Criminal Intent Set Firesale

I was about to say that long time readers of this blog know that I have a certain attachment to the Law and Order franchise. But, really, even casual readers would know that! And, this is yet another Law and Order related entry – but NOT a set visit.

Much to my (and many others') dismay, our beloved Law and Order: Criminal Intent just recently ended it's 10 year run. The last episode hasn't aired yet, but they've finished filming. This means they no longer needed any more of all the 10 years worth of props and set dressings they had accumulated.

So what's a studio to do with all the stuff?

Well, apparently, they have a firesale. Or at least Criminal Intent did.

They invited the public the bring a box, comb through the set, fill up your box with as much as you can, and walk away with it for $5. That's right, as much as you could fit in a box for $5.

So I went.

And though I'm not sure if what I walked away with was even worth $5. But the experience was worth far more than that.



NOTE: this is long and has LOTS of pictures. I wanted to be thorough for those fans that I know are out there but couldn't be there. Hopefully this will give you a flare for what it was like.

Warning: What's a little disappointing is that the sale started on Thursday, not Friday like I thought. So even though I was the third one through the door on Friday morning, I suspect most of the good memorabilia was already gone. So, I didn't get or even see any really good Goren/Eames stuff. But, as I alluded to, I'm not at all disappointed with the experience overall.

Okay, so I got there at 7:45 for an 8:00 opening of the sale. I had no idea what to expect, really. None at all. So there I was with my box and two other people standing outside the CI Chelsea Piers studios.


At least I knew I was in the right place.





Then a woman came out and showed us in. Again, no idea what to expect. But she led us through a little industrial entryway and said that everything was set up in Stages D and E and to have fun. Then she just set us loose in there. And Great SCOTT. STUFF EVERYWHERE. I mean, it was just this huge open room of tables with just all kinds of random stuff on them. Vases, trophies, dolls, kids books and toys, test tubes, boxes of gauze and medicines, boxes of evidence bags and tags, water bottles, note pads, pompoms, clothes. And that was just Stage D. Then over to Stage E where they had bigger stuff: toilets, stoves, tables, rugs, drapery, planter pots, and lots and lots of chairs. Then there was the Loft. A tiny space of just boxes and boxes and shelves and shelves of just stuff. Glasses and dishes, a whole row of picture frames, lamps, and just random props everywhere. Honestly, it was all a little overwhelming. Like this super massive estate sale. I mean, it was everything and anything that had at one time appeared anywhere in a CI episode. 10 years worth of set decoration. Just amazing. Here are some of the pictures. I hope it captures some of the flavor.



Overall View
Wish this wasn't blurry but, oh well.


Also just outside the stages. It all just felt very Law and Order.


These two pictures are from Stage D (taken from different corners of the room). Tables and tables of random stuff.




Also in Stage D – a line of wardrobe items.


These are two from Stage E (again taken from different corners of the room). More stuff. I means toilets and stoves?!? LOL




From Stage E you walked into the 'Property Room' and then up into the loft. This was taken from the loft looking down into the Property Room and Stage E beyond.


And these four pictures are taken in the loft. I mean, tight cramped space with shelves of just more *stuff*.










Favorite Props
Just being there and looking through all the stuff was an experience, even if for the most part I recognized none of the props. Still, my love of TV making had me smiling at so many of the props. Here are some of my favs…

I almost grabbed one of these for my apartment…


Fake fruit. I guess they labeled it so no one would try to eat it. ;)


I'm sure these huge jugs are not actually methadone, heh. And what someone would want with a huge jug of fake methadone, I'm not sure. But if you wanted one, you could take one!


Anyone need some extra test tubes?


LOL, amongst a set of random trophies was a random picture of Jeff Goldblume.


Even funnier, this box of gauze…except it looks like they stole some from the SVU set! (oh, and I actually took some gauze and bandages, lol)


This, this was just tubes and tubes of posters. I have a large version on flikr if you want to read the labels but they're things like "Lithographs from Enzo art gallery" "Spanish Anatomical Charts" "Beer Posters – Nicole Can Clear Them!" "NYS court calendars" "We Card Tobacco Posters" "Ark of the Covenant" (not kidding) and on and on. I wanted to just scoop them all up and take them home and look at them all. Alas, they didn't fit into a box (and there were far too many to carry, lol)


A box of "Bomb Making (Explosive)" "Junk Jewelry" and "Box o Drugs" all on one shelf. Totally random and fun.


OMG "LOCI Zoo -- Please do not feed the animals" LOVE!


And, of course, maps and cop stuff.




Picking through I found a couple other random things. I'm not sure what I'm going to do with these random things, but in the heat of the moment, I wanted them. They're completely worthless, but they're props from the show so I thought they were cool.


This was probably my funnest find – a case file written by Logan and Barek.




There weren't many refrigerator magnets left in the two "Refrigerator Magents" bin. But I found two that I liked. And also a cute little NYPD DEA stuffed bull (random)! But the best part of the magnets was the label on the back. Yes, I'm a total geek and I love that these two magnets with their 'LOCI' writing on the back and with their even miniscule history with the show are now on my refrigerator, heh.




I picked up a bunch of other random stuff as gifts. In the end, I did manage to fill my entire box with crap I didn't need, hehe!


The Set

As I said, it was amazing and fun to hunt through this stuff. But, it also was a little sad and nostalgic and I felt a bit like a vulture, swooping in over remains. Also, this was the actual set that they used. And *while we were there shopping* they were deconstructing it. We could hear them banging and pounding and taking the set down. I was all "nooooooooooooo!" So, as I said, it was also a little sad to be there. Fortunately, they hadn't taken down the entire set. Again because I'm a geek, seeing just this little peek of the set might have been the best part of the visit.


First, this was also just a little treasure that was hanging up in the loft. A schedule of the final month of shooting for Law and Order: Criminal Intent. *nostalgic sigh*


Actually taken from Stage E looking at the outside of the Property Room.


On the other side of the Property Room was this door.


But when I wandered out of the property room door and saw this, this is when my heart went "Le sigh, I know this hall". I might have just walked up and down the hall a few times for old times sake.





So, after an hour and a half just FLEW by, I needed to go to work. I got my little odds and ends and little treasures boxed up and headed out. Mixed emotions, but so, so, so, so glad I went. It's not something one gets to do every day, you know?! And it was a different way to say goodbye to a favorite show as well as grab a little piece, even if it is a very little piece, to keep for myself.