By now, you should know I’m on a quest to document everything I can about my favorite David Lynch film, Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me. Since the Twin Peaks Blog launched in February 2018, I’ve covered film locations, shared love letters to my favorite scenes, and highlighted little details that make this film extra special to me. Today, I have a treat as I examine the call sheet used on November 1, 1991, which was Day 46 of 46 of filming.
OBTAINING THE CALL SHEET FROM NOV. 1, 1991
I acquired a copy of the call sheet from long-time Twin Peaks collector Bruce Phillips. Original fans from the 1990s may recall his awesome catalog filled with all sorts of Twin Peaks-treasures. Twin Peaks Archive posted an incredible interview ith him from a few years ago. Bruce still offers items for sale on his eBay store and I interviewed him in September 2020 for Twin Peaks Blog.
The image above is the top of the call sheet with includes the date – Friday, November 1, 1991. Principle location photography began on September 5, 1991 in the Snoqualmie & North Bend region in Washington state. Location shooting wrapped at the end of October 1991 and the crew returned to southern California.
CITY STUDIOS IN VAN NUYS, CA
City Studios (now Occidental Studios), located at 7700 Balboa Boulevard in Van Nuys, California, served as the soundstage for many of the interior sets from Season 1 and 2 such as the interiors for The Great Northern Hotel, Double R Diner, the Bookhouse, Red Room, and more. They also used it as the soundstage for 1992 motion picture.
On Day 46 of 46, the crew would be shooting the following inserts at the “Balboa Stage” beginning around 1:45 p.m. Let’s take a closer look at these scenes, several of which never made it to the theatrical release. Other scene are found on The Missing Pieces which greatly helped with this analysis.
LETTER “T” IN WHIT. MACHINE
As part of The Missing Pieces, we see a brief scene where Agent Sam Stanley shows off his Whiteman Machine to Special Agent Dale Cooper.
When Cooper looks into the Whiteman Machine, he sees the letter “T” that Agent Stanley extracted from under Teresa Banks’ fingernail. The close up of the “T” was what was shot on Nov. 1.
Agent Stanley loves his Whiteman Machine. No one could’ve found those splinters without a machine like this and no one has a machine like this.
FINGERNAIL IN MACHINE
Speaking of machines, let’s look at Sam Stanley using his Whiteman Machine while at the Deer Meadow Sheriff’s Department Morgue.
He spots something under Teresa’s finger nail, which is the close-up insert shot captured on Nov. 1.
The scene of Sam Stanley removing her nail makes my skin crawl every time.
After removing the nail, Agent Stanley turns over the Letter “T” that was buried way under the finger nail.
DONNA TURNS UP RADIO
In The Missing Pieces, we see Laura Palmer and Donna Hayward riding in Tommy’s car with Buck on their way to The Power and The Glory (though the script originally called this spot “Partyland”). The insert shot notes mentions that Donna turns up the radio. The August 8, 1991 script even describes the scene:
Laura laughs at Donna then holds a beer up to show Donna, then turns and French kisses Buck. Donna reaches forward to the front dash and turns the radio up full blast. Buck and Tommy start to whoop and yodel like cowboys.
We even see Donna get up from the back seat and she appears to reach over the front seat. Yet, we don’t see the close up shot of her turning up the radio. Instead the scene cuts to a side view of Tommy. Add that missing insert shot to the running list of unreleased scenes.
LIGHTNING ON CEILING – (LAURA’S POV)
After Laura Palmer realizes Mike the One-Armed Man and Teresa Banks had the same ring, she is startled by blue lightning above her bedroom window. The view of the lightning was an insert shot.
The August 8, 1991 script contains some additional dialogue from BOB that wasn’t included in the film.
Laura is jolted by Bob’s Voice.
BOB’S VOICE
That’s not important. I will tell you what is important. The fan will soon be starting.
Laura is filmed asking, “Who are you? Who are you REALLY?”
She is met with more lightning and static. But the script contained a response from BOB.
BOB’S VOICE (continued)
I am the One who wants to breathe thru your nose and taste thru your mouth.
T.V. GETS SMASHED
Oh I can’t get enough of the opening shot of this film. The slow pan out from blue-hued television snow to the startling destruction of said T.V. It’s shocking and such a metaphor for this film (smashing expectations that it would be a continuation of the television series).
The music is perfect for this scene as the camera continues pulling back to reveal a television.
By the time the full television is in view, the snow is moving at normal speed.
Then BAM! The television explodes after being smashed with a pipe.
I believe this is a different television than we see later when Leland Palmer has a flashback. The camera angle is slightly different and the call sheet mentions “T.V. doubles” as we’ll see in just a moment.
The scene ends with a silhouette of a man moving in front of the television, a girl screaming and a thud.
PHIL JEFFRIES EMPTY CHAIR
Long lost Phillip Jeffries suddenly appears at an FBI Office in Philadelphia in the film. The Missing Pieces contains a slightly extended version of this scene with gives awesome looks at the chair he sits in.
In the theatrical release, Phillip Jeffries disappears and the chair he was sitting in is show with some of the television snow from the opening scene. This is the insert show filmed at City Studios.
