Rock and a Hard place

[airtommy]

http://miamiviceonline.com/index.php?/gallery/image/5144-4-rock-and-hard-place-2jpg/

In a discussion about this gallery photo, @Matt5 identified the background building as "the Citigroup Centre (now 444 Flower) completed in 1982 and has a role in Michael Mann’s 1995 movie Heat.  Not a bad view of LA from the Hyatt Regency Penthouse suite in Coral Gables,Florida."

The hotel scenes were filmed in Coral Gables.  So, for this shot they must have filmed in front of a green screen and used computer graphics to put a Los Angeles skyline in the background.  I'm actually impressed that they went to that much trouble.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citigroup_Center_(Los_Angeles)

[Matt5]

15 hours ago, airtommy said:

http://miamiviceonline.com/index.php?/gallery/image/5144-4-rock-and-hard-place-2jpg/

In a discussion about this gallery photo, @Matt5 identified the background building as "the Citigroup Centre (now 444 Flower) completed in 1982 and has a role in Michael Mann’s 1995 movie Heat.  Not a bad view of LA from the Hyatt Regency Penthouse suite in Coral Gables,Florida."

The hotel scenes were filmed in Coral Gables.  So, for this shot they must have filmed in front of a green screen and used computer graphics to put a Los Angeles skyline in the background.  I'm actually impressed that they went to that much trouble.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citigroup_Center_(Los_Angeles)

Clever stuff - looking at the angle of the Citi Corp Group Centre building and the Westin Bonaventure Hotel to the right of it - this was roughly the same angle we see later at sunset in the episode when Sonny arrives in LA from across the 110 freeway. (As headed to the penthouse at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Coral Gables).

Edited March 11, 2019 by Matt5

[Tom]

Am 11.3.2019 um 04:37 schrieb airtommy:

http://miamiviceonline.com/index.php?/gallery/image/5144-4-rock-and-hard-place-2jpg/

In a discussion about this gallery photo, @Matt5 identified the background building as "the Citigroup Centre (now 444 Flower) completed in 1982 and has a role in Michael Mann’s 1995 movie Heat.  Not a bad view of LA from the Hyatt Regency Penthouse suite in Coral Gables,Florida."

The hotel scenes were filmed in Coral Gables.  So, for this shot they must have filmed in front of a green screen and used computer graphics to put a Los Angeles skyline in the background.  I'm actually impressed that they went to that much trouble.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citigroup_Center_(Los_Angeles)

No surprise that it was green screen, just a surprise that they used it at all. This is the only incident in the series. When I watched this scene the first time I suspected green screen right away due to the artificially looking lightning and the sharp edges between the actors and the background. But I have to agree this green screen is much more professional than the cheaply produced ones we typically see in Hollywood movies or series during driving scenes.

[Matt5]

I thought they did a fine good making this episode feel like it was in LA. The establishing shots in the teaser and the limo pulling into the Hyatt House in West Hollywood was a clever touch as this was the renowned Rock n’ Roll hotel (“Almost Famous”). So this was thought out.

The other locations were all over the Miami area from Coral Gables up to Haulover Park/ Bal Harbor giving us a nice view of the Haulover Pier there before it was demolished. It was the only time we saw the pier in the Series five year run ( except in the closing credit montage of “A Bullet for Crockett”).

Edited March 14, 2019 by Matt5

[Matt5]

I’m in Bal Harbor today and noticed the Dezerland Surfside Beachside Hotel (1951) at 8701 Collins Avenue has gone. Demolished for an ugly condo. Sad. 

A great location used well for the “LA” record company interior party scene. This location was unchanged right up to 2014 when I last went in.

Edited April 15, 2019 by Matt5

[Tom]

Am 15.4.2019 um 18:31 schrieb Matt5:

I’m in Bal Harbor today and noticed the Dezerland Surfside Beachside Hotel (1951) at 8701 Collins Avenue has gone. Demolished for an ugly condo. Sad. 

A great location used well for the “LA” record company interior party scene. This location was unchanged right up to 2014 when I last went in.

What a shame! I stayed there in 91 and it was a cool place. Only boring beach condos left on the whole stretch down to South Beach.

[Tom]

As shown in the "Rites of passage" episode location thread, the mystery of the location with the consulate in Rites of passage that briefly is seen in the limo window reflection is solved. Short summary here, more details over there. The tile-colored wall is long gone, but well preserved in old photos.

