The greatest joy in my quest to document and archive all things Twin Peaks is finding something I’ve never seen. Take this publicity photo I acquired at auction from my favorite David Lynch film, Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me. The black and white shot shows Laura Palmer (Sheryl Lee) sitting in the Red Room. In more than three decades of being a fan, I have never seen this shot. It was included in a collection of prints and slides from Spelling Films International.
WHAT IS SPELLING FILMS INTERNATIONAL?
The publicity photo was printed by Spelling Films International which was Aaron Spelling’s Spelling Entertainment Group formed in 1990 to help with film distribution in international markets.
Originally named Spelling Films International, the company rebranded itself as Spelling Films in 1995. According to the Audiovisual Identity Database, Spelling Films International became “an in-name only unit and the print logo appeared on covers.” In 1998, Spelling Films was shut down by majority owner Viacom (known today as Paramount Global), who wanted to pool resources into Spelling Television.
In 1992, Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me was released in the United States by New Line and was distributed by Spelling Films International in all media in all international territories excluding France.
LAURA PALMER IN THE RED ROOM – 164-27
The 8-inch by 10-inch black and white print shows Laura Palmer sitting in the Red Room next to a side table with the iconic Saturn lamp. The image had a catalog number written on the back – 164-27. The photo contained a thick white border around the publicity photo captured by the late Lorey Sebastian.
I cropped the photo to remove the white border. The image was taken on a set constructed in Van Nuys, California and filmed at some point in October 1991.
Based on Laura’s hair (which was a wig that Sheryl Lee wore for the film), it appears this scene was most likely from the end of the film.
You can see Laura’s legs are crossed and her right hand rests on the chair in this aerial shot of the Red Room. I can almost hear “The Voice of Love” while looking at this image.
There is a similar shot where David Lynch is seen speaking with Sheryl Lee while a fan blows cool air on the Red Room set. Most likely, this image was taken around the same time as the publicity photo.
Sebastian’s photo of Laura Palmer was most likely shot in color and then converted to black and white. It’s unclear why the black and white print was made. The seller had no details on it origin. Nevertheless, it’s a fantastic image of Laura from the beautiful end of the film.
WHO IS LOREY SEBASTIAN?
Lorey Sebastian was credited as the “Still Photographer” for Lynch’s 1992 film.
She began her career in 1977 as the still photographer on the set of Joan Micklin Silver’s film Between The Lines. Born in New York City in 1944, Sebastian eventually moved to Los Angeles, California. She had more than 100 film credits including The Player, Crash, St. Elmo’s Fire, True Grit, Twilight, Hell or High Water and Hostiles.
Lorey was briefly married to John Sebastian from the band, The Loving Spoonful. In 2018, she retired and moved to Truchas, New Mexico with her two dogs. She passed on May 9, 2022 at the age of 78 following a brief illness.
You download high-resolution versions of the publicity photos on my Flickr account: https://www.flickr.com/photos/aloha75/albums/72177720325607231/
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Lorey was a good friend of mine in Truchas. She left an entire room of photographs and film behind. There are likely many more shots from this movie. My friend, Margaret Zak, has sorted through half of them and sent them to the Motion Picture Academy Archive where they’ve been digitized and put into their library.
I’m just beginning an article for New Mexico Magazine, which I hope they’ll publish, about her extraordinary life.
@Jeane – Thank you for sharing. I greatly admire Lorey’s work, especially from “Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me.” I can’t wait to read your article (fingers crossed for you). From the tidbits I’ve seen online about Lorey, she seemed like a wonderful person.
I’ve been combing through the internet and have found too many of the stories about her to be laughable, if not sad. She was a complicated, talented person who lived a remarkable life. Growing up in a one room apartment in New York’s theater district, her journey took her into close friendships with the likes of John Lennon and Jeff Bridges. It’s going to be hard to fit it all into 2,000 words or so. But I’m hoping to right the wrongs in the many incorrect stories out there about a woman who deserves better.