The original airing of Twin Peaks in 1990 captured the attention of the world, television critics included. While researching about my favorite series, I discovered Walt Belcher, former TV critic for The Tampa Tribune, who not only loved the show but also orchestrated a look-a-like contest in August and September 1990. Here’s a look back at that contest which corresponded with ABC Television’s re-airing of the first season in late summer that year.
TV CRITIC WALT BELCHER
To begin this tale, we need to meet former reporter Walt Belcher, who began working for The Tampa Tribune in 1977 as a reporter in their Sebring, Florida bureau.
He assumed the newspaper’s television critic role in 1981 after Dan Ruth left the job. In all, he spent 35 years at the paper, sometimes writing as many as seven stories a week. In December 2011, he was let go along with 165 other staffers as the paper downsized their staff. At the time, he joked that he “probably had more bylines than anybody in the history of the paper.”
From the very beginning, Walt LOVED Twin Peaks. He began writing about the series prior to the pilot’s debut on April 8, 1990. On April 6, he published a short blurb remarking how Twin Peaks “just might be a show to keep.”
His love of the show continued into the second season, explaining to a reader in his Ask Walt column on November 4, 1990 his honest opinion about the show: “… I enjoy watching Twin Peaks every week. It’s a comic soap opera.”
Walt is still active today telling stories as part of the Florida Storytelling Association where he “shares humorous accounts of growing up in the South at the Safety Harbor Art and Music Center where he developing a storytelling workshop and story slams.”
TWIN PEAKS RERUNS
Leading up to the the premiere of season two, ABC re-aired the first season beginning with the pilot episode on Sunday, August 5 at 9:00 p.m. The remainder of the first season was show each Saturday night at 10:00 p.m. beginning on August 11. Mr. Belcher wrote again about the series in the August 11 newspaper:
“So what if you never find out who killed Laura Palmer? You can have fun just watching creators David Lynch and Mark Frost strip away the layers of their funky fictional little town.”
Belcher also provided some insight about the series’ origin from co-creator Mark Frost:
“It started with a conversation David and I had about a small town in the Northwest that was full of mysteries, secret relationships, but presented in a sort of film noir undertone … I always thought the murder was a great way to get to know the town … and introduce all the characters and involve everybody in a complicated mystery.”
Walt’s article continued with some Twin Peaks trivia, including a nod to the real “Twin Peaks” of Snoqualmie Valley, Washington. All of the cast images are from official ABC Television publicity shots.
THE CONTEST BEGINS
Twins or doubles have been a part of Twin Peaks ever since the Little Man from Another Place said to Agent Cooper in the Red Room, “But doesn’t she look almost exactly like Laura Palmer?” So a contest about folks resembling characters from David Lynch and Mark Frost’s wonderful and strange show make total sense.
The small add above appeared on the front page of the newspaper on August 11, 1990 (how wild to think there was a time when Twin Peaks was front page news).
Opposite Mr. Belcher’s article from August 11, there was an advertisement announcement for the “Twin Peaks Double Takes” contest. The paper wanted to assemble their own weird Twin Peaks cast by having readers send photographs of any character from the series. They also also for insights and thoughts about the “bizarre serial” and that they would publish the best each week until they solve Laura’s murder.
If selected, “winners” would receive coffee, cherry pie, doughnuts or an officially licensed Twin Peaks t-shirt. Sadly I never located photos of the contest prizes.
AUGUST 16, 1990
It didn’t take long to receive the first entry from Victoria Fabriano of Tampa. She said that Dave Wagner, a news anchor from Tampa-based WTSP Channel 10, was a dead ringer for Special Agent Dale Cooper. Ms. Fabriano received tickets to see David Lynch’s Wild at Heart which opened in theaters on August 17. Remind me to write an article debunking the idea that David Lynch wasn’t around Twin Peaks because of Wild at Heart.
Another reader, April Smith of Brooksville, Florida, sent in a photo of a 40-pound hunk of timber that showed up in her backyard. She won a coffee mug filled with toothpicks.
Terri Summerville of Port Charlotte. Florida thought Sheriff Harry Truman killed Laura Palmer because “he is the least likely suspect” or her best friend Donna Hayward did it because “she is in love with Laura’s secret lover, James.” She received a dozen jelly doughnuts who Walt says was “Sheriff Truman’s favorite high-calorie snack.”
