By the beginning of May 1990, Twin Peaks had been airing for a few weeks on the ABC Television Network. This gave “TV Guide” reporters enough time to write several stories for a special report about David Lynch and Mark Frost’s wildly popular first season for their the May 5-11 issue.
TWIN PEAKS IN TV GUIDE FROM MAY 5-11, 1990
The cover of Issue #1936 of “TV Guide” (Vol. 38 No. 18) for May 5-11, 1990 featured Oprah Winfrey on the set of another new ABC television show, Brewsters Place. By this time, Oprah’s daytime talk show had been on the air for four years so it was a big deal to have an interview with her in this issue. Above Oprah’s head you’ll spot a green banner stretched across the “TV Guide” logo advertising the “Twin Peaks: A Special Report.”
In the Table of Contents, it was noted the special report would begin on page 58.
TWIN PEAKS IN TV GUIDE – CHEERS ‘N’ JEERS
On page 49, Agent Cooper’s trusty tape recorder received a positive note in the “TV Guide” Cheers ‘N’ Jeers section:
“Cheers … To tape recorders as memory aids. On ABC’s Capital News, gossip columnist Miles Plato dictates his items into his hand-held recorder. On ABC’s Twin Peaks, FBI agent Dale Cooper rattles off observations to the unseen Diane via his pocket cassette player. In both cases the random, off-the-cuff ‘notes’ are often among the scripts’ most delightful bits of dialogue. The absent-minded everywhere should hail the arrival of the electronic ‘post-it.'”
TWIN PEAKS IN TV GUIDE – PAGE 58-59
The special reporting on Twin Peaks begins on pages 58-59 with an article by Joanna Elm titled, “Twin Peaks – An armchair guide to soap’s spaciest oddyssey.”
Elm reported that “roughly 30 million viewers” had embraced the “surreal serial, set in a small Northwest logging town where almost everyone harbors dark secrets.”
She also mentions that despite the show not generating “Top-10 ratings,” it “has a vocal audience of converts who keep the show’s profile high by sheer dint of their fervor.” It’s like she is speaking directly to me 34 years later.
The story continues with a recap of various plot lines which “has raised more questions than it’s answered.”
Elm also discussed the international version of the pilot episode:
“In the home-video version of Twin Peaks produced for sale abroad, Lynch ties up the mystery in 18 minutes of extra footage. Some of that has already aired on the network version during the highly bizarre dream sequence that ended the third episode (ed. note, she means episode 1.002, which was technically the third episode to air if you include the pilot). So far, its nightmare vision of a midget with distorted speech and an aged Cooper has left viewers even more perplexed – and many simply exasperated. Is there an end to this mystery?”
The first article concludes with a note that only two episode are left (after May 10) but fans should not “expect neat answers – or the most crucial one of all.” At the time, ABC Television spokespersons and the Twin Peaks production team have “hinted the killer will not be revealed in this season’s finale.”
Most interesting is ABC planned to produce one more episode that would wrap up the mystery if the show was not renewed. The decision to renew wouldn’t happen for a few weeks after this issue was delivered to homes.
The publicity image with Agent Cooper (Kyle MacLachlan) and Sheriff Harry Truman (Michael Ontkean) is classic. It would continue being used even in October 2017 when the Bookhouse Boys Journal by Insight Editions was released.
Richard Foreman took the photo of Sheryl Lee as Laura Palmer leaning against a post.
TWIN PEAKS IN TV GUIDE – 60-62 – OUR MAN VISITS THE REAL TWIN PEAKS
Michael Leahy visited the real Twin Peaks of Snoqualmie Valley, Washington for his story on pages 60-62. He visited the towns of North Bend (population 2,300 at the time) and Snoqualmie (population 1,600). Naturally, one of his first stops was at the former Mar-T Cafe (now Twede’s Cafe) in North Bend.
“The Mar T serves as the setting for the Double R Diner in Twin Peaks, but the real reason why I’ve sat myself down on a counter stool here is to try out that now-famous cherry pie, which Special Agent Cooper has described as ‘incredible.'”
