The easiest way of telling if you have the full version, is the length, of course. El Paso (1977)is a full 90 minutes, from opening to closing titles. - check the actual time on your copy, NOT what the box says!

from what I can tell so far, the missing/chopped up scenes in El Paso are:
• At the beginning, when Richard Locke and Fred Halsted are drinking in the offices of Kansas City Trucking Co., bored and drunk, Halsted shoots out a window, trying to hit a fly, - scaring the crap out of the secretary, and the next thing you know, they are outside, leaving, because they have just be fired.....and the theme music starts, which ALWAYS gives me a woody!! The current issue of this on HIS (as well as the DVD version that just came out)has this scene chopped up, so you don't really understand why they are suddenly on the road.
• Next scene is after Halsted does the guy in the basement of Billie's (the bar ownded by Georgina Spelvin). Some homophobe is making some remarks as Locke is leaning against the bar, Halsted comes up, can't believe what he's hearing, the homophobe starts to grab Halsted, Billie shouts (to Halsted) "Now Gene, you put him down" there's a camera shot of the window, then she exclaims "Not there!", and you see this body flung through the window! It may not seem like much, but it's chopped to hell in current available version - and to me, back in the late late 70's seeing the original in a porno theatre, a homophobe tossed thru a plate glass window, made a HUGE impression on me!
• the next scene I noticed chopped up is in the last 35-40 minutes, when they finally get to El Paso Wrecking.....The foremen charges at Halsted, and they rassle around a bit...this is chopped up, as is the extended orgy scene at the end, which has this great soundtrack, interspliced with old buildings falling under the Wrecking ball (no doubt Gene's idea, lets have an orgy in each building before we knock them down!)...

Kansas City Trucking Co. (1976) clocks in at approx 70 minutes. I just today (9/19/01) got the GAGETAPE copy, and will be comparing this version to newer issues. Come back for an update around Oct 1st.

L. A. Tool and Die (1979) clocks in at 87 minutes, and as far as I can tell, the "newer" issues of this are the same; my copy has previews at the end, for Alleycats from Joey Yale and American Cream

Heatstroke (1982) clocks in at 87 minutes (ah, the music by Man Parrish! ) (ah, the kung-fu movie at the drive-in scene!)I believe that the Heatstroke available today the full-length (but don't quote me on that til I get my hands on a newer copy, so I can compare for myself!) - IF you only own one Joe Gage tape, then THIS should be it, its fantastic!!

other titles: "HANDsome" (precursor to HEATSTROKE ); Closed Set; Closed Set 2; 501. "DJANGO", which you may have heard of if you have a copy of Heatstroke ("the Gage Men will return in Django") was never actually produced.

also look for the name Mac Larsen; a name Joe Gage used for several films in the early 80's that he did for P.M. Productions, like "In the Name of Leather", "Tough Guys", "Red Ball Express" (HOT HOT HOT - Jayson MacBride!!), "Oil Rig #99", "Cell Block 99" - many recently released by the inept CREAM OF THE CROP** He did this films usually in a manner of days (compared to L A Tool, which took 20 days for filming alone!)

don't forget his "brother", SAM, who produced these amazing films

some of their work pops up in those great "HANKY CODE" compilations by P M Productions,

***Cream of the Crop..... great that they are re-releasing "lost" stuff from Mac Larsen, and works with Wrangler, etc, in them. but they usually get the plot synopsis wrong (yes, their were plots, some good ones, back in the 70's and early 80's) and the cover art for "In the Name..." boasts "LOST for 25 YEARS" it came out in 1982... DO THE MATH!!!

updated 02/10/02