#99 - Fruit of the Poison Tree


Matt5

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Good locations for this episode [ filmed 6-14 December 1988 airing in early 1989]-Directed by Michelle Manning - the first episode she had directed for the show ( a young producer who had worked as a co producer on "The Breakfast Club" movie and worked her way to President of Production for Paramount Pictures by 1997 ) .1.Teaser - Government Centre Metrorail station used extensively2.Opening Credit- Courtroom Scenes / lobby - North Dade Justice Centre ( as "Line of Fire" ) 3.Parking garage sequence - Greenberg Taurig Parking garage roof 4.Brickell / S Bayshore & Brickell Key Drive used a lot in this episode- seen in b/g from buildings. Brickell Key Drive also used for bridge scene.5.Testarossa Scene- Stock footage used when C&T rush to Gina except sandwiched in the footage is a new shot or unused shot ,more likely, of the Testarossa heading through the 5000 -4900 block of Collins ( Southbound ) with a striking sunset in the b/g - it is only a couple of second shot and you can see the Doral at 4800 in b/g as they approach . Really nice.https://maps.google.co.uk/maps?q=4800+Collins+Avenue,+Miami+Beach,+FL,+United+States&hl=en&ll=25.825215,-80.122111&spn=0.009947,0.018475&sll=25.736644,-80.164833&sspn=0.010051,0.018475&oq=4800+col&hnear=4800+Collins+Ave,+Miami+Beach,+Florida+33140,+United+States&t=m&z=16&layer=c&cbll=25.825122,-80.122131&panoid=EktyUGmklrsl_GyWyMmh6g&cbp=12,185.5,,0,-22.5:thumbsup::DNorth Dade Justice Centre lobby and building designed by Arquitectonica - This is the upper floor where Sonny and Rico came down to meet Sam and young lawyer-http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=arquitectonica+north+dade+courthouse&FORM=HDRSC2#view=detail&id=83F2BCD3FDDB39B4F90AC092CF620E010D7FA9C7&selectedIndex=2

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Good work Matt. Nothing compares with Vice but if you run out of locations to look for, check out Burn Notice. It has plenty of unidentified Miami locations in its more recent seasons.
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Good work Matt. Nothing compares with Vice but if you run out of locations to look for' date=' check out Burn Notice. It has plenty of unidentified Miami locations in its more recent seasons.[/quote']Thanks Jim - Ive never seen Burn Notice. I am working my way watching the Season 5 episodes - really enjoying them - "Fruit of the Poison Tree " was excellent . Didnt enjoy "Borrasca" far too violent and dark - with no DJ :D
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JIM - if you can watch the quick segment with Sonny and Rico rushing in the Testarossa to Gina - sandwiched in between is a 2 second shot on Collins going through 5000-4900 block south with a deep sunset in b/g and Doral at 4800 in b/g- its a stunning shot and if Im correct has never been used in the series up to this point.:D
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JIM - if you can watch the quick segment with Sonny and Rico rushing in the Testarossa to Gina - sandwiched in between is a 2 second shot on Collins going through 5000-4900 block south with a deep sunset in b/g and Doral at 4800 in b/g- its a stunning shot and if Im correct has never been used in the series up to this point.:D

Ya nice shot. I think the closest shot was in 'Everybodys in Showbiz' when we see Don Gallego walking with his guys north along Indian Creek in the 5200 block of Collins Ave. Later Tubbs meets with Don Gallego on Indian Creek at about the same location.
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Ya nice shot. I think the closest shot was in 'Everybodys in Showbiz' when we see Don Gallego walking with his guys north along Indian Creek in the 5200 block of Collins Ave. Later Tubbs meets with Don Gallego on Indian Creek at about the same location.

I agree Jim - this must have been unused stock footage :thumbsup::D
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The opening teaser shots of Downtown Miami must have been filmed at the same time as the Season opener "Hostile Takeover" similar style and shots .:D:thumbsup:

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The opening teaser shots of Downtown Miami must have been filmed at the same time as the Season opener "Hostile Takeover" similar style and shots .:D:thumbsup:

Good observation Matt, I noticed the similarities myself. Awesome shots of the Metrorail moving over neon lit bridges with the night skyline in the background. You see the same image in The Specialist as Sly is looking out from his building.
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Good observation Matt' date=' I noticed the similarities myself. Awesome shots of the Metrorail moving over neon lit bridges with the night skyline in the background. You see the same image in The Specialist as Sly is looking out from his building.[/quote']Shot on Sw 1st Ave/ Sw 8th St area looking towards Downtown - you are right , Jim, we see a similar view in "The Specialist" and the Miami Vice Movie of 2006. The metrorail passes over SW1st.:D
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  • 4 months later...

