One-story house with a white fence

Twin Peaks Location – Tremond Intersection

In Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me, Mrs. Tremond and her grandson meet Laura Palmer outside the Double R Diner while she is preparing a Meals on Wheels run. This is one of those scenes I can’t get enough of in David Lynch’s masterpiece – it’s spooky and surreal. Naturally, I was delighted to visit the “Tremond Intersection” on September 14, 2019 during a return trip to North Bend, Washington.

WHERE IS THE TREMOND INTERSECTION LOCATED?

Google Maps
Google Maps

The scene was shot near the Twede’s Cafe located at 137 West North Bend Way in North Bend, Washington. According to Charlotte Fraisse’s shooting diary from Dugpa, filming took place on September 19, 1991:

“We shoot the scene where a mysterious old lady, with her masked grandson, offers an engraving to Laura Palmer. The woman has an surprising silhouette. Very tiny, she wears a dark suit and has a little hat emphasizing her pass look. The little boy is just as bizarre, dressed like a first communicant of the Fifties.

The shooting goes on till the end of the afternoon, because David takes his time with the child and regularly lets him have a break. (Apparently, Americans are stricter than we are about child actors working hard).”

This explains the changes in shadows seen throughout the scene.

Thankfully Anthony P. Anderson took several behind-the-scenes photos in September 1991. These images and many others were displayed for several years in the hallway near the restrooms inside Twede’s Cafe.

Behind the Scenes of the Tremond Intersection Scene
Photo by: Anthony P. Anderson

Look carefully and you’ll spot Catherine Coulson standing next to David Lynch.

Steven at the Tremond Intersection in North Bend, Washington
September 14, 2019

While I had previously visited the location in August 1996 for the Twin Peaks Fan Fest, I didn’t take proper photos of this location. It took me 23 years to return to the spot and document the intersection.

THE DOUBLE R DINER PARKING LOT

Laura Palmer loading the car in the Double R Diner parking lot
Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me
Twin Peaks Film Location - Twede's Cafe
September 14, 2019

The scene opens with Laura Palmer loading the Double R Diner car, a 1977 Ford Pinto Wagon.

The Missing Pieces - Double R Diner
The Missing Pieces

We get a better look at the Ford Pinto in a deleted scene from The Missing Pieces.

Double R Diner exterior
Episode 1.002

It’s a different vehicle than the 1960 Ford Country Squire seen throughout the show’s first two seasons.

Side of Double R Diner vehicle
Photo by: Anthony P. Anderson

One detail difficult to see is the Double R Diner logo on the side of the Ford Pinto.  The logo is not used anywhere in the series or film but it was included on merchandise created in the early 1990s.

LAURA PALMER SEES MRS. TREMOND AND HER GRANDSON

Mrs. Tremond and the Grandson
Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me

Laura looks over toward the intersection and notices an old woman and her grandson.

Twin Peaks Film Location - Tremond Intersection
September 14, 2019
Twin Peaks Film Location - Tremond Intersection
October 14, 2019

As many times as I’ve seen this film, you’d think I would have grabbed a shot of the exact screen matched location. Nope. But the bottom image from October 14, 2019 is closer.

Mrs. Tremond in Fire Walk With Me
Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me
Twin Peaks Film Location - Tremond Intersection
September 14, 2019

Mrs. Tremond, played by the late Frances Bay, motions Laura over to her grandson and her.

Mrs. Tremond behind the scenes
Photo by: Anthony P. Anderson

Here’s another behind-the-scene shot of Frances Bay meeting with an unidentified mother and her child between takes.

Laura walks toward Mrs. Tremond
Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me
Twin Peaks Film Location - Double R Diner
September 14, 2019

Laura crosses the parking lot to where the two of them are standing. Sadly, the yellow florescent lights are gone today.

Double R Diner at night
Episodes 1.007 and 2.020

We also saw them in episodes 1.007 and 2.020 outside the Double R Diner at night.

LAURA PALMER SPEAKS WITH MRS. TREMOND AND HER GRANDSON

Laura Palmer and Mrs. Tremond and her grandson
Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me
Twin Peaks Film Location - Double R Diner
September 14, 2019

Laura walks in front of six exterior windows of the Double R Diner. Mrs. Tremond and her grandson are blocking the seventh window. Behind her on the eighth window is a “Special for Today” sign and a “Yes, We’re Open” sign.

