#99 - Fruit of the Poison Tree


Matt5

Recommended Posts

We didn't build the house, but it wasn't that old. There was a previous owner.

I downloaded the episode yesterday because I hadn't seen it in a while and I noticed you can see in the bottom right of the frame the wood blocks that the camera track rested on in the shot. It's the shot where the kid walks to the car. Those would be digitally removed today, but that was just some sloppy camera work.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 7/20/2016 at 5:44 PM, A.J. said:

We didn't build the house, but it wasn't that old. There was a previous owner.

I downloaded the episode yesterday because I hadn't seen it in a while and I noticed you can see in the bottom right of the frame the wood blocks that the camera track rested on in the shot. It's the shot where the kid walks to the car. Those would be digitally removed today, but that was just some sloppy camera work.

Another thing I never noticed, even though I've watched this scene many times as I was trying to look for clues to help find the location!

Fruit2.png

Edited by airtommy
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

vor 21 Stunden schrieb A.J.:

We didn't build the house, but it wasn't that old. There was a previous owner.

I downloaded the episode yesterday because I hadn't seen it in a while and I noticed you can see in the bottom right of the frame the wood blocks that the camera track rested on in the shot. It's the shot where the kid walks to the car. Those would be digitally removed today, but that was just some sloppy camera work.

According to a short internet research, the house was originally built in 1981 and has a current value of 1.2m for 6 bedrooms and 6 baths.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Details, details, details, love reading new posts from someone who was there.  And welcome to the best fan site on the internet!

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Watched this ep now again after A.J.s hint with his house. Great that we have found nearly all locations, but one (Enriquez home interior scenes).

I am wondering if the interior of Enriquez house was also filmed in A.J.s house. On one hand I doubt that, as the colors of Enriquez rooms and walls look more beige to me than white what does not fit with the overall style of A.J.s home. On the other hand, I cannot imagine that the crew picked a second house only to shoot the few interior party scenes with Gina and Enriquez that mostly play in one room and use a lot of close ups. Somehow, my gut tells me they did not use the exterior of 1727 W27, Sunset Island 2 falsely for Enriquez home for no reason. 

A.J.: can you remember if they filmed inside your house as well? Do your recognize any rooms used in the interior scenes of Enriquez home?

 

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 7/29/2016 at 2:04 PM, Tom said:

I am wondering if the interior of Enriquez house was also filmed in A.J.s house. On one hand I doubt that, as the colors of Enriquez rooms and walls look more beige to me than white what does not fit with the overall style of A.J.s home. On the other hand, I cannot imagine that the crew picked a second house only to shoot the few interior party scenes with Gina and Enriquez that mostly play in one room and use a lot of close ups.  Somehow, my gut tells me they did not use the exterior of 1727 W27, Sunset Island 2 falsely for Enriquez home for no reason.

Yes, this makes sense.  If they used AJ's house for the interiors that they would not be able to use it for the exterior, so they'd just go to their archives and grab some previous footage.   CGlide says the exterior shot is re-used footage from "Lend Me An Ear":  http://www.miamivicelocations5.org/page18.html

AJ, did your house have a Jacuzzi?

Fruit3.png

Edited by airtommy
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi guys. Yeah, no, they definitely did not film inside my house. I would certainly have known if they had. Nobody went inside except the crew that temporarily changed the color of the front door, the kid who played Nicky on screen, and I think the director and/or AD (to me at the time, just 2 or 3 adults who seemed to be in charge) came inside to watch the footage I took of the explosion from my home video camera.

Couldn't they have just filmed it at a sound stage (Greenwich, etc?)? I just rewatched the kissing scene and the party scene. There's just a hot tub, walls, a door, a room, and at the party there's just a bunch of tv's and a bookcase with books. Nothing too expensive to build at a sound stage. I see nothing that indicates it must be an actual home. There's no windows showing outside, for example. Today that can be far more easily faked convincingly than at the time.

I realized the scene kind of doesn't make sense. Enriquez doesn't know Gina's a cop until the moment his innocent meeting in the parking garage is interrupted by C+T. They race to Gina's cover house, but how does the bomb instantly get there? Perhaps Enriquez has someone with a bomb ready to leave at Gina's front door as soon as he gets a call from Enriquez ordering her killed, which call he presumably makes as soon as he got back in his limo? That's the only way the scene could make sense. Gina would have to be outside her house, either arriving or leaving, in order to pick up the bomb during the amount of time it takes C+T to drive from the parking garage to Gina's cover house. That's a pretty crappy plan to try and kill someone. If C+T arrive at her cover house, 99% of the time they'd just see the bomb, call the bomb squad to defuse it, and everybody lives. Also, if Enriquez can call the guy who's leaving the bomb as soon as he gets in his limo, why can't C+T just call Gina at that exact same moment and tell her her cover is blown and to be careful?

