Calling all Detectives: Group effort

[miamijimf]

Correct. Think I screwed up and looked behind the wrong Ocean condo. I must have just looked up a condo named Ocean on Sunny Isles without rechecking the address. Oh well, I had a good time anyway, nice beach.

[C Glide]

Correct. Think I screwed up and looked behind the wrong Ocean condo. I must have just looked up a condo named Ocean on Sunny Isles without rechecking the address. Oh well' date=' I had a good time anyway, nice beach.[/quote']Yes, nice beach, nice day, nice pictures, and now you have them before some other monster rises on the location.

[miamijimf]

Ya damn high rise condos (Ocean 2 and 3 and their ilk), they have caused me problems more than once. If no one else can get to that location anytime soon I will make another trip down there in a few months. I hate to not accomplish the mission.

[Matt5]

Great Jim - what an awful condo .

[C Glide]

OKay, I may have just taken a trip out where the buses don't run but here goes. I was just watching this scene and I focused on the part where T+C make their approach toward the bar. We see a number of important clues here but one that I am focused on now is the shape/design of the building we see in the bg. Notice in the screen cap below that the building has an L (or possibly T or U) shape out by what we presume is Collins Ave. At the end of the "L" is a semi unique staircase column. To me this does not match up with the Chateau.The building appears to be approximately 5 stories tall. I took a flight on Historic Aerials.com from The Chateau and headed south. I was looking for any building which had such a staircase out by the road on the south side of the building. I traveled down to 9449 Collins which we have seen the front of in The Prodigal Son. It is a match. Now the first thing one may say is no way because there is a beach grass berm between the hotels and the ocean on this section. Well not right here at that time. I attach below a 1980 pic with nothing but bare sand and a 1986 pic with palm trees planted, still no grass.Now it may sound crazy but there maybe something to this. def. worth looking in to. At the time it was called the Palms, I believe and later renamed the Beach House. We need to find pictures of the beach side. The building to the south was torn down in about 2002 but the next building to the south is still there and looks favorable. If we could get a high resolution picture of the behind the scenes photo that shows some of the beach to the south we would be able to use this still existing building to help confirm the location. If we found a picture of the NE corner of the hotel that used to be just south of the Palms, that could also be used as we see that in the ep. What do yall think?

[CharlieGlide]

I can't add much to this thread. But I just wanted to chip in that I LOVE how much work you've put into these location searches.I'm hoping to get to Miami again at some point (last time was about 2000) and when I go, this thread will be studied very seriously. I want to go on a very personal tour of some of the Vice locations.Keep up the great work!

[C Glide]

I can't add much to this thread. But I just wanted to chip in that I LOVE how much work you've put into these location searches.I'm hoping to get to Miami again at some point (last time was about 2000) and when I go' date=' this thread will be studied very seriously. I want to go on a very personal tour of some of the Vice locations.Keep up the great work![/quote']

[Matt5]

Fantastic they used the front of The Palms briefly in "The Prodigal Son" but this looks favourable !

[CarolineUK]

OKay" data-date=" I may have just taken a trip out where the buses don">

http://www.sffl.comcastbiz.net/wpimages/wp731520bd.pngThe building appears to be approximately 5 stories tall. I took a flight on Historic Aerials.com from The Chateau and headed south. I was looking for any building which had such a staircase out by the road on the south side of the building. I traveled down to 9449 Collins which we have seen the front of in The Prodigal Son. It is a match. Now the first thing one may say is no way because there is a beach grass berm between the hotels and the ocean on this section. Well not right here at that time. I attach below a 1980 pic with nothing but bare sand and a 1986 pic with palm trees planted, still no grass.Now it may sound crazy but there maybe something to this. def. worth looking in to. At the time it was called the Palms, I believe and later renamed the Beach House. We need to find pictures of the beach side. The building to the south was torn down in about 2002 but the next building to the south is still there and looks favorable. If we could get a high resolution picture of the behind the scenes photo that shows some of the beach to the south we would be able to use this still existing building to help confirm the location. If we found a picture of the NE corner of the hotel that used to be just south of the Palms, that could also be used as we see that in the ep. What do yall think?

CGlide - I have found this birds eye view of the location you've given on Bing maps - when you get in any closer from the sea, the building has been demolished and all that's left is an empty site. I have a book on Surfside/Bal Harbor but there are no photos in there of the hotel. Hope this is of some help - the hotel Palms later Beach House is indicated by the red arrow:[ATTACH=CONFIG]6845[/ATTACH]

[C Glide]

6845[/ATTACH]

Thanks, it does help but not enough for me to say one way or the other 100%. Still possible that it could have been filmed here. Somewhere there must be pictures. I have several books on the area so I will look thru those as well.

[Matt5]

Some pictures of the beach side of The Palms/ Beach House 9449 Collins here - http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g34439-d86902-Reviews-Beach_House_Bal_Harbour-Miami_Beach_Florida.html

[C Glide]

Some pictures of the beach side of The Palms/ Beach House 9449 Collins here - http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g34439-d86902-Reviews-Beach_House_Bal_Harbour-Miami_Beach_Florida.html

Thanks. I guess I can pretty much rule that out. But it does tell me that I am looking for a building with a shorter base to the L shape which is helpfull.

[Matt5]

Thanks. I guess I can pretty much rule that out. But it does tell me that I am looking for a building with a shorter base to the L shape which is helpfull.

