Twin Peaks Prop – ‘Esquire’ Magazine at Blue Pine Lodge

As a great admirer of Twin Peaks’ rich set decoration, I have a special fondness for the promotional photos in which the cast is posed on set. These shots sometimes uncover background details that aren’t visible in the show itself.

I was recently browsing ABC’s archival photos on The Mauve Zone website when one such detail caught my eye. In a publicity shot of Joan Chen in character as Josie Packard, an issue of Esquire magazine is visible on the bookshelf behind her on the Blue Pine Lodge set.

The cover text, reading “The Best of the New Generation,” can be found on Esquire’s December 1984 Register – a supersized collector’s issue highlighting young professionals making great strides in their respective fields.

WHAT IS ESQUIRE MAGAZINE?

Esquire is a long-running American men’s magazine currently published by the Hearst Corporation. The magazine was founded in Chicago in 1933 by businessman David A. Smart, editor Henry L. Jackson, and publishing expert Arnold Gingrich. Featuring everything from men’s fashion to political discussions and humorous essays, Esquire took off quickly. Early issues even featured pieces by literary greats like Ernest Hemingway and Langston Hughes.

ESQUIRE AT BLUE PINE LODGE IN TWIN PEAKS

At first glance, a 1984 issue of Esquire on a crowded bookshelf doesn’t seem particularly interesting as a set decoration. But upon reading the table of contents, I found an interesting connection.

Page 178 features an article about Charles Moffett’s art exhibits titled “The Man Who Brought Manet to Manhattan” written by Joe Morgenstern. Does that name ring a bell?

JOE MORGENSTERN AND PIPER LAURIE

Joe Morgenstern, a writer and Pulitzer Prize winning film critic from New York City, was married to Twin Peaks actor Piper Laurie for 20 years. The two met in 1961 when Piper was promoting her latest film, The Hustler – for which she received an Oscar nomination for Best Actress – and her future husband interviewed her for the New York Herald Tribune. They were married from 1962 to 1982 and share a daughter, Anne.

I can’t say whether this is a coincidence or a fun joke between the cast and crew, but what are the odds that an article written by Piper Laurie’s ex-husband would land on the Twin Peaks set, let alone in Catherine Martell’s study?

APPEARANCES IN TWIN PEAKS?

The clearest shot of this nook comes in episode 2.011, directed by Duwayne Dunham, when Josie agrees to work as Catherine’s maid if Catherine doesn’t hand her over to Thomas Eckhardt. Despite the magazine’s prominent placement in the publicity shot, it appears to have either been removed from the set or hidden among the other books on the shelf when filming resumed, making this fun Easter egg exclusive to the promotional material.