We were blessed in 2014 to receive so many deleted or extended scenes with the release of The Missing Pieces. There are, however, several scenes that didn’t make the cut. Using production stills, , the final film release and the published deleted scenes, I’m exploring “More Missing Pieces in a new series. The idea for this first article was sparked by the above image that Blue Rose Magazine posted on their Instagram feed for Best Friends day (by the way, you should subscribe to this excellent Twin Peaks-themed publication).
MORE MISSING PIECES – GIRL TALK AT THE HAYWARD HOUSE
The image is a deleted scene from Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me. It’s a rare shot that thankfully the Mauve Zone had in their album of production stills from my favorite Lynch film.
The scene in the film opens with Donna and Laura talking in the Hayward’s living room. The script says:
67. INT. HAYWARD HOUSE, LIVING ROOM – DAY
Donna and Laura. Eating nuts. Donna is stretched out on the sofa and Laura is in a chair with her legs over the top. She is almost upside down.
Nothing going on.
How many times have I watched this scene and never noticed the bowls of nuts? Moreover, why have I never seen (or questioned) why Laura is licking her fingers?
I mean … SHE’S LICKING HER FINGERS!!! Why? Because they were both eating nuts (as the script and the production still above indicates). The script describes the missing scene:
EILEEN HAYWARD rolls through the living room in her wheelchair and makes a quick check of the nut supply.
LAURA
Hi, E.H.
EILEEN
(with a nod to Laura)
L.P.
(to Donna)
D.H.
DONNA
Mom H.
Eileen motors out.
The scene with Eileen was shot as you can see the tire tracks from her wheelchair. I placed the production still from the deleted scene over the image from the film (it wasn’t the correct angle but you get the idea).
The script continues as it’s presented in the film:
DONNA (continued)
(to Laura)
Are you going to see James tonight?
LAURA
Why are you suddenly so interested in who I am going to see at night? Nighttime is my time.
DONNA
You’re telling me, but only because you never let me in on any of it… you’re not going to see Bobby, are you?
LAURA
Maybe.
DONNA
Oh god, Laura.
LAURA
Well, why not?
DONNA
Because Bobby is a loser, you said so yourself. He’s a goon.
The camera slowly moves in on Laura Palmer’s face.
Donna continues:
DONNA
(she sighs to herself)
James is the one.
(getting very dreamy)
He loves you with that “lasting love”… “true love”.
Meanwhile, we can hear the track “Girl Talk” begin to play in the background. Thanks to Dean Hurley, the Twin Peaks Archive and Ross Dudle from the Twin Peaks Soundtrack Design website, we know a little more about this track:
The text reads: “Previously unreleased in its full version, this FWWM track is a great extension to the feature film’s grown body of released music. ‘Girl Talk‘ presents us with an excellent example of the late 50s/early 60s component to the Twin Peaks musical equation. It wouldn’t be a far stretch to imagine a teenage guy/girl group such as The Teddy Bears or The Fleetwoods providing vocal harmonies over such a track. Previously released in truncated montage form, this new full-length version of ‘Girl Talk’ reveals a beautiful C# minor chord change variation beginning around 1 min 5 sec … a nice variation audible in the film, yet absent from the montaged composite included on the original soundtrack album. When you download ‘Girl Talk,’ you will additionally receive the full version of ‘Birds in Hell.'”
Laura looks at Donna.
LAURA
Yes, James is very sweet. Why don’t you get out your violin, Donna?
DONNA
Sweet? God, he’s gorgeous.
LAURA
James is very sweet and very gorgeous.
Donna drifts off.
DONNA
I wonder if Mike could ever write a poem?
Laura Palmer laughs at Donna’s statement. This doesn’t appear in the 1991 script.
In the script, it mentions, “Both of them drift off.”
DONNA (continued)
Do you think that if you were falling in space you would slow down after a while or go faster and faster?
“Girl Talk” fades and is replaced by the sound of wind (which sounds similar to “Booth 34 / Laura’s Poem Music,” the bonus track on the Season Two Soundtrack and More.
The camera slowly moves toward Laura’s face.
LAURA
Faster and faster. For a long time you wouldn’t feel anything. Then you would burst into fire…
LAURA
… Forever.
The wind stops howling as Donna listens and looks toward Laura.
Laura pauses for a moment before saying something not in the script.
LAURA
And the angels wouldn’t help you … because they’ve all gone away.
We hear the faint chords from the instrumental version of “The Voice of Love” which we will hear in full toward the end of the film.
The script continues with more dialogue not seen in the film. Yet it looks like Donna could have continued speaking before the scene was cut.
Donna studies her friend and thinks about what she has said. After a beat.
DONNA
Maybe I better start our homework.
LAURA
Okay, I suppose I should go home.
DONNA
Call me.
LAURA
Sure. What do you want me to call you?
DONNA
Call me anything just don’t call me late for dinner.
They laugh.
The scene cuts to Laura climbing the front stairs to her house as outlined in the script:
68. EXT. PALMER HOUSE – DAY
Laura coming home from Donna’s.