Cell phones ruin lots of suspenseful plots. If Enriquez has a cell phone, then so do C+T, and they can warn her. If Enriquez doesn't have a cell phone, then he has no way of planting the bomb in time. I'm sure they'd say Enriquez's bomb assassin picked up his phone, and Gina's went to voicemail. Sorry Nicky...

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks A.J. For the prompt response!

Now we are back to square one regarding the interior Enriquez home.

I doubt that the interior was shot at the studio. There seems to be an inner yard where the sun is shining in the first scene. I agree that it is not an expensive task to stage a home in studio, but they rarely did that throughout the series and never did it in season 5. The few cases where they did it e.g. In Vote of Confidence it is obvious.

For me, they either used one of the neighbor homes of A.J. or one that is convenienty close to other locations of this ep for easier logistics. 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

9 hours ago, Tom said:

 

I doubt that the interior was shot at the studio. There seems to be an inner yard where the sun is shining in the first scene. I agree that it is not an expensive task to stage a home in studio, but they rarely did that throughout the series and never did it in season 5. The few cases where they did it e.g. In Vote of Confidence it is obvious.

I agree.  This looks like an actual house and they rarely used the studio for this type of scene.  I'd like to hear CGlide's opinion, since he has a really good eye for studio sets.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

vor 15 Stunden schrieb airtommy:

I agree.  This looks like an actual house and they rarely used the studio for this type of scene.  I'd like to hear CGlide's opinion, since he has a really good eye for studio sets.

They never used studio for upscale homes or villa, only for ordinary apartments. Most likely because it is cheaper to rent such a location for a few thousand bucks a day (at least where I live you can cash that from a film company for one shooting day)  instead of building an expensive looking set for much more money in a studio.

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...
On 8/1/2016 at 4:37 AM, airtommy said:

I agree.  This looks like an actual house and they rarely used the studio for this type of scene.  I'd like to hear CGlide's opinion, since he has a really good eye for studio sets.

Yes this looks like a definite house not a set ;)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...
On 7/19/2016 at 6:33 PM, A.J. said:

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.

The "explosion " house Today - just north of Aventura Mall / Turnberry Isle

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@25.9628801,-80.1515965,3a,75y,59.22h,90t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1skOMrZuHsYXZYMqubRVLu0Q!2e0!7i13312!8i6656!6m1!1e1?hl=en

Edited by Matt5
Link to comment
Share on other sites

22 minutes ago, Tony D. said:

Very interesting Topic.....I can't believe this is the first time I 'm seeing it.  :wuerg:

Thanks, A.J. !   :thumbsup:

Really you missed this first time - it's a nice location too !:D

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...
  • 6 months later...

Miami Vice's 99th episode filmed in December 1988.

A lot of interior / garage scenes were filmed at the Greenberg Taurig building on Brickell for this episode we know that - but the white office interiors look similar to which we saw in "Hard Knocks" also so I would not be suprised if they filmed there too - all unconfirmed though.  Sam left the Taurig garage on SE13th St from the South exit - seen below :D

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@25.7609151,-80.191022,3a,75y,40.52h,96.81t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s902OUZIyz--dEvkgNkKLnA!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

Edited by Matt5
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 months later...

I just posted this as a location trivia question only a few days ago . I took these recreation shots a few months ago at this property just North of Aventura Mall in Ojus- Highland Lakes. Enjoy everyone :hippie:

20251 NE 25th Avenue, Miami 

IMG_0110.JPG

IMG_0111.JPG

IMG_3823.PNG

Edited by Matt5
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 8 months later...

Hey guys, it's A.J. here. Today is the day. I knew this day would come and that it would make you very happy.

I'm pleased to report that I found the VHS tape of the home video that I recorded during the filming of part of this episode at my house on Dec. 14, 1988. I digitized the tape for you guys and proudly present it to you here.

Keep in mind, I was 13 at the time. I think I operated the video camera for the first part, and then I must have handed the camera to someone else during the filming of the final shot of C+T driving up to the house. I'm the one in the dark grey sweatshirt with a SLR camera trying to take still photos of Don Johnson & Philip Michael Thomas in their car.

At the time, everyone in my family was mainly interested in and concerned with "The Explosion". That is what we had all of our attention on. In retrospect, I wish I had recorded more of Nicky and Gina, but I didn't know who they were. All we cared about were C+T, and things blowing up.

They did let me record from across the street during the rehearsal of C+T driving up to Gina. Notice that none of the house was on fire for the rehearsal. I had to move out of camera range when they were really filming, and I believe the final shot we captured in the video from the side is the one that made it into the episode.

This video contains the shot of the explosion that I showed in my living room to the people on the crew. Perhaps video assist hadn't been invented yet. I should have zoomed out, but I didn't realize how big the explosion would be.

Will you all examine this recording like it's the Zapruder Film? My guess is that for a few of you, yes you will. Enjoy!

Miami Vice home video - S5E9 "Fruit of the Poison Tree" (14Dec1988)

  • Like 2
  • Thanks 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.