enough! | A Love of Cultures – A Knack for Languages! | For the Birds | It's About Time! | The Perfect Storm | Hello Chicago/Adieu Fire Island Pines! | Sex in the Woods! | My Life at the Gym | The Last Picture Show | Cumming Attractions! | The Peter Pan Syndrome | Valentine's Day Reflections | The “Idus Martias” and a Peacock! | Taxing I.M.H.O. | Nope...This Sure Ain't Kansas! | The French Connection | Water Baby | Pride: You Wear It Well! | Life Goes On... | The Dance Floor and the Booth, Part 1 | The Dance Floor and the Booth, Part 2 | The Dance Floor and the Booth, Part 3 | A Christmas Haiku | It's My Party & I'll BLOG If I Want To! | "Werk!" | It's My Party & I'll BLOG If I Want To! | Heart Throbs from the Past! | Traveling the Arc | Music Is My Way of Life, Part 1 | Music Is My Way of Life, Part 2 | Music Is My Way of Life, Part 3 | Music Is My Way of Life, Part 4 | "Brick Wall" | A Gap!

By Josh Eliot

Can we find a “gay” amongst any of our friend groups who didn’t absolutely love Kathy Bates' performance in Misery? I remember it happening in real time as her Annie Wilkes character struck a chord with America and beyond. I would venture to say that even to this day, 36 years later, whenever I see Kathy Bates' name in a movie I get a certain tingle, drawing my thoughts back to seeing Misery for the first time. That’s an impression she made! As a young director coming into my own in the 1990s, I can easily admit that some of the slightly psychotic characters of the era, like Glenn Close’s Alex Forest in Fatal Attraction, Rebecca De Mornay’s Peyton Flanders in The Hand That Rocks the Cradle, and Kathleen Turner in John Water’s Serial Mom really made going to the movies a lot of fun. I don’t know why I, along with half of America, tend to flock to “stalker themed” movies, knowing full well that there will be a crazy psycho causing chaos, but something inside me just loves to watch how the whole mess plays out.

It’s no secret that my love of the psycho-sexual genre played a big role in my career while making movies for Catalina Video. The trick was to make the stories work seamlessly with the sexual encounters, and have the characters be believable. There has always been a stigma associated with the acting abilities of the gay adult film actors, and I would sometimes pull my hair out trying to get them to show emotion, but the majority I worked with really pulled off their characters, especially the psychotic, off-the-wall roles. Rob Cryston in Single White Male won best actor, Andy Hunter in His Terrible Twin played a good and evil version of himself. Even a relatively unknown actor, Eric Marx, played his psychotic role in Sexual Suspect so precisely that I didn’t get in too much trouble for making the movie in the first place. In fact, it opened the door in my producer’s eyes to let me do more movies with an edge. The biggest surprise for me was with Ty Fox, who looks like a million bucks, but when it came to acting he could never really pull it off. That was until I wrote and shot him in Ty Me Up! based on the Pedro Almodovar classic Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down! He played a character fresh out of the asylum who stalks and kidnaps his favorite adult film star! I was very proud of his work in that movie. Anyone who knows me is familiar with my love affair – mentally – regarding Sharon Kane, and the many movies she’s worked in for me with all kinds of quirky, and one might say psychotic, characters. Her role as Joan in Cracked comes to mind, where she plays the ax-wielding killer, based on Joan Crawford in Strait-Jacket and the Patty Duke movie You’ll Like My Mother. I may have made “off-the-wall, crazy-themed” movies a big part of my career, but I certainly wasn’t the first.

