Twin Peaks in ‘Telepiù’ Magazine, January 27-February 2, 1991

Following its United States television network debut on April 8, 1990, David Lynch and Mark Frost’s Twin Peaks quickly became a worldwide phenomenon. Countries around the world aired the series including Italy. On January 9, 1991, Mediaset’s flagship network, Canale 5, broadcast the mystery of who killed Laura Palmer under the title, “I Segreti Di Twin Peaks” (“The Secret of Twin Peaks). The airing drew 11 million viewers and the television show’s stars became the subject of numerous Italian magazines. One such magazine is “Telepiù,” which featured Kyle MacLachlan and then girlfriend Lara Flynn Boyle on the cover of their January 27 to February 2, 1991 issue.

WHAT IS TELEPIÙ MAGAZINE?

Founded in 1987 , “Telepiù” magazine offers a weekly schedule of television programming for the main Italian television broadcasters, as well as interviews, columns and in-depth articles. Italian book publisher Rizzoli first published the magazine between 1980 and 1982, but its run was cut short life due to a crisis with. 

In 1987, the magazine moved to Silvio Berlusconi Editore, an Italian publishing house founded in 1987 by Silvio Berlusconi. That company was later acquired in 1994 by Arnoldo Mondadori Editore. In many ways, this Italian magazine was like their version of the “TV Guide.”

In 1991, Paolo Cucco served as the magazine’s editor.

TELEPIÙ MAGAZINE, JANUARY 27 – FEBRUARY 2, 1991 | COVER

The cover of the January 27 to February 2, 1991 issue of “Telepiù” (No. 4) featured a topless (but covered) Kyle MacLachlan and Lara Flynn Boyle. In giant blue letters is the phrase, “La Verità Su Twin Peaks” which is translated to “The Truth About Twin Peaks.”

TELEPIÙ MAGAZINE, JANUARY 27 – FEBRUARY 2, 1991 | TABLE OF CONTENTS

The table of contents lists the Twin Peaks article on page 20 – “«Twin Peaks»: tutti i segreti di un successo” which roughly translates to “‘Twin Peaks’: All the Secrets of a Success.”

TELEPIÙ MAGAZINE, JANUARY 27 – FEBRUARY 2, 1991 | PAGES 20-23

The article has a double-page spread on pages 20-21. The article, titled “Tutti I Segreti Di Un Successo” was written by Natalia Vantini. I found next to nothing about her work other than she wrote for the magazine at least through 1998 when she penned an article about The X-Files.

There are two images on the double-spread. One has with Kyle MacLachlan and Lara Flynn Boyle next to a small body of water. They are part of a photoshoot done by Cesare Zucca The phrase, “I SEGRETI DI TWIN PEAKS” is printed in red above Lara Flynn Boyle.

Some reports state the couple dated from July 1989 through late 1991. I found a column in the Dec. 8, 1991 edition of “The Sunday People” which said, “[Lara Flynn Boyle] has ditched Agent Cooper himself – Kyle MacLachlan.”

The second image has a reversed image of Audrey Horne (Sherilyn Fenn) sitting on a now-removed stone bollard outside the Salish Lodge & Spa which served as the exterior location of the Great Northern Hotel.

The image caption reads, “Sopra, Sherilyn Fenn, nella parte di Audrey Horn; a destra, KyleMacLachlan, l’agente federale Dale Cooper inviato per aiutare la polizia locale, e Lara Flynn Boyle (interpreta Donna) si sono conosciuti sul set e vivono insieme in un appartamento a Venice, Los Angeles.”

Translated, “Above, Sherilyn Fenn as Audrey Horne; on the right, Kyle MacLachlan, the federal agent Dale Cooper sent to assist the local police, and Lara Flynn Boyle (who plays Donna) met on set and live together in an apartment in Venice, Los Angeles.”