MORE ADVERTISMENTS
Additional advertisements for their contest appeared in both the August 18 and August 26 papers.
Walt would later remark they didn’t receive an overwhelming number of entries for the contest:
“Of course, we didn’t expect a flood of entries because Twin Peaks does not have mass appeal. And it doesn’t do as well in the ratings in the Tampa-St. Petersburg market as it does in larger urban areas such as New York or Los Angeles.”
AUGUST 31, 1990 – LEO’S DOUBLE
St. Petersburg resident Neil DeGroot was highlighted as Leo Johnson’s double in the August 31 paper. He received an official t-shirt from WTSP, Channel 10 (the same station that aired Twin Peaks). DeGroot didn’t believe Leo was the killer as that would be “too straightforward, too easy and not like David Lynch at all.” Interestingly, his wife’s maiden name was Johnson and she was born in Missoula, Montana. Leo, is that you? DeGroot, who was an actor and later a producer, would make an independent film titled The Wormkillers’ Last Spring as reported in a 2005 Tampa Bay Times article.
Christina Richter of Chicago, Illinois also won an official t-shirt because she could tie a cherry stem knot with her tongue, ala Audrey Horne.
“When Twin Peaks first came on, it seemed like no one that I knew watched it, but this summer a lot of my friends are asking me about it … It has a cult following in Chicago, too,” said Richter.
The August 31 paper also had an article about Nori Cruz, who submitted multiple photos of various character doubles including Cooper, Audrey Horne, Donna Hayward and Laura Palmer. She received a t-shirt.
Ray Bates of Tampa proposed a theory that no one killed Laura Palmer as “it was a dream about a ’20-year-old high school year book photo.” Whoa! He also added that “Twin Peaks is a secret government base where kidnapped citizens, whose minds have been altered by drugs, are being tested for their reactions to strange crises.” Um … isn’t that the X-Files?
Another advertisement was shared in the same paper trying to drum up additional entries.
SEPTEMBER 7, 1990
With the start of September, Tim Howard of Land O’ Lakes, Florida, was nominated by his wife Laurie for being Agent Cooper’s double. The Eraserhead-fan received an official t-shirt.
The article also mentions that the reruns for Saturday, September 8 expanded to an hour and 55 minutes. It seems like both Episode 1005 and 1006 were shown that night.
Finally, there is mention of American Chronicles, the short-lived Fox television series created by David Lynch and Mark Frost. If you have never seen these documentaries of “out-of-the-way places,” Archive.org has all the episodes except for one (#3 – Manhattan After Dark). Check them out here.
SEPTEMBER 14, 1990 – THE LOG LADY FOUND
Tom Babich from Portland, Oregon, submitted a photo of his mother Helen holding a log by a sign to the town of Twin Peaks, California. He also received a t-shirt from WTSP, Channel 10.
Belcher makes a final call for contest submission as the season one finale aired on September 15, 1990. He reports on the handful of entries received:
“So far, we’ve got a couple of Laura Palmers, a couple of Agent Coopers, an Audrey Horne, a couple of Log Ladies, a log, a Leo Johnson and one woman who doubled for several characters. But there have been no Sheriff Harry S. Truman, no Ben Hornes, no Nadines, no Shelly Johnsons, no Lucys (the sheriff’s secretary), no Norma Jenningses, no Dr. Jacboys , no myna bird, no dwarfs and no one-armed men.”
THE CONTEST ENDS
In the September 30 – October 6, 1990 edition of The Tampa Tribune-Times, Walt announced the look-a-like contest had come to an end. He provided a summary of those previously discussed contest winners, plus three new ones.
Debra Gonzales of Tampa doubled as Audrey Horne, Kathleen Dhong of Tampa dressed as Donna Hayward and Jandolin Marks of Lakeland shared a photo of her dressed as Nadine Hurley, eye patch and all. All three received official t-shirts, cherry pie and “damn fine coffee” mugs.
Walt reminisced in this final article that they didn’t really “expect to find exact doubles” as it was tough finding people who even watched the show. He was surprised at the cleverness of those who entered.
If I had lived in Florida at the time and watched the series in 1990, I would have easily submitted an entry. Young me below is dressed as Dale Cooper in 1994 while 2017 me is Gordon Cole. I’m sure I could have won a t-shirt, no? Maybe just cherry pie.
