The Making of "Evan."

[Pink Flaming0]

From the Book "The Making Of Miami Vice" by MacGregor and MacGregorMann asked Rob Cohen if he was interested in directing an episode. But at the time, hewas producing a movie for Tri-Star, The Legend of Billie Jean, and he couldn't. But amonth after Cohen's film project ended, Mann called and asked if he was free. "He toldme he wanted me to do a comedy. 'But hey, this series is a drama,' I told him."Mann pointed out that there were some crazy characters like Switek, Zito, Izzy andNoogie, and he wanted Cohen to build a story around the four of them. "He said he'dput me in touch with Joel Surnow, who was story editor then. I was very excited—notjust about directing, but being on the ground floor of the story itself. So Joel and Istarted working together on 'Made for Each Other,' the one and only MIAMI VICEcomedy."The story is about how the world's worst thief and the world's worst fence team upwith Switek and Zito to bust a guy who was fencing all kinds of equipment in Miami."It was an experience to do this kind of thing in seven days, which I thought wasimpossible. And it was great to do things like explosions and machine guns and carchases and all kinds of stuff. I found I just loved it. My fantasy life and the fantasy life ofthe show kind of overlapped."This episode set the stage for Cohen's next VICE project, "Evan," nominated for anEmmy for best editing. "The original script was about a right-wing Cuban group thatgets these guns to shoot up a Cuban Mardi Gras and blame it on Castro. In the middleof this is a story about a guy Crockett used to know and hates. He hates him for noother reason than the death of another guy who got killed because the first guy wasplaying hero. Well, I read the script and it just didn't work. So I had to do what youhave to do sometimes down there: I threatened to go home unless someone paid someattention to what I was saying. This was on a Friday and we were supposed to startshooting on Wednesday."Cohen and some of the other people involved in the production consulted with thestory department in LA by phone. He told them he saw the story as being abouthomosexuality. "This is about what happens when a cop who's gay in a time when itwasn't fashionable to be gay commits suicide because Evan, his partner, turns him inand Crockett didn't do anything. That's why Crockett hates Evan and hates himself."They worked out a story over the weekend. "Everybody divided up the acts. OnMonday the script came tumbling through the computer and I put them together and itwas one of those amazing things: out of four minds came a superior episode."Cohen and Dennis Cooper, a VICE writer in Miami, synthesized the script in termsof writing styles and deleted a few scenes that didn't work. By then it was Mondaynight. During the production meeting, Cohen began to feel ill. "I came down with theflu. All Monday night, I was in horrible shape. A doctor was brought in. All dayTuesday, I was blitzed. John Nicolella kept telling me he would direct the episode and Icould do the next one. I told him no. I wanted to do it. I knew we had something terrificwith this episode."On Wednesday morning Cohen's girlfriend, Diana, flew down from LA "She savedmy life. I got out of bed. I was told to wear a surgical mask so I wouldn't infect DonJohnson. I told them I wasn't wearing any goddamned surgical mask and went to theset."William Russ, who Cohen had never met but who he'd seen on several TV shows,played the part of Evan. "I felt confident he was perfect for the part and once he startedacting, I knew the decision was right."The first scene set the tone for the episode, he recalls. "Don came out onto the set theway he always does: I'm the star, I'm Sonny, let's go. But Bill came out and just startedtearing up the scene—he was great—and Don realized that this episode he would haveto bear down. This was not phone-it-in time."Meanwhile, Nicolella stormed out onto the set, demanding that Cohen wear thesurgical mask. "We almost got into a fist fight over the stupid surgical mask. So Ipainted a beard on the thing and put it on. After lunch a doctor came out and certifiedthat I wasn't contagious, so off came the mask and we went on shooting."The week of shooting "Evan" was, Cohen recalls, a magical one, filled with surprises.His thirty-sixth birthday took place on the night they shot a gas station scene in whichCrockett tells Tubbs the truth about why Evan's partner killed himself. It's a particularlymoving scene in which the friendship between the two cops is deepened because ofCrockett's confession—that he could have intervened and didn't. "That seven-minute,uninterrupted scene is something I'll always be very proud of. The episode had no rightto be that good because of the original script."

[Stinger390X]

I am extremely gracious to you for posting this outstanding story from the inside. I have always liked Evan as one of my favourite episodes of season one, and many will agree with me it is an outstanding episode. I read a number of postings on another website that was in regards to "The Great McCarthy" from some of the original boaters to the guy who set up the race. It was also fascinating to hear all about the "inside scoop" on MV.If you have any more stories from those days I would be very interested in hearing them as I suppose others on this site would be too!Once again thanks for posting and hoping to hear more in the near future.

[Pink Flaming0]

I am extremely gracious to you for posting this outstanding story from the inside. I have always liked Evan as one of my favourite episodes of season one' date=' and many will agree with me it is an outstanding episode.I read a number of postings on another website that was in regards to "The Great McCarthy" from some of the original boaters to the guy who set up the race. It was also fascinating to hear all about the "inside scoop" on MV.If you have any more stories from those days I would be very interested in hearing them as I suppose others on this site would be too!Once again thanks for posting and hoping to hear more in the near future.[/quote']Thanks Stinger!!This was from the book "The Making Of Miami Vice" by MacGregor and MacGregor.

[Stinger390X]

Thanks for clarifying.I have never heard of that book?I did find one on Amazon written by a "Trish Janeshutz" but I could not find the one you mentioned?I also found a book On MV written by Steven M.Saunders.What year was this McGregor book published?

[Pink Flaming0]

Thanks for clarifying.I have never heard of that book?I did find one on Amazon written by a "Trish Janeshutz" but I could not find the one you mentioned?I also found a book On MV written by Steven M.Saunders.What year was this McGregor book published?

Look Here: http://store.crossroadpress.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=9_279&products_id=561

[Stinger390X]

thanks for the link...appreciate it.

[Pink Flaming0]

thanks for the link...appreciate it.

You're Welcome !For 3.99 its worth the purchase. I bought the .pdf format which I can load on my tablet, smartphone and desktop.

[Stinger390X]

I'll have to check that out myself. for a minute there | thought you were the director as it was written in the first person narrative???

[Pink Flaming0]

Bump this one again

[Matt5]

Just read this awesome