"Brother's Keeper" | |
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Miami Vice episode | |
Episode no. | Season 1 Episode 1 |
Directed by | Thomas Carter [1] |
Written by | Anthony Yerkovich |
Original air date | September 16, 1984 |
Guest appearances | |
Jimmy Smits Belinda Montgomery Martin Ferrero Miguel Pinero Bill Smitrovich | |
"Brother's Keeper" is the pilot episode of the American crime drama television series Miami Vice . Written by series creator Anthony Yerkovich and directed by Thomas Carter, the episode premiered on NBC on September 16, 1984, with a two-hour (including commercials) season premiere. The episode was received well critically, winning two out of three Emmy Awards for which it was nominated. [2]
NBC would rebroadcast the episode in 2006 during the opening weekend for executive producer/director Michael Mann's theatrical remake starring Colin Farrell and Jamie Foxx.
James "Sonny" Crockett (Don Johnson) is a Metro-Dade vice detective who loses his partner Eddie Rivera (Jimmy Smits) in a car bombing during an undercover operation with a small-time drug dealer. He also is in the middle of an ugly divorce, since his wife can't stand the stress of having a husband working undercover with criminals.
Crockett is investigating a Colombian drug dealer, named Calderone (Miguel Piñero), when he meets a New York police detective named Rafael Tubbs (Philip Michael Thomas). Since they are having problems approaching Calderone due to an unknown mole (leading Tubbs to say "You've got a leak in your department the size of the East River"), Crockett and Tubbs team up after a suggestion by the former's lieutenant Lou Rodriguez (Gregory Sierra), even though they don't like each other.
Crockett begins dating a colleague, Gina Calabrese (Saundra Santiago). However, on their first date, he whispers his ex-wife's name to Gina while they are in bed. Gina and her colleague Trudy Joplin (Olivia Brown) still help Crockett for all job matters, and they discover that Rafael Tubbs is actually a dead New York officer. Crockett confronts "Rafael" and discovers that he is Rafael's brother Ricardo ("Rico" for short) who wants to catch Calderone, his brother's murderer.
Crockett and Tubbs agree to still work together and it pays off, discovering that the traitor is Scott Wheeler (Bill Smitrovich), a DEA agent who works closely with the vice squad. After being confronted and assaulted by Crockett (his former partner), Wheeler is then arrested. Soon afterwards, Calderone himself is arrested, but within a matter of hours gets a judge to sign his release on $2 million bail. Sonny and Rico arrive just in time to see Calderone get into a seaplane and fly off. Crockett and Tubbs decide that they like working with each other after all, and Tubbs decides to transfer to Miami.
Most of the series regular cast are introduced in this pilot episode: Sonny Crockett (Don Johnson), Ricardo Tubbs (Philip Michael Thomas), Gina Calabrese (Saundra Santiago), Trudy Joplin (Olivia Brown), Stan Switek (Michael Talbott) and Larry Zito (John Diehl). Only Edward James Olmos is missing, since his character, Lt. Martin Castillo would not show until the sixth episode. The Squad's boss was for the first four episodes Lt. Rodriguez (Gregory Sierra). This episode also featured regular supporting actor Martin Ferrero, but he played the transvestite killer Trini DeSoto instead of his usual Izzy Moreno character, the small and incompetent criminal who confides to Crockett and Tubbs. The opening theme to the episode is an extended version of the "Miami Vice Theme" which is only used for the first four episodes of the series. After that, the Miami Vice opening theme was altered to include the signature electric guitar riff over the original Fairlight-generated synthesizer sequence. From then on, it remained unchanged throughout the series.
This episode, which has a 2-hour duration (with commercials) is also sometimes split as a two-part episode each an hour long in some countries. On the Region 1 Miami Vice DVD release, the episode is presented in its entirety; the Region 2 version uses the two-part version.
At least one VHS release of "Brother's Keeper" replaces the Rolling Stones' song "Miss You" with generic rock music.
The seaplane Calderone gets into is Chalk's Ocean Airways Flight 101 registration number N2969; the aircraft notably crashed into the ocean in 2005, killing everyone on board.
This episode started developing the trademark Vice style. [1] Aspects of Miami Vice considered revolutionary lay in its music, cinematography, and imagery, which made large segments of each episode resemble a protracted music video. A good example of combining these three aspects is found in this episode when Crockett and Tubbs are in the Ferrari Daytona Spyder, driving through a damp, nighttime Miami downtown heading to a somber showdown with a sinister, murderous drug lord as "In the Air Tonight" by Phil Collins surrealistically plays along. As Lee H. Katzin, one of the series' directors, once stated, "The show is written for an MTV audience, which is more interested in images, emotions and energy than plot and character and words." [3]
The pilot included some of the series trademarks, such as Crocketts' Ferrari Daytona Spyder 365 GTS/4, his boat, the St. Vitus Dance and Elvis, his pet alligator. Other stylistic accents, such as Crockett's famous tortoise shell Ray-Ban Wayfarers or Tubbs's 1964 Cadillac Coupe de Ville were still missing (Crockett wears Carrera 5512 Large sunglasses, and Tubbs drives a dark 1983 Pontiac Trans Am in one scene).