Leahy continues describing pies made by long-time Mar-T employee Garnet Cross.
“I ask a farm-fresh babe at the counter to bring me a piece, only – wouldn’t you know? – cherry is the one kind of pie that Garnet Cross, the woman whose baking prowess has made her a minor celebrity around here, didn’t make this morning. I try the apple instead. The crust melts in your mouth like a butter cookie. Damn fine pie. Super pie.”
He would try the cherry pie during his second day in town followed by the chocolate pie (ed. note – the latter was supposedly Lynch’s favorite).
The report spoke with a cook named Joni McCloskey about the real North Bend. At the time, a tabloid article had portrayed the town as a “haven for psychotic bumpkins, where loggers have settled their scores by dueling chain saws and murders are rampant.”
“North Bend is like any small town,” says cook McCloskey. “Everybody knows everybody else’s business. There are no secrets. If somebody is having an affair, word spreads like that.”
Only three customers were at the Mar-T at the time Leahy visited. Waitress Susie Graves said, “There isn’t a lot to do around here … Maybe it used to be different when it was more of a logging town.”
Pie maker Cross spoke with Leahy by phone saying, “We have a nice easygoing town where the people just want to make a living a be left alone to enjoy themselves.”
The article continues on page 62 with a story about the report getting lost on the Snoqualmie Gun Club’s land. He eventually returns to the “Snoqualmie Falls’ Salish Lodge” where they charged him $165 a night.
Later that evening, he ended up at The Gateway, a former bar in North Bend that no longer exists. Cook Joni McCloskey said it was the kind of place “where at 10 o’clock everybody looks like a 2, and at 2 everybody looks like a 10.”
The reporter’s next stop is the North Bend Tavern and spoke with bartender Cherie Bailey who watched Twin Peaks the night Leahy visited.
“This is a softball night around here,” she says. “Television doesn’t interfere with that. The show was .. (she flipes her hands over and back) .. No great shakes.”
The article closes with a report from one more bar in Snoqualmie, the infamous Smokey Joe’s Tavern. A couple of women are drinking shots of scotch alone. “Nothing to do,” says one to the other, “except oder three or four more.”
The article contained three publicity shots including one by Richard Foreman of police officers with dogs outside the abandoned train car.
Mark Seliger shot the image of Peggy Lipton as Norma Jennings on the set of the Double R Diner in Van Nuys, California.
Richard Foreman also took the shot of Sherilyn Fenn as Audrey Horne sitting on the now-demolished stone bollards outside the Salish Lodge & Spa in Snoqualmie, Washington.
TWIN PEAKS IN TV GUIDE – 63- LIFE AFTER LAURA
Timothy Carlson penned a story on page 63 about life after Laura Palmer wondering if ABC would order more Twin Peaks.
“We thought it wouldn’t have done as well in areas outside the cities. But that was a grand presumption,” said ABC Entertainment president Robert Iger. At the time, Iger felt the jury was still out on the show being picked up for second season.
“What we are seeing [with Twin Peaks] is that audiences everywhere, not only in New York and Los Angeles, area looking for a different viewing experience,” continued Iger.
Executive Producer Mark Frost also chimed in.
“The idea that TV should just be on in the background like radio … is wasting a wonderful communications medium,” explained Frost. “If we do thing in carefully crafted, deep layers of sight and sound and music and dialogue, people will find their attention engaged.”
Chad Hoffman, former ABC drama-development chief who worked on the show, believe it would usher in a new era of risk taking.
“The national rating prove the audience is smarter than people give them credit for,” said Hoffman. “When the audience is required to watch something differently, it demands more attention. Thus, you may increase the audience at large and help rebuild network audiences instead of watching them dwindle.”
TWIN PEAKS IN TV GUIDE – PAGE 64-65
The final special report article by Mary Murphy was titled “Peaks punks: A Pair to Watch” Murphy spoke with Dana Ashbrook who played “Bad Punk” Bobby Briggs and James Marshall who played “Good Punk” James Hurley.