Shame

[CarolineUK]

StreetwiseA while ago I found the location where Silk pulled up in his car - it was behind the Fairwind on Collins Court. Here are recent pictures from that area (they were taken hastily as it's not the best area to be hanging around in!)In the same episode, C&T go up a staircase which is open - to film the scene in a closed-in area like Collins Court or Ocean Court, they must have needed an open area to place the cameramen & crew - maybe?. I thought I had a possibility as there was a clear view across Collins behind the hotel Carlton (at 1432 Collins) but there is a lip on my pictured one but not in the episode. Oh well it was worth a try:

[Matt5]

In the same episode" data-date=" C&T go up a staircase which is open - to film the scene in a closed-in area like Collins Court or Ocean Court, they must have needed an open area to place the cameramen & crew - maybe?. I thought I had a possibility as there was a clear view across Collins behind the hotel Carlton (at 1432 Collins) but there is a lip on my pictured one but not in the episode. Oh well it was worth a try:[IMG">

http://i988.photobucket.com/albums/af9/suzyuk111/Miami%20ans%20Keys%202012/IMG_0614b.jpg

Great Sue:thumbsup:

[CarolineUK]

Great Sue:thumbsup:

Thanks, Matt!

[Pink Flaming0]

In the same episode" data-date=" C&T go up a staircase which is open - to film the scene in a closed-in area like Collins Court or Ocean Court, they must have needed an open area to place the cameramen & crew - maybe?. I thought I had a possibility as there was a clear view across Collins behind the hotel Carlton (at 1432 Collins) but there is a lip on my pictured one but not in the episode. Oh well it was worth a try:[IMG">

http://i988.photobucket.com/albums/af9/suzyuk111/Miami%20ans%20Keys%202012/IMG_0614b.jpg

Nice Work, Sue!

[Brother in Arms]

i find this tread great

[Pink Flaming0]

BTS Pictures:

I thought maybe this might be the Best Western Oceanfront Resort because the sliding glass doors were almost a match but they don't seem to be. Also the bottom floor of the Oceanfront sits up higher.

[Pink Flaming0]

Also I found this link: Vintage Miami Beach Hotels not sure if has been posted yet but a great collection none the less..This site as well : Miami Beach Collection

[miamijimf]

Also I found this link: Vintage Miami Beach Hotels not sure if has been posted yet but a great collection none the less..

Cool link, thanks.

[Matt5]

Also I found this link: Vintage Miami Beach Hotels not sure if has been posted yet but a great collection none the less..This site as well : Miami Beach Collection

Nice work - thanks !

[Pink Flaming0]

Old Ivan Tors StudioJust wanted to side step our detective work for minute, I thought this was interesting information from a historic prospective. First a picture I came across tonight while researching some locations.Phil and Don taking a break outside the studio.And some history.January 21, 1990|By JACK ZINK, Cultural Affairs WriterAfter nearly 20 years of decay and a brush within shouting distance of the auctioneer, North Miami`s landmark Ivan Tors movie studios are in a burst of production activity that`s led to multimillion-dollar expansion plans.Now called Greenwich Studio City, the block-long complex is near the completion of a $2.5 million renovation to bring its four studios up to modern standards.Construction has taken place around an increasingly busy production schedule. Last fall El Magnate, an Hispanic soap opera, followed Miami Vice into the studio`s biggest sound stages. The series will remain there full-time until April. 21 Jump Street was headquartered at the studio earlier this month. Music videos have been done lately at Greenwich by Patti LaBelle and the bands Warrant and Cameo.``A lot of people are giving me awards and patting my back and saying thank you for saving the studios,`` new owner Stanley Markofsky says.``That`s great, but they better send us some business because if we don`t get the dollars coming in, we`re not going to be able to save this place.``Markofsky, 38, says he plays that hard-line approach occasionally to remind both City Hall and a grateful film industry that his motivations are all business. Otherwise, the real estate developer has quickly adjusted to being able to go to work most days in denims or loud shorts and sport shirts instead of suits.``Part of my decision to make the investment is that Florida is behind the film industry,`` Markofsky said. ``I`m still young and it`s fun -- but I`m a capitalist. I`m not doing this for my ego. I want to make money.``He spends 10 days in Los Angeles every month to pitch the studios to Hollywood-based producers. His brother and partner Ian lives in New York City and conducts similar promotions there.At home, he`s courting production-related companies to move into the complex in order to provide producers with on-site professional services.Markofsky is also confidently planning to launch a building expansion at the end of the year. Three more sound stages plus editing and other postproduction facilities, some on a side street`s right of way recently turned over to the studios by North Miami`s enthusiastic city commission, will cost $5 million to $7 million.The expansion will more than double the size of the studios responsible for Flipper, Gentle Ben and Miami Vice to 110,000 square feet of movie-related businesses.Markofsky bought the property last February for $1.5 million. The nationally known and industry-respected Tors moniker would still be on the side of the building if not for legal problems with the late filmmaker`s estate over use of his name. The new Greenwich title is a tie-in with Markofsky`s upscale, 30- acre residential development that abuts the studio property.``Because of the quality of the residential project and recreational facilities, I was really worried that this property was in such disarray,`` Markofsky said last week from his office in the studio`s hub.``To protect my $30 million property behind this, I said to myself that I`d better buy this thing and figure it out and put up a shopping center and apartments.``But when he made the purchase offer, ``we were bombarded with `save the studios` -- they were just bashing me,`` he said.Markofsky responded by offering to rezone a portion of the lot, saving some of the complex for making movies.But after researching the film industry to see whether he could generate income on that promise, he decided to renovate the entire compound.The existing buildings have received new electrical wiring and significant boosts in power supply; Miami Vice was forced to use generators during shoots. New air conditioning, dressing rooms, screening rooms, offices and editing rooms are all within weeks of completion. Still to come is a commissary.Eventually, six of the seven stages at Greenwich will be as large or larger than those at Disney-MGM Studios near Orlando.Story Link

[Matt5]

Nice info thanks

[C Glide]