American Cinema of the 1970’s is beginning to be rediscovered and appreciated for it’s wealth of amazing films that took the art of film in new and groundbreaking directions. These films gave us voices and images unlike their formulaic predecessors.

Despite this growth of style and narrative content, the portrayals of gay men and women were still cartoonish stereotypes who minced, bitched, were deservedly beat-up, or committed suicide due to terminal self-loathing.

Gage’s films truly pioneered positive images of gay men. He created these films before the home video boom of the early-80’s and his movies were truly films. Shot on film, with shooting schedules reaching up to 20 days (unheard of for an adult film). His were built around a storyline and men who were comfortable with themselves and their sexuality (and happened to have loads of sex).

Though the negatives were destroyed in a lab fire seven years ago, Mr. Gage retains the original unedited theatrical versions on video masters that we will be presenting at these screenings. Please join us and Mr. Gage in experiencing his work as it returns to the big screen.

by JOE GAGE
August 28, 2003

EL PASO WRECKING CORP. (1977) is the second film in what has come to be known as the ROAD TRILOGY. An exploration into the nature of American masculinity, it is filmmaking in the service of political idealsÑmade as a reaction to the drab, oppressive cultural climate of the day. Up to that point homosexual male characters in movies were either fluttery and trivial, self-loathing, or murderously psychotic. I tried to create an alternate universeÑa world where it was a given that a man could be comfortable with his sexualityÑspecifically, man-to-man sexualityÑand still be an average, well-adjusted, upstanding citizen and human being. The only place where I was given a chance to state my case was in the newly emerging world of hardcore cinema. I welcomed the opportunity.

The story is simplicity itself: fired from the KANSAS CITY TRUCKING CO. for drunk and disorderly hi-jinks (a gun was involved), happy-go-lucky Hank (Richard Locke) and his buddy Gene (Fred Halsted) light out for Texas in search of new jobs. Sexual adventures occur along the way. At the El Paso job site, a confrontation with a bullying, loudmouth foreman leads off a knockdown, drag-out fistfight before all is resolved, and the wrecking crew instigates an orgy in an about-to-be-demolished building.

In L.A. TOOL & DIE (1978), the El Paso Wrecking Corp. goes out of business and Hank heads to the nearest bar to commiserate with the rest of his unemployed buddies. He meets Wiley (Will Seegers) and is instantly smitten. Wiley (intrigued, but Ònot into sport-fuckingÓ) declines HankÕs sexual overtures and leaves for Los Angeles to begin a new job. Hank soon hits the road in hot pursuit. Both men indulge in various sexual escapades before they are reunited in the L.A. TOOL & DIE personnel office. Wiley confronts a painful episode from his past as he and Hank consider making some life-altering decisions.

My aim with the Trilogy was to imbue the rough-and-tumble drive-in sensibility of the period with the point of view of the social outsider. My influences ranged from Sergio Leone and Russ Meyer, to Tom of Finland and Al CappÕs LiÕl Abner (if thatÕs not redundant).

Are these guys ordinary men, working-class heroes or sexual outlaws? You tell me.

 

El Paso Wrecking Corp. Dir. Joe Gage 1977 USA 90 min Video English

L.A. Tool & Die Dir. Joe Gage 1978 USA 86 min Video English