We can see the top of Phillips’ chair in the top shot and the Missing Pieces show the chair without lots of television snow.
DRIPPING WATER FROM TRAIN CAR CEILING
I looked everywhere for this insert shot but it appears it didn’t make the Missing Pieces cut.
ROPE ON POLE IN TRAIN CAR
This shot finally answers something that has confused me for 26+ years. Leland Palmer is seen tying Laura’s arms back while she is laying on the floor.
Magically, Laura is elevated above the floor as we see Leland place a mirror under her. How did she get up there?
And then I saw it … the rope on a pole. Look above Laura’s head in the shots with Leland and BOB. There appears to be a rope hanging from a pole which I’m guessing connects to Laura’s rope used to “bend her arms back.” Why have I never noticed it until tonight?!
RING ROLLS ON TRAIN CAR FLOOR
The final close up insert shot is of the ring that Mike the One-Armed Man throws into the train car rolling across the floor.
ACTOR SCENES
The next two scenes involve three actors – Ray Wise, Sheryl Lee and Pamela Gidley.
It looks like Phoebe Augustine was on the call sheet but she had plans to “Travel to Alaska” on that day. Maybe one day I can ask her what she did in Alaska.
Sheryl was picked up at W/N … which I’m not clear on what that means. Ray would need to report directly to the stage. Pamela had a make up call time of 1:15 p.m. and would report to the stage by 2:45 p.m. Most likely, she needed the make up for her bloody head after Leland beats her.
INT. TREMOND TRAILER (OPENING SEQ)
PULL OUT FROM TV TO SEE LELAND KILLING TERESA BANKS
During Leland’s flashback, we see the television snow. But wait a second … the location said “Tremond Trailer.” For some reason, I always thought Leland killed Teresa in her own trailer, not the Tremond / Chalfont (two Chalfonts) trailer. The August 8, 1991 script offers no help:
LELAND: FLASHBACK
_Nighttime_in_the_woods_. We see Leland crush Teresa Banks’ face and skull with a pipe until she is dead. We hear the gurgling of the Wind River behind her.
A different look at the television before it’s smashed from Leland’s flashback.
TERESA’S MURDER SCENE
The scene cuts to Teresa Banks sporting a pink waitress uniform cowering against the wall of a trailer. Notice the rope around her ankles.
Teresa’s murder scene may have actually been shot at a double-wide trailer at Mt. Si Motel. The scenes shot at City Studios with Ray Wise and Pamela Gidley may have been either alternate takes or could have been have been inside the trailer. This article attempted to decode this mystery.
INT. PALMER HOUSE LAURA’S ROOM (SCENE 207)
LAURA DOES COCAINE / CLOCK READS 9:30P – GETS A CALL FROM JAMES
The final scene shot that day takes place in Laura’s bedroom just before she gets a phone call from James Hurley. There is a close up of her snorting cocaine.
After she is done, we can see a miniature bottle of Jack Daniels, an ashtray, cigarettes and a bottle containing red pills. Pay attention to the bottle of Jack.
In the next cut, we see Laura has already removed the bottle cap and takes a drink of Jack Daniels. This means there was slightly more to this scene with her picking up the bottle and opening it.
The shot of the clock reading 9:30 p.m. is missing. Most likely, it would have looked similar to the images above.
Laura gets a phone call from James. Notice how close the shot is, which is probably the insert shot.
MORE DETAILS FROM NOV. 1, 1991 CALL SHEET
There are a few more details worth noting from this call sheet.
First, there is a call for SI (Stand-In) Tracy to report to the stage at 1:45 p.m.
I checked the credits and sure enough, Traci Lynn Clauson, was billed as a “Stand-in.” Since her call time is 1:45, she could have been the stand-in for Teresa Banks so Ray Wise could rehearse the scene and camera angles could be checked. I’ve been unable to locate Traci on the internets so I can’t confirm how she looks.
In the Special Instructions section, we get a listing of the props needed including: “Whit. Machine, fingernail, T.V. & Doubles, cocaine, pills, pig will be needed for stabbing FX & fingernail removal.”
Additional special equipment needed is a 24-frame monitor and a “PIC VEH:” Tommy’s 1977 Chevrolet Impala for insert of radio.
But what about that pig mentioned above?
THE MISSING PIG
Twin Peaks Soundtrack Designer and long-time fan Ross Dudle shared an image of the pig on August 21, 2015 via Twitter
On July 27, 2019, Brother Jerry posted the behind-the-scenes photo of the pig again with a link to a story about it on . Sheryl Lee told the story during the 2011 Twin Peaks Fan Fest.
In the photo, we see David Lynch behind the camera and Jon “Huckster” Huck who was the Sound Mixer and played an FBI Agent in the Fargo, North Dakota scene.
Can we just take a moment to appreciate the final paragraph of the article above? Do you recall when the deleted scenes (now known as The Missing Pieces) were a dream?
You can hear Sheryl Lee tell this story in this YouTube video from the 2011 Twin Peaks Fan Fest. She confirms that they shot her bedroom scenes on a two-story set on a soundstage (at City Studios).
I can’t get enough of these details; they are my Garmonbozia that I must consume.