This episode was nominated for three Emmy awards and won two Emmys, for best sound editing and cinematography.
Year | Result | Award | Category | Recipient(s) |
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1985 | Nominated | Emmy Award | Outstanding Writing in a Drama Series | Anthony Yerkovich [2] |
Winner | Outstanding Cinematography for a Series | Robert E. Collins, Cinematographer [2] | ||
Winner | Outstanding Film Sound Editing for a Series | Bruce Bell, Sound Editor; Jerry Sanford Cohen, Music Editor; Victor B. Lackey, Sound Editor; Ian MacGregor-Scott, Sound Editor; Carl Mahakian, Sound Editor; Chuck Moran, Supervising Sound Editor; John Oettinger, Sound Editor; Bernie Pincus, Sound Editor; Warren Smith, Sound Editor; Bruce Stambler, Sound Editor; Mike Wilhoit, Sound Editor; Paul Wittenberg, ADR Editor; Kyle Wright, Sound Editor [2] | ||
Don Wayne Johnson is an American actor and singer-songwriter. He played the role of James "Sonny" Crockett in the 1980s television series Miami Vice, for which he won a Golden Globe, and received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination. He also played the titular character in the 1990s series Nash Bridges. Johnson received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1996.
Miami Vice is an American crime drama television series created by Anthony Yerkovich and produced by Michael Mann for NBC. The series stars Don Johnson as James "Sonny" Crockett and Philip Michael Thomas as Ricardo "Rico" Tubbs, two Metro-Dade Police Department detectives working undercover in Miami. The series ran for five seasons on NBC from September 16, 1984 to June 28, 1989. USA Network began airing reruns in 1988 and broadcast a previously unaired episode during its syndication run of the series on January 25, 1990.
Jan Hammer is a Czech-American musician, composer, and record producer. He rose to prominence while playing keyboards with the Mahavishnu Orchestra during the early 1970s, as well as with his film scores for television and film including "Miami Vice Theme" and "Crockett's Theme", from the 1980s television program Miami Vice. He has continued to work as both a musical performer and producer.
Philip Michael Thomas is a retired American actor and musician, best known for his role as detective Ricardo Tubbs on the hit 1980s TV series Miami Vice. His first notable roles were in Coonskin (1975) and opposite Irene Cara in the 1976 film Sparkle. After his success in Miami Vice, he appeared in numerous made-for-TV movies and advertisements for telephone psychic services. He also voiced the character Lance Vance in the video games Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (2002) and Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories (2006).
"Miami Vice Theme" is a musical piece composed and performed by Jan Hammer as the theme to the television series Miami Vice. It was first presented as part of the television broadcast of the show in September 1984, was released as a single in 1985, and peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100. It was the last instrumental to top the Hot 100 until 2013, when "Harlem Shake" by Baauer reached number one. "Miami Vice Theme" also peaked at number five in the UK and number four in Canada. In 1986, it won Grammy Awards for "Best Instrumental Composition" and "Best Pop Instrumental Performance". This song, along with Glenn Frey's number two hit "You Belong to the City", put the Miami Vice soundtrack on the top of the US album chart for 11 weeks in 1985, making it the most successful TV soundtrack of all time until 2006, when Disney Channel's High School Musical beat its record.
The Ferrari Daytona is a two-seat grand tourer produced by Ferrari from 1968 to 1973. It was introduced at the Paris Auto Salon in 1968 to replace the 275 GTB/4, and featured the 275's Colombo V12 with a larger cylinder bore for 4,390 cc. It was offered in berlinetta and spyder forms. The car came in two variants: the 365 GTB/4 coupe, and the 365 GTS/4 convertible.
Miami Vice is a 2006 action crime film written, directed, and co-produced by Michael Mann. An adaptation of the 1980s television series of the same name, of which Mann was an executive producer, it stars Colin Farrell as James "Sonny" Crockett and Jamie Foxx as Ricardo "Rico" Tubbs, MDPD detectives who go undercover to fight drug trafficking operations. The ensemble supporting cast includes Gong Li, Naomie Harris, Barry Shabaka Henley, John Ortiz, Luis Tosar, Ciarán Hinds, Elizabeth Rodriguez, John Hawkes, Justin Theroux, Isaach De Bankolé, Eddie Marsan, and Tom Towles.