The boat house looks similar to the one in Badge of Dishonor on NW river Drive. for the airfield Lauderdale Executive airport is a candidate. less likely is North Perry airport in Pembroke Pines that was also used in Trust Fund Pirates.

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  • 1 year later...

The house where the boy is blown up looks similar to the Evan house but yet it is a different location.

 

I've made a fairly intensive search for this house over the past month, but I just cannot find it.  This is C Glide's next ep to publish and I'm waiting on pins & needles to see if he has found this house.

 

It's on a cul de sac with no house at the end of the street.  That's fairly a unique situation.  Most cul de sacs have houses all the way around the circle.  Behind Gina one can see a traffic light, so I think there is a major road just beyond the wall running perpendicular to Gina's street.  The setup should be exactly like this: http://binged.it/1Rnp4sC , but that isn't the house.  I've searched east of US-1 from Cutler up to Aventura, as well as Miami Beach.  It "feels" like Pinecrest to me, but my feels are usually wrong.  Maybe this is a rare time they went west of US-1?

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I've made a fairly intensive search for this house over the past month, but I just cannot find it. This is C Glide's next ep to publish and I'm waiting on pins & needles to see if he has found this house.

It's on a cul de sac with no house at the end of the street. That's fairly a unique situation. Most cul de sacs have houses all the way around the circle. Behind Gina one can see a traffic light, so I think there is a major road just beyond the wall running perpendicular to Gina's street. The setup should be exactly like this: http://binged.it/1Rnp4sC , but that isn't the house. I've searched east of US-1 from Cutler up to Aventura, as well as Miami Beach. It "feels" like Pinecrest to me, but my feels are usually wrong. Maybe this is a rare time they went west of US-1?

Totally agree. I am relieved that I am not the only one who can't find it even after systematic search. Usually -like in case of the Indian Wars villa where I wrecked my brains in a similar way - this means the house has been torn down, because we as a team have become too good at location hunting just to miss it. Edited by Tom
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  • 2 months later...

When the train arrives in the station, I believe the film is not just reversed side to side, but it is also played backwards.  The train is appears to be arriving, but the actual train that they filmed was leaving the station.

 

I like how the C4 explosive doesn't even damage the porch railing.    :D

 

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Great job as always, C Glide!

But sad to see that even you failed to pinpoint the Enriquez house/boy blow-up location which gave Airtommy and me some headache already ... and I have set such high hopes on you.... :p

The first airfield scenes in the middle of the episode are for sure shot on Opa Locka as well due to travel logistics.

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:) 

When the train arrives in the station, I believe the film is not just reversed side to side, but it is also played backwards.  The train is appears to be arriving, but the actual train that they filmed was leaving the station.

 

I like how the C4 explosive doesn't even damage the porch railing.    :D

Yep, but at least the railing gets smoked a bit and looks like a used BBQ. :p

I suspect that they had to save FX cost for this ep, as Enriquez smears black tar on one of the cameras in the teaser while trying to escape from Crockett. Maybe that cleaning process was tricky and consumed all the fun budget.

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Great job as always, C Glide!

But sad to see that even you failed to pinpoint the Enriquez house/boy blow-up location which gave Airtommy and me some headache already ... and I have set such high hopes on you.... :p

The first airfield scenes in the middle of the episode are for sure shot on Opa Locka as well due to travel logistics.

Not to worry, I will come back to it and we will find this house.

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I just posted this episode (finally) on my website. Sorry it took so long but I have been straight out busy. Enjoy.

 

 

Great work as always !

The stock footage building does look like California / Los Angeles for sure  :D

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  • 10 months later...

A friend randomly asked me about this episode yesterday, I came across your community here, and was amazed about the discussion you guys were having about the house that blew up in this episode (the Enriquez/Gina's safe house/boy exploded house). I was amazed because the explosion scene was filmed at MY house when I was in 8th grade. I'm 41 now. I think it's the only episode of Miami Vice I've ever seen from beginning to end (I was 13).

Just watching you all discuss it a year ago, no one having a clue where, but for me, this one scene of this one show was the only time anything was ever filmed there during the 20 years it was my family's house (1985 to 2005), which may be part of why it was so hard for you to find.

The house is at 20251 NE 25 Ave, Miami, FL 33180. It's technically in unincorporated North Miami-Dade county, not "Miami". The big street behind the wall is Ives Dairy Road between I-95 and Biscayne. It's nearly across the street from Highland Oaks Middle School. The new owners took down our basketball net that I used every day, and built a court in the backyard instead.

