There are many secondary characters in David Lynch and Mark Frost’s Twin Peaks. Their performances add to why I have enjoyed the show for more than three decades. One character from the David Lynch-directed episode 1.002 named Swabbie was played by Charlie Spradling. While she has a minor part at One-Eyed Jacks, she is connected to the first Lynch film I saw, Wild At Heart.
WHO IS SWABBIE FROM ONE-EYED JACKS?
Swabbie appears in Twin Peaks episode 1.002 and is named in the script drafted by Lynch and Mark Frost. A first draft of the script was written on August 2, 1989. Revisions were made on August 10 (Blue pages) and August 11 (Revised-Revised Blue pages). The episode was shot in late November and early December 1989. The One-Eyed Jacks boat dock location was at a real home in Malibou Lake Mountain Club in Agoura Hills, California.
EXT. DOCK – NIGHT
CUT TO:
The boat glides up slowly to the dock. Jerry tosses a line to a gorgeous young female deckhand, SWABBIE, dressed in a skimpy, stylized sailor’s uniform. Swabbie ties off the boat as a SECURITY GUARD, also dressed in a nautically themed uniform, stands by, watching.
The scripted action is different with Jerry Horne greeting Swabbie first, not Ben Horne as broadcast.
JERRY
Permission to come ashore?
SWABBIE
Permission granted.
Jerry gives Swabbie a kiss. Benjamin follows Jerry out of the boat onto the dock.
In the televised episode, Ben exits the boat first.
BENJAMIN
Hey, Sailor.
SWABBIE
Good evening, Mr. Horne.
Benjamin tips her a ten-spot and rubs her elbow.
The rubbing elbows thing happens but we don’t see Ben tip her. Additionally, the dialogue and action are missing Ben’s line about taking his shirt off, not losing it at the casino. Below is the scripted version.
SWABBIE
Thank you, Mr. Horne.
Ben and Jerry start up a flight of stairs to the brightly lit structure above. Swabbie picks up a phone on a piling and pushes a button
SWABBIE
Home brothers, comin’ up.
Here is the televised dialogue:
JERRY HORNE
Now, Ben, we’re not gonna go in the casino first, are we?
BEN HORNE
Jer, I didn’t come here to lose my shirt, I just came to take it off.
JERRY HORNE
Yeah.
The scene cuts to the bartender Kim (Kim Lentz) holding the phone inside One-Eyed Jacks. I’m assuming Swabbie is the one who says, “Kim, the Horne brothers are here.”
WHO IS CHARLIE SPRADLING?
Swabbie was played by Charlie Spradling as seen in the credits for episode 1.002. She is now Charlie Spradling South, married to John South.
Thanks to an incredible behind-the-scenes photo shared by Twin Peaks executive producer Sabrina Sutherland, I went down a rabbit hole about Ms. Spradling. The image Sabrina shared on September 3, 2024 featured Charlie dressed as Swabbie and David Lynch on the boat dock location in episode 1.002 (notice the American flag on the boat behind them).
Being a long-time fan of the series, I’m still thrilled with these never-before-seen images. To me, it keeps Twin Peaks very much alive. Thank you, Sabrina for sharing another treasure.
According to a Fort Worth Star Telegram newspaper article on December 3, 1990, Spradling grew up in Northeast Terrant County in Texas. Her parents, Nancy and Charles “Buzzy” Spradling (1937-2022), moved to Diamond Oaks in Haltom City in 1971 where they have remained for the last 54 years until Charles’ passing in 2022.
Spradling attended Richland High School until five months before graduation. She then moved to Los Angeles, California to pursue her career as an actress. While in the Golden State, she dated Charlie Sheen off and on for three years. Charlie was married to Jason London from 1997 until 2006. The couple have a daughter.
Spradling’s first film appearance was in the 1988 science fiction horror film The Blob. She also appeared in as Meridian: Kiss of the Beast (1990) and Puppet Master II (1990).
Prior to her television appearance on Twin Peaks, she stared in two episodes of Growing Pains. Her character Tawny was in bot “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner?” on November 16, 1988 and “Mandingo” on January 11, 1989. She would also appear in episodes of Full House and in the short-lived The Bradys on CBS from February-March 1990.
Charlie was 21 at the time she filmed her scene as Swabbie in Twin Peaks.
TAKE A BITE OUT OF PEACH
But one of the most surprising connected to David Lynch was her appearance as Irma in his 1990 film, Wild at Heart. She played the woman in Sailor’s racy story as he enjoys beverages with Lula in a bar. We never hear her name in the film as there was so much dialogue cut.
INT. JUNIOR TRAIN’S FRIEND’S HOUSE – KITCHEN – SAVANNAH
We see what he talks about.
SAILOR
(voice-over)
She looked right at me and run her tongue over her lips and put her hand on my arm – told me her name was Irma.
CUT TO:
57. INT. BAR – BACK OF “THE HURRICANE” – NIGHT
LULA
What’d you say to her?
SAILOR
Told her my name. Then she said somethin’ like, ‘It’s so noisy down here. Why don’t we go upstairs so we can hear ourselves?’ She turned around and led the way. I knew I had an important lesson to learn that day.
Charlie’s name appears in the credits of Lynch’s award-winning film. Even after all this time, I’m still learning new things about my favorite show.
Spradling South retired from acting in 2002 after staring in a number of television shows and film. She is on Instagram – @houseofthemuse_ – but her account is private.
