The “Setting the Stage” series continues with a look at Sheriff Harry S. Truman’s home. Similar to his girlfriend Josie Packard’s bedroom, this rarely seen set appears in only two episodes of Twin Peaks – episodes 2.010 and 2.011. Let’s take a closer look at Truman’s rustic bachelor pad.
SHERIFF HARRY TRUMAN’S HOME – EPISODE 2.010
The script for this episode was written by Tricia Brock between September 27 through October 22, 1990. There were five revisions, each with different color paper. According to the script, there was an establishing shot before we see Harry laying in bed. I would have loved to see what cabin they used, assuming it was captured.
26. EXT. HARRY TRUMAN’S LOG CABIN HOUSE – NIGHT Establish.
Instead, the action cuts right to Harry Truman asleep.
26. INT. HARRY TRUMAN’S – NIGHT
A SOUND outside. Truman sits bolt up right in bed. He listens. Hears footsteps. He takes his pistol from the holster hanging on the headboard, moves cautiously towards the door in the darkness. He sees a shadow of movement outside the window against a curtain. Then a rattle at the door, someone trying the handle.
Hefting the gun, Truman moves to the door, stands to the side, then pulls the door open inwards.
This is one of those rare occasions when Truman isn’t wearing his tan Sheriff’s Department uniform. It’s fitting, of course, that he is wearing red old-timey pajamas as they fit his rustic style of his man-pad. When you have a moment, read a brief history of “union suits” first made popular in the late 19th Century here.
Truman crosses the bedroom with gun in hand and opens the door.
JOSIE PACKARD falls into the room, into his arms. She’s exhausted, faint, a wound on her forehead.
At this point, I’m wondering if Truman’s home is a one-bedroom log cabin. Perhaps this door is the backdoor to his place. Why would his bed be located near the main entrance to his house? I digress.
This image would be one of the only empty shots from Truman’s home. So let’s consider it the only “Vacant Peaks” image for this set. I’m guessing that area rug appears somewhere else in Twin Peaks but I haven’t found it yet.
TRUMAN
Josie.
JOSIE
Help me …
She slips into unconsciousness. He holds her.
SHERIFF HARRY TRUMAN’S HOME – EPISODE 2.011
Barry Pullman wrote episode 2.011 between October 11-23, 1990 which was revised twice. The scene with Josie and Truman take place during the afternoon. You may recall that Cooper and he spoke with Betty Briggs at the beginning of the episode. So he went to work and let Josie sleep for most of the day.
INT. TRUMAN’S CABIN – AFTERNOON
JOSIE’S sitting up in bed, finishing her lunch. Truman sits at her bedside.
Jose is now dressed in tan button-down pajamas.
Harry enters the bedroom from another part of his house. Motorcycle artwork hangs on a wood lined wall, and he passes by a stonework wall.
The stonework wall is similar to walls found at the Blue Pine Lodge, which means it could be recycled or repurposed from that set.
Harry walks in front of a green colored door and opens the curtains to his bedroom.
The outside looks similar to the outside first seen in Episode 1003 when Agent Cooper speaks with Audrey Horne in the dining room of the Great Northern Hotel. Are those the same windows and tan curtains? Maybe.
The scene continues with Harry holding Josie in bed while she speaks about her past.
The music in this scene is known as “Harold’s Theme (Josie’s Past).” According to the incredible Twin Peaks Soundtrack Design website, the episode mix consists of “Harold’s Theme (The Living Novel)” which is slowed-down; Unease Motif (The Woods); and Chime sounds.
This scene contains several close up shots of Truman and Josie as she tells her story. This image is probably my favorite as I truly believe Josie cared for Harry. She loved these quiet moments wrapped in his arms.
SHERIFF TRUMAN’S HOME DECOR
This scene has so much to unpack. After removing his belt, we see more motorcycle artwork hanging above his bed. There is also more stonework and wood lined walls that could be from the Blue Pine Lodge or Great Northern Hotel interior sets. In the corner next to his bed, there is an octagon-shaped mirror on the wall above a radio. What kind of radio is that?
The radio appears to be a Zenith MJ1035 AM/FM Table Top Stereo from the early 1960s. At first, I thought the radio was by RCA Victor because of the large front dial. I searched for a variety of RCA radios but found no match. During a Google Image search, I found a Zenith X323 radio which looked similar to the one in Truman’s place. I expanded the search for Zenith radios, and quickly found a match. You can see a similar radio from 1963 in action on YouTube (and now I want one!).
