Twin Peaks Publicity – Spelling Films International – Phillip Jeffries Visits FBI Office

There are many reasons why I love David Lynch’s Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me. One reason on my list is the appearance of David Bowie as Special Agent Phillip Jeffries who suddenly returns to the F.B.I. Office in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania after going missing for two years. Granted, his screen time in the theatrical release is extremely short. Thankfully we have an extended scene in The Missing Pieces which is where this black and white publicity photo from Spelling Films International orginates.

WHAT IS SPELLING FILMS INTERNATIONAL?

The publicity photo was printed by Spelling Films International. This company was a subsidiary of 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.

PHILLIP JEFFRIES VISITS THE F.B.I. OFFICE – 177-17-21-14A

I acquired this black and white publicity photo from an online auction with a bunch of images from Lynch’s 1992 prequel.

The photograph shows Special Agent Phillip Jeffries (David Bowie) speaking with Regional Bureau Chief Gordon Cole (David Lynch) while Agents Dale Cooper (Kyle MacLachlan) and Albert Rosenfield (Miguel Ferrer) look on. The back of the image contained handwritten catalog number – 177-17-21-14A.

The photograph was taken by on-set photographer Lorey Sebastian for a scene that did not appear in the film’s theatrical cut. Look carefully and you’ll notice Agent Cooper is winking. To the right of Agent Rosenfield, you’ll see two pieces of paper attached to a column. I think one says “Not a Set.” Some kind of equipment appears at the column’s base (I’m assuming it’s lighting equipment of some kind).

We see a similar shot in Twin Peaks: The Missing Pieces when Agent Jeffries says to Gordon Cole, “I sure as hell want to tell you everything but I ain’t got a whole lot to go on. But I will tell you one lil’ bitty thing: Judy is positive about this.”

The original scripted dialogue is slightly different as seen in the script by Lynch and Bob Engels from August 8, 1991:

JEFFRIES
I want to tell you everything, but I don’t have a lot to go on. But I’ll tell you one thing: Judy is positive about this.

My gut tells me that Lorey Sebastian snapped the photo during either a rehearsal for this scene or a completely different take. If only I didn’t lose the auction for the Script Supervisor Corey Glazer’s notes by $50.00. I’m still hopeful whomever won it will contact me one day. In another reality, I have been sharing details from every scene for months now on Twin Peaks Blog.

The publicity photo also contains more of the machine that Gordon Cole uses to scream “Mayday!” Sebastian was crouching beside the desk and looking up to get the shot.

Download a high-resolution image of the black and white publicity photo and many others from my Flickr account: https://www.flickr.com/photos/aloha75/albums/72177720325607231/