Twin Peaks Prop – Ernie Niles’ Newspaper at the Double R Diner

Modern technology has helped me identify props used in David Lynch and Mark Frost’s Twin Peaks for years. I can’t imagine finding things as easily in the early 1990s when all I had were VHS cassettes and no access to the internet. Despite the technical marvels of today, I still rely on what’s available online to add items to the ever growing prop list. This time, I found parts of the newspaper Ernie Niles leaves behind at the Double R Diner in episode 2.008 (#15).

ERNIE NILES’ NEWSPAPER AT THE DOUBLE R DINER

In Twin Peaks episode 2.008 (#15), Norma Jennings’ mother Vivian and her new husband make a surprise visit to the Double R Diner. Scott Frost presented the first draft of the script to department heads on September 12, 1990. Revisions were made on September 14 (Blue pages), September 20 (Pink pages) and September 26 (Green pages).

INT. DOUBLE R DINER – DAY
CLOSE on a large plate of mashed potatoes being carried out to a customer. We pull back. There stands VIVIAN SMYTHE, a woman of breeding, with the pearls to prove it. Two steps behind her is ERNIE NILES, if class were a drive down the middle of a fairway, Ernie pushed it into the light rough. Close, but no cigar. He carries a cellular phone. 

The on screen dialogue matches the scripted. When Vivian introduces Ernie to Norma, we can see a folded newspaper in his plaid suit jacket.

Erine later pulls out the paper from his jacket pocket as he places a call on his giant cellular mobile phone. There is a scripted moment where Norma delivers coffee to Ernie that doesn’t appear in the broadcast version.

Norma takes the coffee to Ernie.

ERNIE
Thanks so much – nice to see those good looks didn’t isolate themselves to one generation.
(winks sweetly, then yells in the phone)
No, I need London gold figures, I’ve got a trader in Tokyo with petrodollars to burn.
(more trouble with the phone)
Damn… reception’s terrible out here.
(line goes dead)
It went “roam” again. 

We see Norma pour a cup of coffee but she leaves it on the counter.

The scene continues with discussion around a food critic coming to Twin Peaks. Frost’s script mentions the onscreen action.

Norma takes a shot at a smile, comes up a little short. Ernie’s off the phone, comes over, sets his paper and cup down on the counter.

Vivian and Ernie leave the diner and the script calls for Normal to pick up the paper.

Vivian and Ernie leave. Norma picks up the paper Ernie left behind. Notices that he wasn’t looking at the Dow Jones, but rather the spread sheet from the USA TODAY sports section where he has circled his choices with a magic marker. We can see “Houston, 3 1/2, take the points.” 

As she picks up the paper, we notice the “Dow Jones” charts Ernie was supposedly reviewing hid another newspaper inside the fold. I’ve been unable to locate the newspaper with stock charts. It could be something like the “Wall Street Journal” but online archives for that paper are not easily searchable. There is an advertisement which appears to read “Trade with Confidence” and something about a “Treasury guide.”

We get a better look at the stock chart as Norma picks up the paper.

Norma examines the hidden “USA Today” paper which is the Sports section folded in half. The words “Pirates help” were clues to identifying the specific paper used.

As she opens the paper, we see the a familiar “USA Today” paper that’s been modified with blue tape placed over the USA Today logo. Red marker was used to circle part of the Sports cover page.

This is the Sports section cover of the USA Today paper from September 27, 1990 used in this episode.

Norma stares at the paper as Ernie and Vivian are seen leaving the Double R.

INSERT SHOT OF ERNIE NILES’ “$1000 HOUSTON BY 3 POINTS!”

An insert shot was used with completely different paper. The circled words are in black, not red. I believe the paper used for this shot was the “Los Angeles Daily News” from October 22, 1990. While copies of that paper are unavailable online, I did find the original story by Daily News Staff writer, Eric Noland.

Noland’s story was syndicated meaning a number of newspapers, like The Wichita Eagle, ran versions of it throughout the United States.

The Arizona Republic used a similar black and white photo taken by the late Lenny Ignelzi for The Associated Press. The caption reads: “San Diego’s Henry Rolling grabs the facemask of Bo Jackson, but the Raiders’ running back scores a 5-yard touchdown. Los Angeles won, 24-9, Sunday.”

The Twin Peaks prop team scribbled out “Associated Press” in the insert image.

USA Today ran a uncropped version of Igenlzi’s photo in their October 22 paper. According to his obituary published on May 3, 2022, Ignelzi had a “knack for being in the right place at the right time” and “produced breathtaking images of Hall of Fame sports figures, devastating wildfires and other major news over 37 years as photographer for The Associated Press in San Diego.” He died on April 29, 2022 at the age of 74.

The scene closed with Norma looking up from the paper. You can see the upper right column of the September 27, 1990 issue of “USA Today” which reads, “A Guide to Fun This Fall.”

I love decoding these little treasures created by Prop Master Jeff Moore and his prop team during the second season of Twin Peaks.

Jeff and assistant prop master Stephen Gibson will be speaking about their experience with fellow Twin Peaks Blog author Vinnie Guidera at the upcoming Real Twin Peaks 2026 event on Sunday, February 22 at Boxley’s in North Bend, Washington from 10:00 – 11:00 a.m.