5813 SW 68 Street, South Miami

 

[Tom]

Am 24.3.2013 um 00:32 schrieb C Glide:

'Matt5;267969]Not the building - but the building not yet found when Sonny slams the door of the limo and its in the b/g ( also seen as The Consulate in schrieb:

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?q=4400+biscayne+bvld+miami&hl=en&ll=25.817299' date='-80.188104&spn=0.001427,0.001725&sll=25.816761,-80.188958&layer=c&cbp=13,285.56,,1,-4.84&cbll=25.817403,-80.188073&hnear=4400+Biscayne+Blvd,+Miami,+Miami-Dade,+Florida+33137,+United+States&t=m&z=19&panoid=88wX-Pyyrdrls4MulT3Qag[/url']

Nice try, when all else fails, look close to the studio. Would love to find this location being used in two episodes.

This just shows how wrong our originals hunches (near the studio, near the other limo scenes in this episode on Miracle Mile) were! 

No way I would I have ever found this location by satellite or even walking by without two coincidences: the building is the head office of an interior designer and the architect who built and designed the place took pictures of it when he was finished as a reference.

Lesson learned: location logistics is sometimes the wrong dogma, as they sometimes travelled miles to good locations. For RAAHP this leaves a mystery: WHY did the film this scene there, 4 miles away from other locations (Miracle Mile), when the great building is not even seen on screen, only in a window reflection? The only far fetched explanation I have is that they filmed some of the interior limo driving scenes with C&C along the S.Dixie Highway stretch between Miracle Mile and SW 68 Street ...

[Tom]

NEW LOCATION: Crockett´s and Caitlins house is found.

It is the same house as in Rising sun of death and Love at first sight. Please go to RSOD episode thread for details.

10900 SW 83 Ct, Miami (Kendall section)

 

 

Edited May 16, 2020 by Tom

[airtommy]

I'm kicking myself that I didn't notice this was the same house as Rising Sun of Death.  I actually don't even remember this night exterior scene.

[Tom]

vor 3 Minuten schrieb airtommy:

I'm kicking myself that I didn't notice this was the same house as Rising Sun of Death.  I actually don't even remember this night exterior scene.

I also thought that the houses were different because we assumed that earlier but we were sloppy. But before I started my search today, I checked all three episodes again and falsified that assumption. 

[airtommy]

Oh, the "Don't Dream It's Over" scene!  I had always thought that was at the shootout house.  I didn't realize they went back home first.

[Tom]

vor 5 Minuten schrieb airtommy:

Oh, the "Don't Dream It's Over" scene!  I had always thought that was at the shootout house.  I didn't realize they went back home first.

They went back home after the shootout. The Don’t Dream it’s over scene is the last of the episode.

[Matt5]

On 5/16/2020 at 7:42 PM, Tom said:

NEW LOCATION: Crockett´s and Caitlins house is found.

It is the same house as in Rising sun of death and Love at first sight. Please go to RSOD episode thread for details.

10900 SW 83 Ct, Miami (Kendall section)

 

 

Amazing work @Tom on this location and the colored office building\ party house seen in “Rites of Passage”, Well done and Thankyou.

 

 

Edited May 18, 2020 by Matt5

[Tom]

vor 2 Stunden schrieb Matt5:

Amazing work @Tom on this location and the colored office building\ party house seen in “Rites of Passage”, Well done and Thankyou.

 

 

Thanks and you‘re welcome! These locations have bugged us for years if not decades and -after weeks of resultless search- I was thrilled to find all three on one weekend. Our location expertise is paying off now! 

[Tom]

Funny fact in the reporter scene in front of the "consulate" building: they moved the limo by 90 degrees while filming these two scenes. 

1: establishing scene - limo exterior - reporters surround it - we see a fraction of the "consulate" but enough to see the car is parked in a nearly 90 degree angle to it and a portion of the roof AND the vertical pattern below is visible very far down. That is only possible in the left part of the building. Maybe they even filmed further left of my "1" marking in the picture below?

2: the scene when Crockett closes the door on the manager ("M" in my picture) before the limo drives off. I marked the camera angle they must have used to achieve the picture we see with the only diagonal part of the building pattern visible.

How do I know that they moved the car and brought it parallel to the building? First, the window reflection with the diagonal indention would not be possible. Second, we get a glimpse of the tile pattern while inside the car (picture 3) and that would not have been possible with the car in a 90 degree angle to the building!

In total, this is no big deal, just a small scene continuity flaw. But if furthers increases my interest why they used that location, if they did not show that nice building facade prominently at all? The scene we see here they could have filmed anywhere else ...!

