In the Twin Peaks pilot, there are a handful of interior scenes that take place at The Great Northern Hotel. Those scenes were filmed at Kiana Lodge in Poulsbo, Washington which also doubled as the Packard family residence known as the Blue Pine Lodge. One of those scenes was Ben Horne (Richard Beymer) speaking with Leland Palmer (Ray Wise) by a fireplace just before speaking with the Norwegians.
WHERE IS THE FIREPLACE AT THE GREAT NORTHERN HOTEL IN THE TWIN PEAKS PILOT LOCATED?
Located at 14976 Sandy Hook Rd NE in Poulsbo, the Kiana Lodge opened in 1937 for Seattleites looking for an escape from the city. By the 1960s, the Lodge was home to numerous convention groups and guests looking to get away to the “Evergreen Playground.” The beautiful Kiana Lodge was only 12 minutes from downtown Seattle by boat. Guests could enjoy the famous Kiana potlatch salmon barbecues with spectacular views of Agate Pass.
Today, the Suquamish Tribe owns this private wedding and meeting location. While they welcome visitors, they ask you give their paying clients their privacy and plan to visit when there are no events going on. Call ahead to check on their schedule – (360) 598-4311.
The fireplace scene took place inside the original 1930s building and can be found at the approximate coordinates 47°41’59.1″N 122°34’56.7″W. The scene was shot on March 18, 1989 as part of the last days of location filming in Washington state.
There are multiple fireplaces inside the building including one in the dining room where Ben Horne later addresses the Norwegians. The fireplace seen in the pilot is not the one with the wooden Kiana Lodge sign hanging above it. This fireplace, however, shared a chimney with the one seen in the series.
The correct fireplace now has a mirror on the ledge with a moose taxidermy mount hanging above it.
FIRE IN THE FIREPLACE
The scene opens with a close-up shot of a fire burning in a fireplace. This is the first of many fireplaces seen throughout all three seasons of Twin Peaks and David Lynch’s Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me. This particular shot was recycled three times in the series and you can spot it in episodes 2.001, 2.007 and 2.018.
The first draft of Mark Frost and David Lynch’s “Northwest Passage” places this scene in The Great Northern Hotel Office.
INT. GREAT NORTHERN HOTEL OFFICE – MORNING
In an inner office, BENJAMIN HORNE, a roguish, charismatic man, mid-forties looks in at the Norwegians, then consults with his lawyer, LELAND PALMER, a handsome, refined man of fifty, who takes a sheath of legal contracts from a briefcase and shows them to Horne.
There is a voice over with Ben Horne and Leland Palmer over the sound of crackling fire. The script, however, contains action not seen in the episode. The crew probably shot this action but a voiceover was favored.
HORNE
(glancing at the contracts)
Are they ready to sign?
When I visited Kiana Lodge in January 2020, I found a pile of logs stacked in the fireplace seen in the Pilot but they were covered by a fire screen.
While the on-screen fireplace wasn’t lit, I found a different fireplace burning brightly on that January day. I imagine this is what it looked like in 1989
BEN HORNE AND LELAND PALMER DISCUSS THE CONTRACT
The scene cuts to Leland Palmer sitting on a couch by a fireplace. Ben Horne is walking toward to stone structure.
LELAND
You don’t want to mention to them that we don’t as yet have access to the Packard land–
Kiana Lodge was one of the first Twin Peaks film locations I visited during my trek to the 1996 Twin Peaks Fan Festival. On August 9, 1996, I grabbed this photo of the fireplace. The orange-colored couch had been replaced with royal blue-colored seating.
Here is the same spot when I finally returned to Kiana Lodge 23 years after that first visit in January 2020. By this time, a mirror was added and furniture had again been replaced. Look carefully and you’ll notice the placement of the stones of the face has not changed through the years.
BEN HORNE SPITS IN THE FIREPLACE
Once Ben crosses to the fire, he leans against the stone mantle and spits. The fire pops after the spit hits the burning wood. It’s a shocking and unexpected moment. I’ll share more on how this scene was made in a moment. But first, there is some dialogue missing from the broadcast version.
HORNE
By the time we’re ready to start building we’ll have that land, what they don’t know won’t hurt them–
(holds up a hand to silence him)
“Sorry,” says Ben Horne as he apologizes to Leland after spitting.