Ashbrook said that he is different than his on-screen character.
“I’m really a happy-go-lucky’ guy, not violent,” explained Dana. “When I play Bobby there’s not much of me in there.”
He recalled the on-screen kiss with Mädchen Amick in the pilot episode.
“I said to David [director Lynch], ‘On a scale from one to 10, 10 being the highest, what do you want here?’ And he tells me, “I want an 11.’ So we just went for it.”
He added, “[Bobby] tries to get as much sex with Shelly as he can. There are some scenes in the kitchen, which I have to say are pretty hot – I mean, strong 10s.”
Ashbrook was concerned that Amick’s boyfriend would kill him once he saw the scenes – “I think he’s going to kill me when he sees those scenes.”
Twenty-three year old James Marshall was frustrated as “nobody recognizes him.” He had blonde hair and a crew cut at the time, marking a completely different look than the on-screen James.
He continued, “I thought for sure I would get special treatment in restaurants, be treated like a star, but that ain’t gonna happen.”
Hurley experienced anxiety when the show aired.
“When Twin Peaks went on air, I couldn’t eat. I couldn’t sleep. I’ve been filled with anxiety. I’m depressed,” he continued.
It didn’t help that he watched the show with his parents.
“I watched the second episode at home, in Malibu, and although they kept telling me how good I was, they’re my parents. When my friend Lara Flynn Boyle [who plays Donna Hayward and in real life dates Kyle MacLachlan, who plays Agent Cooper] came on, my parents said she was excellent. I said to my mother, ‘You didn’t say that to me.'”
The story concluded with James talking about his trouble with women and finances.
TWIN PEAKS IN TV GUIDE – THIS WEEK
Paul Droesch makes a tiny mention of Twin Peaks in his “This Week” column – “And there’s wooden acting on Twin Peaks (Thurs. ABC): the Log Lady’s constant companion speaks to Agent Cooper.”
TWIN PEAKS IN TV GUIDE – PAGE 183
The “Thursday Guidelines” section on page 183 had a short paragraph about Twin Peaks.
“Even if you’re having trouble following the story on Twin Peaks, you can still get a great deal of enjoyment from the marvelously eerie score by Angelo Badalamenti, who also did the music for David Lynch’s “Blue Velvet.” Listen tonight when the Log speak to Cooper and Truman, the Vikings return – rather noisily – to the Great Northern, and James and Donna enlist Madeleine’s help. (9 PM, 5, 16S, 23)”
TWIN PEAKS IN TV GUIDE – PAGES 184-185
Here is how the TV listings looked for Twin Peaks episode 1.005 on Thursday, May 10, 1990.
TWIN PEAKS IN TV GUIDE – PAGES 186-187
The final appearance of Twin Peaks in this “TV Guide” issue is found on pages 186-187.
The synopsis for episode 1.005 reads: “The officers look for more clues about the Jacques Renault connection, Ed and Norma (Everett McGill, Peggy Lipton) decide to break it off for awhile; Audrey (Sherilyn Fenn) gets the department-store job she wants.; James and Donna (James Marshall, Lara Flynn Boyle) meet Madeleine (Sheryl Lee) to discuss Laura, while Dr. Jacoby (Russ Tamblyn) questions Bobby (Dana Ashbrook) about Laura’s dark side; Hank (Chris Mulkey) rumbles into town, out on parole; a contingent of Icelanders whoops it up at The Great Northern. Cooper. Kyle MacLachlan. (A special report on “Twin Peaks” can be found on p. 58)”
There is another Twin Peaks advertisement with an image of James and Donna. The ad provides a brief three point recap from episode 1.004
Last Week –
- Bobby stole Leo’s blood-soaked shirt.
- Bird bites were found on Laura’s body.
- Ben Horne hired Leo to burn down the mill.
This issue’s special report is a fascinating snapshot from the middle of Twin Peaks fever in spring 1990.
