On August 16, 1992, David Lynch’s Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me had its theatrical debut in the United States during the first Twin Peaks Fan Festival in North Bend, Washington. The North Bend Cinema, now known as the North Bend Theatre, hosted this star-studded premiere organized by New Line Cinema. Now, 32 years later, Sheryl Lee, who played Laura Palmer, is returning to Snoqualmie Valley for three special screenings of the film on August 16-17, 2024.
SHERYL LEE AT THE NORTH BEND THEATRE – AUGUST 16-17, 2024
On June 2, 2024, the North Bend Theatre official announced three screenings of David Lynch’s 1992 masterpiece, Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me. Sheryl Lee, who gave an incredible performance as Laura Palmer, is scheduled to attend the screenings on August 16 at 7:00 p.m. and August 17 at 3:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m.
UPDATE – JULY 29, 2024
The North Bend Theatre shared on their Instagram account on July 29, 2024 that the 7:00 p.m. shows August 16-17 are now sold out. There are only a handful of tickets remaining for the 3:00 p.m. show on Saturday. See the North Bend Theatre website for tickets.
There is nothing quite like watching this film in the town where it was filmed. I saw it during the Real Twin Peaks 2023 event on February 24 – incredible!
Long-time David Lynch fan Mike McGraner will host a Question and Answer session following the screenings with Sheryl. He is a producer and director best known for Nite Owl Theatre Starring Fritz the Nite Owl in Columbus, Ohio. He also is a budding musician who released an album titled “Hearts Will Break: Part One” which you can sample here in a teaser video.
Mike hosted this kind of screening event with Sheryl Lee and Ray Wise at Studio 35 in Columbus in July 2019. She was incredibly kind after the question session at the event and posed for photos with fans.
I’m sure more details will be coming soon for the North Bend Theatre screenings but I don’t want you to miss out on getting tickets.
RETURN TO NORTH BEND, WASHINGTON
It’s fitting that Sheryl will be at the North Bend Theatre on August 16. Thirty-two years earlier, she attended the premiere of Lynch’s then newest film, Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me. The film debuted at the Cannes Film Festival and in Japan on May 16, 1992. A few months later, French cinemas began showing the movie on July 3. A few days after the North Bend screening, German theatres played the film beginning on August 20. The wider theatrical release in the United States happened on August 28.
I intend to have a much longer and in-depth article about the August 16 premiere. For now, I found some gems which I thought you’d like to see.
The film’s premiere attracted several actors including the late Catherine Coulson seen holding her infamous log. Look carefully behind her and a young child is wearing a t-shirt with the logo of the 1992 Twin Peaks Fest.
New Line Cinema sponsored the event in Snoqualmie Valley. Throughout the summer, they had some pretty unconventional ways of marketing the film including Twin Peaks Happy Hours and a premiere party in Los Angeles, California that didn’t actually show the film.
During the Real Twin Peaks 2023 event, the North Bend Theatre shared these Polaroid image collages from the August 16 premiere.
Pat Cokewell is the “RR Owner” who ran the Mar-T Cafe at the time (known today as Twede’s Cafe).
Pat was quoted in this article from the North Bend Newspaper following the premiere. She sold 300 pies during the weekend’s festivities! After the film’s premiere, she held a party where the 300 attendees could pay $5.00 for a piece of cherry pie and a cup of coffee.
I met Pat during my first visit to North Bend in August 1996. She was still making those delicious pies at the time.
Joanne Richter, former owner of the now defunct Alpine Blossom and Gift Shoppe, said fans purchased a lot of Twin Peaks t-shirts. At the time, her store was located just down the street from the theatre and it was THE place for wonderful and strange souvenirs from the show and the “Real Twin Peaks.”
Other reports stated fans wait for hours to attend the screen on Sunday evening. This article from Centre Daily Times on August 18, 1992 discusses Lynch’s now famous remarks about the theatre.
“I was once at a theatre in Los Angeles called the Nuart standing in front of a group, a packed theatre, and talked a little bit about ‘Eraserhead’ [crowd cheers], Lynch said. “But you got a great theatre. I’m not kidding, ya. It smells and it looks [crowd laughs and cheers] … It’s the real thing.”
Lynch would receive an award that night from Festival organizers to which he responded, “Things were a little slow this year at Cannes … so thanks a lot.”
The article also had a quote from Sher Fernandes who supposedly played an extra in the pilot episode.
“It was a little bizarre, but it answered a lot of questions,” she told reporter Stephen Clutter.
I would love to know what Sher is doing today and what part she played. Maybe we’ll have others who attended the premiere on August 16 attend this year’s event. Wouldn’t that be something?
All said, I hope to see you at the theatre on August 16 this year!
