Long before Twin Peaks Blog was launched in February 2018, I was fascinated by props and other set decorating from David Lynch and Mark Frost’s Twin Peaks and motion picture, Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me. Today, identifying these objects is a key part of this website that documents and archives this wonderful and strange world. With assistance from fellow Bookhouse Boys, you can now see details of more than 150 props and set decorations via a new dedicated page on TwinPeaksBlog.com.
NEW TWIN PEAKS PROPS AND SET DECORATING PAGE
The newly launched Twin Peaks Props and Set Decorating page can be found here:
https://twinpeaksblog.com/twin-peaks-props-and-set-decorating/
This ever-growing list of identified items has similar to design to the popular Twin Peaks Film Locations page on this blog. By clicking on a thumbnail image, you will be redirected to either individual webpages or fellow author and prop collector Vinnie Guidera’s Instagram account @TwelveRainbowTrout. The Instagram links will eventually become stories on this living, breathing archive to all things Twin Peaks.
Items are organized by the first time they appear in the first three seasons of the show or in Lynch’s feature film.
BRUCE PHILLIPS AND THE MISS TWIN PEAKS CONTEST FLYER
My interest in Twin Peaks props originated with Bruce Phillips, long-time fan and collector, whose mail order catalogs in the 1990s contained show replicas for sale. Before the internet and social media apps of today, Bruce’s catalogs along with Craig Miller and John Thorne’s Wrapped in Plastic magazine were a lifeline for early fans. They documented items used in the show, such as Laura Palmer’s diary, and other memorabilia and ephemera.
One of the first items I ordered from Bruce was a photocopy of the Miss Twin Peaks Contest flyer. What a thrill to hold something in my hands that appeared on my favorite television show! It remained in a plastic sleeve buried in a three-ring binder for decades, waiting for technology to catch up.
THE TWIN PEAKS PROP THAT BEGAN MY FASCINATION
In the 2000s, I discovered Antiques Roadshow on PBS, where antique experts shared extensive, well-researched information with event attendees hoping to strike gold with a priceless object in tow. While I never attended a taping, I have spent countless hours inside antique shops thumbing through vinyl albums or postcards and inevitably getting lost in the nostalgia of childhood memories.
My curiosity about the past extended to Lynch and Frost’s expertly decorated world of Twin Peaks. The prop and set decorating crew captured a moment in time washed in Mid-Century dreams of the 1950s and 60s. On-screen items were like a bridge between two worlds as they were something I could actually hold in my hands – but only if I could identify them.
In September 2014, I tried my hand at identifying a prop – the hot dog serving platter found in the Leo and Shelly Johnson’s house during the first season of Twin Peaks. I shared my findings with Brother Jerry Horne for his Twin Peaks Props website (see this article). Years later, Vinnie wrote about this ceramic dish produced by Lane & Company in 1958 for Twin Peaks Blog.
More than ten years later, “digital archeology” has now become an obsession. Pairing Blu-ray screen grabs with modern online search tools, auction sites and a dash of patience, I’ve learned there is no greater thrill than discovering an object’s origin after weeks of searching.
FAVORITE IDENTIFIED TWIN PEAKS PROPS
“My favorite part is learning about things I wouldn’t otherwise pursue on my way to finding a prop,” said my fellow prop hunter Vinnie. “Some props may be deeply uninteresting but some are legitimately enlightening.”
Since May 2020, Vinnie has contributed prop identification stories to this blog. He’s also acquired several unique screen-used items such as Nadine Hurley’s rowing machine from episode 1.002 and Bobby Briggs’ Olympus Pearlcorder tape recorder. I asked him about favorite props he’s found.
“The party hats and the Akashi Kaikyo ashtray were favorites because the hats were unexpectedly easy and the ashtray took a lot of digging,” replied Vinnie. “I had to break down every clue on that thing to figure it out, and the payoff was great. But of the ones I’ve written proper articles for, the ice cream cone was an interesting rabbit hole to go down, and the “Stars and Outer Space Made Easy” was fun because it unveiled some alterations by Jeff Moore’s prop team.”
The ashtray is found inside Catherine’s desk at the Blue Pine Lodge during episode 1.003. Vinnie was surprised by what he learned from his research.
“The ashtray was really interesting as it plants a seed for Catherine’s future disguise in the second season,” continued Vinnie. “I set out to identify an ashtray and ended up learning about a bridge in Japan. Thankfully, an Instagram follower from Japan helped me clear up a few details. I was like, ‘Damn, this is what it’s all about!'”
For me, identifying the mural behind Regional Bureau Chief Gordon Cole in Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me was a favorite discovery. Using the “Content Aware Fill” option in Adobe Photoshop, I removed Cole from the shot and searched for the image via Google Image search. It didn’t take long to find a similar mural for sale online. This kind of search would have been impossible in the 1990s when my interest in the show was new. Today’s technology has greatly improved our ability to find these objects.
Since anyone can identify props using today’s modern technology, I felt it was important to share historical background of these real world items for Twin Peaks Blog.
The artwork behind Special Agent Dale Cooper’s iconic thumbs-up moment in episode 2.009 is a great example. Created by Frank Tenney Johnson, the artwork hanging at The Roadhouse is titled “Return from The Hunt.”
I could have just stopped the story by providing only the artwork’s title, but I wanted readers to know more about this prolific illustrator for several well-known publications including “Field & Stream,” “Boys’ Life” and “Cosmopolitan.” People most likely have seen his work during the last century so this article preserves his history and story for future generations.
This concept is similar to Sheriff Harry Truman explanation of the Bookhouse Boys to Agent Cooper over pie and coffee at the Double R Diner. The work we are doing is for future generations – those who are only now discovering the show. It’s also for those who have been fans for nearly 35 years and have always wondered about some particular on-screen item.
I’m thankful for my fellow prop authors, Jason Mattson, Jason McMahan and Vinnie for their assistance with this endless project. I also want to thank folks like author John Thorne, Jerry Horne from Twin Peaks Archive, Welcome To Twin Peaks, “Twin Peaks” mayor Karl Reinsch, Jared Lyon, Dugpa, Brad Dukes, Andrew Graves from 25yearslatersite.com, Charles from former InTwinPeaks, Josh Eisenstadt, and 1400 River Road who have shared stories and insights about items.
Finally, I wanted to thank members of the Twin Peaks crew such as Jeff Moore and Dave Robinson, who have both shared wonderful stories about their work. This entire website is dedicated those incredibly talented crew members who made, found or purchased the items we enjoy identifying today.
Our work is not done, so keep checking back often to see more identified props.