Everyone in my school knew about the house and that they filmed Miami Vice there. I have photos and maybe even videos stored away somewhere from the day they filmed it. If I find them, I now realize there's a community online that actually would be interested in it.

While I'm a Democrat, the only other big event that happened at our house was my dad (who's a Republican) hosted a fundraiser for George H.W. Bush there when he was running for president. That was in June 1987, the day I graduated 6th grade. The Secret Service shut down all of I-95 just for Bush's car, and I couldn't go in my house during the morning because bomb-sniffing dogs had to make sure the place was safe. They had snipers in the trees and on the roof; it was crazy.

I can tell you more about my day with Miami Vice if you want to know. I knew who Crockett & Tubbs were, and I knew who Edward James Olmos was because I went to school with his son Bodie (he was in my grade). Let me know what questions you have. Keep in mind it'll be from the perspective of someone who was 13 at the time.

Since you're all big fans, I hope this has been useful.

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Great info A.J.  Welcome to the site.  Yes there are quite a few people here interested in everything you have to post.

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i'll see what photos i can find. i know they definitely existed. i remember trying to take photos of don johnson and phillip michael thomas while they were in the car waiting on the street to speed up to my house. i remember they had a shot on a track with the kid playing basketball, then they did one up closer of them bringing the stuff from the trunk up the front stairs. then they did the explosion, shooting from the cul de sac. then i remember them explaining to my mother that they needed to set the house on fire again because they needed to put a camera at the front door to film the aftermath of crockett & tubbs arriving, gina in shock/anguish, and my mom was worried enough about the 1st explosion, so the thought of setting the house on fire again didn't make sense to her. i recorded the explosion on my home video camera and i remember showing it to the director because i don't think they had invented video playback yet, so my home video was the only way they knew what it looked like until their film got developed at the lab.

and i remember being annoyed that there was like a security guy or P.A. standing in my way so i couldn't take photos of johnson/thomas in the car, and i didn't realize at first that he was standing in my way ON PURPOSE because i guess johnson/thomas didn't want to be in photos. it didn't cross my mind that it could be considered rude or anything, because at the time i just wanted my photos, and i didn't think about if they would mind. the two of them were really only there for like 5 seconds on screen driving up too late to warn her, so all they did was wait in front of our next door neighbor's house, drive a few feet, speed up to my house, and slam right on the brakes, then give gina a hug. i had to stand by my neighbor's house for that shot because no one was allowed in the cul de sac or else we'd be in the shot. i remember that i did know the car from the show, and i thought it was awesome. i didn't think to ask if they'd let me sit in the car, but they were all working so no one really cared what some kid wanted to do.

i never talked to johnson, although thomas knew our neighbor somehow and went into their house to say hi. i don't think i interacted with santiago, but i think i did talk to the kid playing Nicky briefly, but he was older than me. I remember thinking that he had no idea how to play basketball and the shot he threw up, he had no intention of making the shot at all, it was just a terrible brick against the backboard for show.

i remember thinking there was more fire the 2nd time they lit everything up when they put the camera at the front door. i remember thinking that the two shots of the house on fire didn't match each other, once i saw the episode on tv. if i can find my videotape, i might have some other takes or rehearsals of santiago/gina screaming "he was just a kid!". i was confused how crockett says "we'll get him" to her, they must have dubbed that in later, but i didn't understand that at the time. also, i remember asking one of the production people where the dead body of the kid is supposed to be, because there was no dummy body there or anything, and they were not concerned about it. i think they said something about the box or explosive device or whatever was there looked kind of like a body.

my mom was worried about the damage to our paint on the wall on the front of the house. it was pretty charred for a while. i think the show paid to have it repainted, but i kind of recall there still being problems with it after that. i think we eventually had to put in new railings along the steps leading from the sidewalk to the front door because they were never quite right after that.

also, our front door was white like the rest of the front of the house, but i think they covered it in pink contact paper for filming, i guess because it looks better on camera? or so it'd be easier to see where the front door was? they took the pink stuff off when they were done that day. i think the new owners of the house have a totally different door now.

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Thanks, I really love all of these details!!!

It's really cool that the director looked at your own video.  :thumbsup:

I remember thinking the same thing about the layup that kid clanked off the backboard.  Embarrassing!  :)

I never even thought about the missing body.  It's funny how they can just slip huge goofs past us.  If you watch the explosion frame by frame you can see he's already gone in the first frame of the explosion:

 Fruit1.png

Did your family build this house, or was somebody living there before you?

Edited by airtommy
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