Double R Diner interior
Episode 2.004

The “Special for Today” sign appears to be one similar used in the series, such as episode 2.004 where it is visible about a kitchen door. It’s odd, however, that it was placed on an exterior window for the film.

Double R Diner Sign - Special for Today
September 14, 2019

At Twede’s Cafe, you can see a recreated “Special for Today” sign used in Season 3.

Special for Today sign in Part 15
Part 15

It’s literally hanging in the same spot inside Twede’s Cafe as it appears in Part 15 on Showtime.

THIS WOULD LOOK NICE ON YOUR WALL

Laura Palmer stares at Mrs. Tremond
Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me
Twin Peaks Film Location - Double R Diner
September 14, 2019

Mrs. Tremond presents Laura with a framed picture and tells her it would “look nice on her wall.” The grandson warns Laura about “the man looking for the book with the pages torn out.” Laura stares at them in disbelief. I love that you can see the top of Mount Si in the background.

Laura Palmer holding the framed photo.
Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me

Laura Palmer takes the framed photograph from Mrs. Tremond.

Crew Members and Signs on the Double R Diner
Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me

If you look carefully, you can spot what appears to be crew members in the window reflection on the far right side.

Episode 2003 - Lumber Jack Pancake Stack
Episode 2.003
Episode 2004 - "Double" R Meal Sign
Episode 2.004

The Double R Diner food special signs were also seen in episodes 2.003 and 2.004.

Behind the Scenes of Tremond Intersection
Photo by: Anthony P. Anderson

Anthony Anderson took another fantastic behind-the-scenes shot. This time, it’s David Lynch in the director’s chair sitting in front of those Double R Diner signs. Script supervisor Cori Glazer is sitting next to him. Sheryl Lee appears to be speaking with a member of the crew.

Twede's Cafe - Lumber Jack Pancake Stack
September 14, 2019
Twede's Cafe - The "Double" R
September 14, 2019

Twede’s Cafe has several similar signs on display from Season 3. Notice how the prices have increased since 1991 when the film was shot.

Mrs. Tremond and her grandson walk away
Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me
Twin Peaks Film Location - Tremond Intersection
September 14, 2019

Mrs. Tremond and her grandson then walk away toward the railroad tracks.

Behind the Scenes photo of Mrs. Tremond and her grandson
Photo by: Anthony P. Anderson

This photo by Anthony Anderson is fantastic as it shows Frances Bay and Jonathan J. Leppell in the wooded area across the street.

INTERESTING OBSERVATIONS ABOUT THE TREMOND INTERSECTION

There are a couple of interesting observations about the way this scene was edited.

This Would Look Nice On Your Wall
Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me

The scene begins inside the Double R Diner where Laura Palmer is gathering food for a Meals on Wheels delivery. The scene cuts to the intersection outside where you can barely see Mrs. Tremond and her grandson walking into the woods. I circled the image in red above.

Then the exchange between Laura, Mrs. Tremond and her grandson takes place. It ends with Laura running off and the Tremonds walking away. It appears the tail end of the walking away scene was used as an establishing shot. After seeing it one time, I never miss it during this part of the film.

Missing Cars
Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me

The second observation is the missing cars between close-ups and wide angle shots. Most likely this meant multiple takes were done throughout the day. I circled in red which cars are missing between the close up of Mrs. Tremond presenting the framed image and later when her grandson and she is walking away.

Further evidence the scene took all day to shoot is found by looking at the tree shadows in the background.

Shadows
Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me

When Mrs. Tremond and her grandson are first seen through the blue-hued television static, the tree shadows are on their left side (right side of the screen).

The close up of Mrs. Tremond motioning to Laura shows the tree shadows on the opposite side.

As the pair walk away toward the end of the scene, the shadows are on their left side again. Most likely, they shot them standing and walking away last in the day. The close-up shots could have been made earlier in the morning.

Author

  • Steven Miller at Twede's Cafe enjoying cherry pie and coffee

    A "Twin Peaks" fan since October 1993, Steven Miller launched Twin Peaks Blog in February 2018 to document his decades-long fascination with David Lynch and Mark Frost's wonderful and strange show. With his Canon camera in hand, he's visited numerous film locations, attended Twin Peaks events and conducted extensive historical research about this groundbreaking series. Along with fellow Bookhouse Boys, he dreams of creating a complete Twin Peaks Archive of the series and feature film. Steven currently resides in Central Florida.

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