BijouWorld.com has a collection of iconic, pioneering directors who shot some really great films with a psychotic edge. Films that, in addition making a certain body part stand at attention, also make the hairs on your neck rise up. For example, Jack Wrangler’s partner in Killing Me Softly (1979) wasn’t just a rough trade top, he also dabbled in a little serial killing, but Jack put a stop to that in the end. The director of Killing Me Softly, Francis Ellie, also came out with The Death of Scorpio (1979), where the premise was somewhat different but the ending was remarkably the same! Shawn Gregory plays a scorned lover who seeks revenge on his ex and his ex’s “playthings,” one of them being the model Scorpio. Gregory invites the playthings over to pose for him, which then turns into full on sex with, let’s say, a not-so-happy ending for them. Gregory’s ex, poised to be the final victim, figures out what is going on and gets bitter Shawn Gregory to drink the poison-filled glass of sparkling wine by switching glasses. A much earlier movie from director Spencer Logan called Boynapped (1975) has a character obsessed with Michael Hardwick’s butch blond jock character, but to up the ante there’s also a couple of kidnapping psychopaths thrown into the mix. Icon straight adult performer Jamie Gillis (aka James Rugman for his boy/boy movies) and singer Dennis Parker (aka Wade Nichols for his adult film work) kidnap the blond stud and do all kinds of crazy things to him! It’s raw, wild and makes the viewer a little bit squeamish. Exactly what we look for in these mainstream or adult psycho-sexual works of art! Wade Nichols aka Dennis Parker released an album for Casablanca Records entitled Like An Eagle (1979), which was produced by the Village People's producer/creator. He had a mainstream career directly coincided with his adult film career. His outstanding good looks afforded him major roles in mostly straight adult movies like Barbara Broadcast (1977), Maraschino Cherry (1977) and Blonde Ambition (1981).

Currently celebrating its 45th Anniversary, and featuring an obsessed, stalker-ish lead character of its own, is the super big budget George Payne, Eric Ryan, Scorpio movie Centurians of Rome (1981). Eric Ryan plays the role of the obsessed, neurotic-erotic Supreme Commander with power and fury. He basically stalks the poor, and not so innocent, Scorpio and gets his psycho oversexed guard dogs to take out their frustrations on George Payne. But who wouldn’t turn into a rabid oversexed dog around George Payne? When done well, psycho-sexual can really work with the eroticism of a sex film and not against it.

Flash forward to modern day, as we look at a mainstream series that really blew me away: Baby Reindeer, written and directed by Richard Gadd. In the series, Richard’s character is the victim of a stalker named Margaret, played by actress Jessica Gunning. Gunning plays her character so well that she earned a Prime Time Emmy, Golden Globe Award, a Critic’s Choice Award, British Academy Television Award and European Actor Award. In addition, writer and lead actor Richard Gadd won a ton of awards as well for acting and writing including a Prime Time Emmy and Golden Globe Award for Best Limited Anthology Series. His acting career started modestly with a stint in Season 1, Episode 4 of Scot Squad in 2014. Ten guest and recurring roles later, he completed Baby Reindeer, which was based on his “one-man dark comedy show.” That’s right, he does comedy, as well, even receiving an Edinburgh Comedy Award for Best Comedy Show in 2016 for Monkey See Monkey Do. Well, guess what? He’s back and with a vengeance in Half Man, a six-part British television series that premiered on HBO on April 23rd and BBC One April 24th. Homoerotic as fuck, with tension that is always present, this show is frequently over-the-top shocking. Everything we could ever love in a series or movie while taking the stalker theme to where it has never gone before. Gadd brilliantly wrote and developed these characters to perfection, and I honestly have never seen an LGBTQ+ movie or series with this depth of obsession mixed with fear and eroticism . At just 37 years of age, Gadd and co-star Jamie Bell both should get nominations, as well as their younger selves played by Stuart Campbell and Mitchell Robertson. Jamie Bell won a BAFTA for his lead role in Billy Elliot (2000), which launched his career. Half Man serves up a super-dark premise with a crazier than crazy lead character that, in some ways, is totally endearing simply by the way he stares at his victim, who honestly is just as obsessed with his stalker.

Like Jessica Walter as “Evelyn” in Play Misty For Me, Gadd as Rueban and Bell as Niall are both a little batshit crazy, which makes the series extremely watchable! There’s absolutely no doubt in my mind that if this series came out 20 years ago, before I retired from the adult industry, I would be writing the parody triple X version of it right now and thinking up my pitch as to how I could propose the idea to the GM at Catalina. Not that you asked for it, but I am putting Half Man on your LGBTQ+ must-watch-list. It’s a frighteningly good time!

Watch these original trailers by Josh Eliot!
Centurians of Rome 45th Anniversary Tribute Trailer
Combo Teaser: Death of Scorpio / Boynapped / Killing Me Softly
Single White Male
Sexual Suspect
Ty Me Up!
Cracked

And catch the Bijou Classics mentioned here on DVD & on our Video on Demand site:
Centurians of Rome (DVD | Streaming)
Killing Me Softly (DVD | Streaming)
Death of Scorpio (DVD | Streaming)
Boynapped (DVD | Streaming)

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.