The translated article is below:

TWIN PEAKS SECRETS MILLIONS OF VIEWERS FOR «TWIN PEAKS» ALL THE SECRETS OF SUCCESS

The series, directed by David Lynch, has also captivated Italian television audiences. The mystery of Laura Palmer’s death deepens and reveals the dark underbelly of small-town American life.

It hit the mark here too. With a very high rating of 11 million viewers, “Twin Peaks” debuted on Italian television, winning over audiences. And as in America, in Spain and England, where it has already been shown, it has become an event, garnering extensive coverage in all the newspapers.

until it reaches the front pages of newspapers. The secret of such success? Perhaps it lies in the name of its creator, David Lynch, the director of “Wild at Heart,” winner of the last Cannes Film Festival, and other cult movies (“Elephant Man” and “Blue Velvet”). It is arousing a certain curiosity that a director consecrated by many critics as one of the most interesting authors of recent years (in the lists of the most significant films of the 80s

The article continues on page 22 and includes a second image of MacLachlan and Boyle.

The translated article continues…

“compiled by authoritative insiders, his “Blue Velvet” (which often appeared) committed to television work, and a soap opera at that. Or perhaps such success derives from the tone with which the story is told: from its slow but tense pace, from the refined shots and sequences, rich in detail, where Lynch, to create and underline the particular atmosphere that weighs on Twin Peaks, also used the evocative music of Angelo Badalamenti. In “Twin Peaks” there are no statuesque actors and glossy images of ostentatiously chic environments, glasses of champagne and perfect hairdos. In Twin Peaks the characters are, but only at first glance, normal people. Perhaps the reason for such fame lies in the massive echo that its arrival caused in the press, but the fact remains that “Twin Peaks” is popular. The series, which received 14 Emmy nominations and two Oscars for Television (winning two), was overseen by Lynch, who personally directed the first and third episodes. Co-producer Mark Frost (Hill Street Blues) directed the seventh episode.

The Italian debut of “Twin Peaks” has been well received on major television. It’s so popular that a publishing house has decided to purchase the rights to the Italian version of “The Diary of Laura Palmer,” published in the U.S. in September and written by Jennifer Lynch, the director’s twenty-two-year-old daughter. This book promises to shed an even more sinister light on the mysterious double life of the protagonist, the high school homecoming queen found murdered on the shores of a lake. The murder is the starting point that has allowed us to enter this fictional town five kilometers from the Canadian border, a region rich in forests and evocative landscapes. Following in the footsteps of federal agent Dale Cooper (Kyle MacLachlan), in charge of the investigation, the veil is lifted on the small and sleepy town.

We delve into the American provincial community and discover a gallery of very different characters, with one common denominator: each has something to hide. Because if “Twin Peaks” recalls the structure of soap operas in its intricate web of clandestine love affairs, intrigues, desires, and personal vendettas, the peculiarity is that it doesn’t have good and bad characters: everyone is, in varying doses, a little bit good and a little bit bad, above all a little bit strange. There’s a lady who talks to tree trunks, there’s the one-eyed gas station attendant’s wife, with a mania for curtains, there’s Dale Cooper himself with his omnipresent Diane, to whom his constant recordings are addressed and whom we’ll probably never see. Each episode uncovers something new about Laura’s double life and something more about the characters’ intrigues: from the beautiful Shelly (Madchen Amick), who has an affair with…

There are three photo of Shelly Johnson, Bobby Briggs and Leo Johnson on the final page of the article with the caption:

“A sinistra Madchen Amick (Shelly), sotto Dana Ashbrook (Bobby) e in basso Eric Da Re (Leo). Shelly e Bobby hanno una relazione, ma la ragazza è legata a Leo, un tipo violento e aggressivo. Bobby a sua volta era stato il fidanzato di Laura Palmer. Nella foto dell’altra pagina, Kyle MacLachlan e Lara Flynn Boyle.”

Translated

“On the left is Madchen Amick (Shelly), below is Dana Ashbrook (Bobby), and at the bottom is Eric Da Re (Leo). Shelly and Bobby are in a relationship, but she’s involved with Leo, a violent and aggressive guy. Bobby, in turn, was Laura Palmer’s boyfriend. In the photo on the opposite page, Kyle MacLachlan and Lara Flynn Boyle.”

