THE GREASE MONKEYS: Why Is Mark Aaron’s Movie So Damned Cool?

By Josh Eliot

Over the holidays, with all the nostalgia floating around, I decided to view the 1979 film The Grease Monkeys. It’s hard to believe that I went through so many years never actually watching this movie. In fact, I shot a video in 1989 called Full Service, which I based solely on seeing the movie poster and newspaper ads for Grease Monkeys while I lived in San Francisco. I walked by the Century Theater every single day on my way to the Art Institute. It felt like The Grease Monkeys was playing there forever! A different movie would premiere at the Century, then a couple of weeks later Grease Monkeys was back up on the marquee and the movie poster was back in a frame at the entrance. The same thing happened over at the Mitchell Brothers' Theater with Behind The Green Door. Using only my memory of the movie poster and my imagination as a guide to write Full Service, I somehow I ended up writing a race car scene in my movie. As I viewed Grease Monkeys over the weekend, I was kind of delighted to see that a race car scenario was a very big part of its storyline. Just a cool coincidence, I guess. Speaking of cool, there’s just something about this movie that felt ultra-hip. The way it was directed and shot felt far more progressive than most of the other gay adult films at the time.

In the opening title sequence of the film, the cool factor was over the top when the three leading men, Nick Rodgers, Kip Noll, and Lee Marlin strut down the streets of Glendale, CA in a beautifully shot montage. It was filmed from a moving vehicle, very much like a scene in the 1972 John Waters film Pink Flamingos where Divine sashays down the streets of Baltimore. The sequence had that “wow factor” that made it feel like a mainstream movie. The three leads worked it for all its worth and gave off the vibe of “Loud and proud!” -- decades before “loud and proud” was even a thing in mainstream society! The scene is even more enhanced with a soundtrack number that really made it shine, the kind of ballad where you want to jump to your feet and dance! This move feels realistic due to its locations throughout Southern California. The urban city locale adds to the grit, and only steps away from the urbanness for a hot and sexy threeway shot at Pismo Beach with Noll, Marlin, and Derek (aka Derrick) Stanton. Derrick Stanton remembers finishing up just before the police arrived to the location.

The lead, Nick Rodgers, is the real standout performer in this film, which showcases his incredible face and body throughout. Discovered while working for The Advocate, his naturally masculine demeanor made him a perfect choice to cast in the movie Hot Truckin’ (1977) for Tom DeSimone. Larry LeBlanc was the stage name he used for that movie, but it was changed to Nick Rodgers for his second film, The Idol (1979). When making the movie Rough Cut (1979), director Steve Scott was quoted as saying that Nick had the “best looking dick in the business.” I remember the first time I saw Nick Rodgers in a film -- it was Malibu Days / Big Bear Nights (1982), pounding Giorgio Canali. I became an instant fan, so it was great to see him showcased in Monkeys all these years later. His outstanding good looks were unique, allowing his career to run from 1977 to 1985 when he shot his final film, Arcade, for director Jim West.

Kip Noll is the second of the three leads, and his sexual energy and fun-loving personality really shine in this film. The chemistry between Kip and Lee Marlin is evident every time they are together on screen. Lee Marlin started off in loops that were later released as parts of a compilation called Locker Room Loops: Bucky’s Triple XXX 1 & 3, from Something Weird Video. His first movie was Just Blonds (1979) followed by his role in Grease Monkeys. In 1980, he was on the original cover of Rear Deliveries for William Higgins. Higgins was quoted as saying that Lee Marlin was “funny and clever but, being a kid of the streets, he ended up in and out of jail a lot.” He went on to star in a bunch of movies for Robert Walters at Nova including Men at Work (1981) and Down on the Farm (1981). His career spanned from the late 1970s to 1982, and little is known of him after retiring from the industry. Lee Marlin is a natural-looking solid, beefy stud who gives off some great energy in Grease Monkeys while getting serviced under the auto-lift inside the mechanic’s garage. This standout scene is another iconic balls-to-the wall moment with a hand-held grease gun emulating Lee’s explosive cum shot in customer Richie Shaw’s hungry mouth. When Nick, Kip and Lee get together in the movie, there’s a real sense of comradery, which is evident in a fun scene where they wash the grease off each other’s arms and chests. It plays like a fun montage, showing the guys clowning around as real buddies do, proof that they genuinely all liked each other.

There are a couple more sequences that really help make this movie one-of-a-kind. The discotheque scene where Nick, Kip, and Lee go to dance off some stress was shot brilliantly and gave the trio an opportunity to really go to town on each other. It is like a time capsule of the era that anyone who lived it can attest to. Lastly, there's the memorable Nick Rodgers scene where he fantasizes about having sex with himself. Shot with the use of a body double, things could have gone terribly wrong, but to my surprise and delight it played on screen as one of the hottest scenes in the movie. Nick Rodgers sucking and fucking himself took this movie to a whole other level. It’s exceptional. How is it that watching this movie caused me to become instantly obsessed with Aaron’s filmmaking? How could I have allowed myself not to see this incredible movie until now, 47 years after it’s release? With a script by Robert Werner and stunning cinematography and editing by Brandon Ryan, Mark Aaron was able to bring about a progressive, instantly consuming film, which made all of the top actors seem bigger than life but accessible at the same time. Everything works, from the lighting, the theatrics, the montages, the creative sexual situations, and even having the balls to shoot a real drag race on the I-10 freeway on-ramp! Who was this director with such great instincts named Mark Aaron?

Mark Aaron’s real name was Monroe Beehler, he started Jaguar Productions in 1971 and later became the owner for the Century Theater in Los Angeles, which he used to premiere their movies on the west coast. Jaguar’s productions ended sometime in 1980 and the Century Theater closed in 1988. Aaron previously directed The Boy With the Hungry Eyes (aka) Youthful Lust (1970) and Time It Was (1971) followed by The Rivermen, shot in 1975 but not released until 1980. That’s definitely one I will watch next on Bijou VOD, because I am sold on his style from the Monkeys viewing. After Grease Monkeys, Mark Aaron did not direct any further movies, which is a loss for all of us. As far as I can tell, he seems to have lived a very low-key life all the way until May 15, 2018 when he passed away. Every once in a while, you see a movie that impresses and engages you. Grease Monkeys did that for me many, many times throughout the viewing. I’ll be ordering my physical copy for my collection. Better late than never, it’s a must!

Watch these trailers by Josh Eliot!
Grease Monkeys New Extended Trailer
Trailer for Full Service

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.