Edited May 23, 2020 by Tom

[Tom]

LAST UNKNOWN LOCATION OF THIS EPISODE FOUND

THE NATIONAL INQUISITOR TABLOID NEWSROOM, 5813 SW 68 Street, South Miami (also known as consulate in Rites of passage)

I am happy that I could solve two mysteries at once:

1. where was that newsroom location and

2. why the heck did they use that parking lot for the small scene with the limo being surrounded by reporters far off from Miracle Mile where they filmed the other reporter scenes? Now we know that this location choice was not as weird as it seemed at first.

The answer to the last question: they simply used the design office of Altman Architects (Dennis Jenkins and Associates) for the newsroom (work spaces of a designer company and reporters look the same) and also for the small scene outdoors for convenience. I only found it because the only use of the parking lot and the way they filmed it made no sense to me, so when looking for the newsroom office I started right here.

Below is proof. The windows briefly seen in the scenes on the front and on the rear plus the distance between the slim vertical window and the corner fully match. In this case we are double lucky as Google Street View works also on the rear of the building.

Another episode fully checked out with all locations. I am happy that my location sleuthing mind still works the right way when I came across this last location today and connected immediately with that parking lot mystery. ENJOY!

PS. backyard and interior pictures are from Altman Architects website. One picture shows the exact location of the editor´s office used.

 

Edited January 31, 2021 by Tom

[Tom]

Last "mystery" of this episode: the exact suite used (on @C Glides location suite it is marked with 14th floor, exact room not verified)

Alhambra Presidential Suite on the 14th floor, 2400 square feet bi-level suite, Hyatt Regency Coral Gables, 50 Alhambra Plaza

There are only 2 bi-level suites in that hotel (254 rooms in total on 14 floors). Only in this one, the stairs match as are the 4 windows and the whole living room. The hotel was opened in 1987 and was brand new at the time of filming. Today it´s a bit aged as some costumer reviews suggest and the colors are not that vicey anymore.

In the episode we even see DJ leave the elevator and walk to the suite´s double door. So we can track where it is located. There is no full floor plan of the 14th floor, only a partial one that shows the executive boardroom that is also located on the 14th floor next to the suites.

This 2015 YT video filmed by guests shows the suite and the area where they filmed perfectly. (the guests have named this suite in their video andalusia suite, but it is in fact the presidential suite, as the Andalusia suite has a big building to block the window view and no unblocked view as the presidential suite where the view matches with the episode): 

Picture proof below.

Edited December 20, 2020 by Tom

[miamijimf]

Amazing work Tom.

[Tom]

vor 4 Minuten schrieb miamijimf:

Amazing work Tom.

Thanks! This was just a smaller location-the missing Caroline Home in Child’s Play that I found this week means much more to me as it is really significant for the episode.

[Buddy Love]

Was the graffiti on the wall behind the skater girl genuine, part genuine or miami vice genuine?

[Tom]

vor 1 Stunde schrieb Buddy Love:

Was the graffiti on the wall behind the skater girl genuine, part genuine or miami vice genuine?

Good question. 
I remember that pier and the wall from that time when I lived in Miami (before it was destroyed by Hurricane Andrew in August 92). In my memory there was no graffiti, but I was there 91/92 and that could have been different in 87. Miami changed a lot between 87 and 91 especially with regard to crime, gang activity and so on. Haulover was a recreation area where lot of people and families would spent their spare time.

But, nothing we see on MV was there coincidentally. They often repainted backgrounds if needed. 
 

As long as nobody can come up with an 87 pic the answer to your question remains open.

[Tom]

the short sauna and theater scenes were also filmed inside the Hyatt Regency (marked as unknown on CGlides location site)

It was completely renovated in 2019, thus the original state is impossible to recreate, but there is and was plenty of room for meetings and conferences including a small stage and the style of the lamps on the walls (bidirectional lights) is still the same although the lamps are more modern now. See my picture with comparison below.

I found no pics from the sauna or spa area (I am not sure whether the interior pool and whirlppol on the 5th floor that is mentioned in the German version of the hotel website only is still there), but it is unlikely that they went to a different location just to film one single scene in a sauna when there is one in Hyatt Regency.

P.S. I updated the presidential suite pics above with some 2015 comparisons and a video before the hotel was renovated and the suite looked nearly the same as in 1987. I also updated the newsroom location above with a new pic as we can even see the exterior colored tiles from the consulate from within the building in the episode still.

Edited December 20, 2020 by Tom

[Tom]

nice interior comparison pic from the National Inquisitor, filmed inside Altman Architects who also designed the Love94 building used in Stone´s war and Amen...send money.

 

[C Glide]

Awesome work.