Stop me if you’ve heard this one before – a FBI Mobile Crime Van Driver and a Medic walk into Deer Meadow Sheriff’s Department in Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me only to discover that they have been miscredited for years. This article originally set out to discuss a film location from my favorite David Lynch film but ended up being something even more.
WHERE IS THE FBI CRIME VAN IN DEER MEADOW LOCATED?
Let’s start with the film location for this scene. After speaking with Carl Rodd, Agents Chet Desmond and Sam Stanley return to the Deer Meadow Sheriff’s Department.
The scene was shot, like so many others from this film, at Olallie State Park located at 51350 S.E. Homestead Valley Road outside North Bend, Washington. It’s close to several other scenes from the 1992 film and Season 3.
The exact coordinates for this location are 47° 26′ 08.4″ N 121° 39′ 18.8″ W.
The biggest difference in the area from 1991 to today was the addition of a restroom in July 2014. The image from Google Earth above shows the spot without that restroom.
DEER MEADOW MOUNTAIN
The scene opens with an establishing shot of Deer Meadow Mountain (a.k.a. Olallie Point). You can read more about this location in this article.
The scene cuts to the image of trees blowing in the wind.
When I visited the park on September 17, 2019, I realized that the trees were most likely across the street from where the FBI Mobile Crime Van was parked.
This shot gives you a better idea of where the trees are found. It would have been easy to just turn the camera and shoot footage of these trees.
DEER MEADOW SHERIFF’S DEPARTMENT SIGN
One more cut and we see the Deer Meadow Sheriff sign.
The sign was placed where the star is located on the front of the Park Ranger’s house.
I attempted to recreate the shot with a telephoto lens. As you can see, the house had a few upgrades since 1991 – new windows, new paint, etc. As the sign indicates, this is a Private Residence, so please respect the area.
CHET DESMOND AND SAM STANLEY ARRIVE
The FBI Agents arrive in their 1986 Plymouth Grand Fury with an Oregon license plate – 2TH 504. Agent Stanley checks out the 1991 Ford Econoline E-350 FBI Crime Van but notices no one is inside.
The August 8, 1991 script describes this scene.
EXT. SHERIFF’S STATION – MIDDAY
The FBI MOBILE CRIME VAN sits outside as Desmond and Stanley pull up.
This is the approximate location where the van and car were parked. This is the road you would take to enter the park. On the far right is the aforementioned restroom.
This is what the Agents saw as they walked toward the Sheriff’s Station. The action continues inside the Sheriff’s Department which is another article for another time.
CRIME VAN DRIVER IN DEER MEADOW
I will, however, mention the Crime Van Driver. We see him inside the Sheriff’s Department with the FBI Agents.
A closer shot reveals he is wearing a FBI navy jumpsuit. The actor who played him is Steven Beard, yet we didn’t learn this until 2014 when The Missing Pieces was released.
He is seen with Agent Sam Stanley watching the fight between Agent Desmond and Sheriff Cable.
Here his name appears in the The Missing Pieces’ credits as Steven Beard.
The credits for the theatrical release don’t list this character or the actor’s name; instead you’ll find “Medic – Chuck McQuarry.”
For the longest time, I thought that the Crime Van Driver and the Medic were the same person. I couldn’t figure out how the Crime Van Driver was suddenly wearing a jacket with an EMT patch outside the Sheriff’s Station. Then I realized it must be two different people.
TAKING THE BODY BACK TO PORTLAND
After the deleted scene of the fight, Teresa Banks’ body is loaded into the FBI Mobile Crime Van by a Medic. The scene is mentioned in the August 1991 script, except it was the driver (Steven Beard) who was supposed to load the body.
EXT. SHERIFF’S STATION – AFTERNOON
Stanley and the driver finish loading the body into the van.
Desmond and Stanley talk.
The Medic, however, is seen loading Teresa’s body and then closes the Crime Van Door. We never get a look at his face but his body shape doesn’t match the previously seen Crime Van Driver.
Thanks to The Missing Pieces, we finally get a look at the Medic’s face.
He’s seen pushing Annie Blackburn on a stretcher with another uncredited Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) and a Nurse (played by Therese Tinling).
I found a more current image of Chuck McQuary (only one “r” now) in a clip from Motor Away, a 2013 short film written and directed by Shawn Sullivan.
I looked EVERYWHERE for information about Steven Beard but had no luck. If you know Steven or have any information about his role, please leave a comment below.
WHY WAS CHUCK MCQUARY CREDITED?
I wonder why Chuck and Steven were miscredited for so many years. Could it have been an oversight in post production? Kind of like how Father Clarence Hutchings is credited in the Pilot Episode but is never actually seen.
Since we never see the background behind the Medic, it seems like this scene could have been shot at the Hospital during Annie’s scene from The Missing Pieces. It could account for why Chuck McQuary was never seen with the Steven Beard. I mean wouldn’t the MEDIC (!!) want to tend to Chet Desmond or Sheriff Cable after the fight?
Moreover, he was likely credited as he spoke dialogue in Annie’s scene (I believe bit part actors with dialogue may receive film credit).
INT. HOSPITAL EMERGENCY WARD – NIGHT
Annie is being brought in on a stretcher. A NURSE talks to a PARAMEDIC as they rush her towards the emergency room.
NURSE
What happened?
MEDIC
I don’t know. Sheriff Truman just brought her in from Glastonbury Grove.
Annie’s scene may have been cut at the last minute and it was too late to change the end credits. It may have also been a simple mixup, thinking the Driver and the Medic were the same people.
One last thing…
THE EMT PATCH
I located a replica of the EMT patch that Chuck wears in the scene.
It’s a generic patch and will be useful for the one time I cosplay as the Medic from Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me.