For some reason, the images are reversed compared to the original publicity photos.

The translated article concludes…

“Bobby (Dana Ashbrook), Laura’s ex-boyfriend, who together decides to eliminate Leo (Eric Da Re), the man she lives with; and Audrey (Sherilyn Fenn), perhaps the one who seems terrible but isn’t actually evil: she’d like to see her father ruined financially. Meanwhile, she tries alone to uncover more of the mystery surrounding Laura’s final hours. The characters are unpredictable: any of them could be the killer, and the magician Lynch seems to enjoy further complicating the story with elements that leave the viewer (as is his style) confused and perplexed. The end of the third episode is exemplary, with Dale Cooper’s dream in which the protagonist, aged 25 years, finds himself confronted by Laura and a dwarf who are conversing in a disturbing way. The question arises: will the mystery really have a solution? Watch (with a little patience) to find out.”

TELEPIÙ MAGAZINE, JANUARY 27 – FEBRUARY 2, 1991 | PAGE 71

Page 71 gave a preview of television programming for January 30, 1991. Images of Michael Horse as Deputy Hawk and Sheriff Harry S. Truman and Agent Dale Cooper with the deer head appear on the page. “I Segreti Di Twin Peaks” is featured in the center box which states the broadcast is “Episode four.” It is the fourth episode shown if you include the pilot, yet the production number is #1.003.

Episode four. FBI Agent Dale Cooper (Kyle MacLachlan) tells Sheriff Truman (Michael Ontkean) his dream. Meanwhile, at the morgue, Albert (Miguel Ferrer) wants to continue the autopsy on Laura Palmer’s body despite the funeral being scheduled for that same morning. Truman reveals to Cooper that he and Hawk (Michael Horse) are part of a sort of secret society, the “Book House Boys,” whose purpose is to maintain order in the city. Pictured on the right: Kyle MacLachlan and Michael Ontkean; on the left: Michael Horse.

TELEPIÙ MAGAZINE, JANUARY 27 – FEBRUARY 2, 1991 | PAGE 73

The specific listing for Twin Peaks on January 30 is found on page 73. The show aired at 8:40 p.m.

“Twin Peaks with Dana Ashbrook (episode four) (see page 71) (see feature on page 20). Recap of previous episodes. Agent Dale Cooper (Kyle MacLachlan) continues his investigation to find Laura Palmer’s killer. Meanwhile, James (James Marshall), Mike (Gary Hershberger), and Bobby (Dana Ashbrook) are released from prison, and it is discovered that Catherine (Piper Laurie) and Benjamin (Richard Beymer) are having an affair.”

TELEPIÙ MAGAZINE, JANUARY 27 – FEBRUARY 2, 1991 | PAGE 112

The final mention of Twin Peaks is found on page 112 with an image of Ray Wise, which the magazine incorrectly lists his name as “Roy Wise.” The photo is from a sequence taken during the filming of Laura Palmer’s funeral at Sierra Madre Pioneer Cemetery.

The caption provides a recap of episode 1.002 (#2) which was broadcast on January 23, 1991.

THE SECRETS OF TWIN PEAKS
Cooper tells Truman about a special method for solving cases: a unique mind-body coordination skill based on Tibetan techniques. To discover Laura Palmer’s killer, Cooper attempts to hit a bottle with a rock, focusing on the various characters who had some connection with the victim. Albert Rosenfield, Cooper’s irascible collaborator, comes to Twin Peaks to uncover clues related to the girl’s body. Leo Johnson demands that Bobby and Mike immediately give him the money he’s owed for a shipment of cocaine. Pictured: Roy [sic] Wise.

I’m happy to have this Italian magazine now a part of the ever-growing Twin Peaks archive. It seems like I need to acquire more copies of “Telepiù” to complete the coverage.