I returned again to Kiana Lodge on February 22, 2023. The first remained unchanged from my previous visit (though the stack of wood was higher behind the fire screen). The doors on the left side of the fireplace were open. They lead into the room where the Concierge Desk, Audrey Horne watching the Norwegians and Leland Palmer hearing about Laura Palmer’s death were filmed.
In the pilot, however, those doors are closed and black paper covers the window. The paper was most likely added by the crew.
The script dialogue continues:
HORNE
–I have solid information that the Packard Sawmill will go belly-up within a year. We will buy it for a song; one verse, no chorus.
(hands back the contracts)
HORNE
Let’s go get these cheese-eaters where they live.
Ben hands the contract to Leland before the the two of them exit the room.
Ben exists the scene with Leland following close behind with contract in hand.
In August 2024, I stopped by Kiana Lodge again to grab this wider shot of the fireplace. It gives a better look at the door to the left of the fireplace.
FILMING BEN HORNE SPITTING INTO THE FIREPLACE
As mentioned, Richard Beymer spitting into the fireplace was an unexpected moment in the Pilot that was filled with things television audiences had not previously seen on network television. It caught the attention of audiences and only added to the show’s mystique.
One of the earliest mentions of this scene was found in an interview with Kyle MacLachlan and The Vancouver Sun’s Bart Mill on March 30, 1990. In the article, MacLachlan praises David Lynch and Mark Frost “attention to detail and willingness to take chances.”
“That’s the great thing for an actor, when you’re allowed to try things that might look stupid,” explained Kyle. “There’s a scene where one of our actors, Richard Beymer, is talking to another character in his living room, and he goes over and spits in the fireplace. Nothing is made of it, it just happens. It’s behavior. It might mean something and it might not. That’s the way life is.”
A few days later, Beymer tells Bruce R. Miller in an interview with the Sioux City Journal on April 6, 1990 that it was Lynch who came up with the idea while on set.
“Audiences will probably remember [Ben Horne] as the character who passes fireplace and spits in it. Odd as the bit may seem, it’s another Lynchmark that gives ‘Twin Peaks’ an edge.
Beymer says the ‘Blue Velvet’ director came up with the gimmick just as the scene was about to be shot.
‘With David, a lot of the stuff is of the moment. He just comes on the set and says, ‘I’ve got an idea. Let’s do this.’
This story of how the spitting became a thing would evolve over time. On Sunday, July 22, 1990, Twin Peaks actors and creators held a breakfast in Los Angeles to answer critics and reporters’ questions about the show.
James Endrst wrote about his experience for the Hartford Courant on July 27, 1990. In his article that recapping the conversation with the stars, he mentioned Beymer told a story about the fireplace scene.
“So ‘West Side Story’ star Richard Beymer (Audrey’s kingpin pop, hotel owner Benjamin Horne) offered no clues [about Laura Palmer’s murder] but told a story about a Lynch-inspired scene in which Lynch asked him to spit into a fireplace.”
Decades later in 2014, Beymer would tell fellow Bookhouse Boy Brad Dukes in his book “Reflections, an Oral History of Twin Peaks” more details about this scene.
“We were up at the hotel and David had us sitting on this couch in front of the fireplace and it felt rather strange, just sitting there. I asked David if I could just get up and lean on the mantle. He said, ‘Yeah, that’d be really neat, but when you get there you should hock a big ‘loogie’ right into the fire.’ I said, “Okay…[Laughs] and I have the subtle version and went on talking. If I could go back I would have gone further with the [very loud gargling and spitting sound].'” (Page 31)
Andreas Halskov also spoke with Richard Beymer where he offered this version of the story:
“With Ben, I didn’t have very much to do in the pilot. I read the part, and I realized he was a businessman who pulls a fast one. The first scene we did was on location at the hotel. It was with Leland. David Lynch had us sitting in a couch, and I asked him whether I could stand up and walk around. And he said, ‘Yes, but once you get to the fireplace, hawk a big loogie.’ I was surprised because I hadn’t ever thought that my character would do something like that, but I was new to David and I didn’t know him, so I didn’t ask questions concerning motivation.”
All said, it’s fascinating to see how a character spitting into a fireplace created a moment that is still memorable nearly 35 years later.
Download high-resolution images of this Twin Peaks location on my Flickr account: https://www.flickr.com/photos/aloha75/albums/72177720321919065