Saundra Santiago is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Detective Gina Calabrese in the NBC original crime drama series Miami Vice (1984–1990). She also played Carmen Santos on the CBS soap opera Guiding Light and the second Carlotta Vega on the ABC soap opera One Life to Live.
Just Legal is an American courtroom drama television series that stars Don Johnson and Jay Baruchel as two courtroom lawyers in Venice, California. The series premiered on The WB on September 19, 2005, and was canceled on October 3, 2005, after three episodes had been aired. Almost a year later The WB burned off five additional episodes following a repeat of the pilot on August 6, 2006. The series concluded on September 10, 2006. This is the last show on The WB to end its run before its rebrand to The CW.
Chalk's Ocean Airways Flight 101 was an aircraft crash that occurred off Miami Beach, Florida, in the United States on December 19, 2005. All 18 passengers and both of the crew members on board the 1947 Grumman G-73T Turbine Mallard died in the crash, which was attributed to metal fatigue on the starboard wing resulting in separation of the wing from the fuselage.
Detective James "Sonny" Crockett is a fictional character in the NBC television series Miami Vice. Crockett was originally portrayed by Don Johnson in the television series from 1984 to 1990, and later by Colin Farrell in the feature film in 2006. Crockett appeared in every episode of Miami Vice except the fifth season episode "Borrasca". He has also appeared in video games and various popular culture references of the show.
McBurnie Coachcraft was a US bodywork company mostly known for their replicas of Ferrari Daytona Spyder. McBurnie also manufactured a Ferrari 250 GTO replica in the style of the Alpha One GTO and the Velo Rossa.
Detective Ricardo "Rico" Tubbs is a fictional character from the Miami Vice television series. Tubbs was originally portrayed by Philip Michael Thomas in the television series from 1984 to 1990, and later by Jamie Foxx in the feature film in 2006. Tubbs is an undercover detective for the Metro-Dade Police Department's Organized Crime Bureau, having relocated to Miami from New York City in order to track down his brother's murderer. For the duration of the series, Tubbs is partnered with fellow undercover detective James "Sonny" Crockett.
"Crockett's Theme" is an instrumental song composed by Jan Hammer for the hit NBC television series Miami Vice. The surname Crockett refers to Don Johnson's character, James "Sonny" Crockett. The initial version of the theme first appeared in the episode "Calderone's Return: Part 1 – The Hit List", which aired on October 19, 1984, and other variations were used in later episodes. The first commercial release was a version on the late 1986 album Miami Vice II, the second volume of music from the television show. A slightly different mix was released for the single in 1987, and also appeared on Jan Hammer's 1987 album Escape from Television.
"'No Exit" is the seventh episode of the first season of the American police procedural television series Miami Vice. It premiered on the National Broadcasting Company (NBC) on November 9, 1984. The episode was written by Charles R. Leinenweber and Maurice Hurley, and directed by David Soul. "No Exit" featured guest appearances by Bruce Willis, Katherine Borowitz and Vinnie Curto.
In the television series, Miami Vice, firearms took a key role. Episodes such as "Evan" revolved around them, while the characters themselves also used several firearms during the series. Sonny Crockett was to have used a SIG Sauer P220, but this was replaced by the then more modern Bren Ten. The importance of the firearms in Miami Vice is demonstrated by Galco International, which provided the holster used by Don Johnson on the show, naming its holster the Miami Classic. Another example of a iconic firearm is Ricardo "Rico" Tubbs' sawed-off double-barred shotgun which is prominent in Rockstar Games's landmark video-game GTA Vice City as the inspiration for the Stubby Gun.
The cars in Miami Vice mainly involve the Ferrari Daytona Spyder and the Ferrari Testarossa, but also include other automobiles driven by the characters on the show. Currently one Daytona is in a private collection and the other is on display at the Volo Auto Museum; the Ferrari Testarossa stunt car resides in Kingsport, Tennessee and is owned by Carl Roberts of Carl Roberts Motor Group. Today, one of the hero cars is part of The Witvoet collection owned by Bastiaan Witvoet in Belgium.
Miami Vice is an action video game developed by Canvas and published by Ocean Software. It was first released in the United Kingdom for the Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64, and ZX Spectrum in 1986. It was later re-released in Germany and Italy for the Commodore 64 in 1989. The game is based on the television series of the same name and follows the two central characters, James "Sonny" Crockett and Ricardo Tubbs, as they attempt to derail a Miami drug ring which is led by series antagonist "Mr J".
"Out Where the Buses Don't Run" is the third episode of the second season of the American crime drama television series Miami Vice, and the 27th episode overall. The episode first aired on NBC on October 18, 1985, and featured guest appearance by Bruce McGill as an eccentric retired police officer attempting to aid Metro-Dade detectives James "Sonny" Crockett and Ricardo Tubbs in the search for a missing drug lord.