Via The Log Lady: A Twin Peaks Series Script From 1989

Welcome To Twin Peaks! Scene from the opening credits - filmed in 1989 and included in the 1989 self contained ending video release version.

Margaret Lanterman - aka the Log Lady - played by Catherine E Coulson, communes with her log.

Little town of secrets - rich widow Josie Packard (Joan Chen) was having an affair with Sheriff Harry S Truman (Michael Ontkean). But was she really a widow? Special Agent Dale Cooper (Kyle MacLachlan) was dispatched to the town in February 1989 to investigate the murder of Home Coming Queen Laura Palmer. Catherine Martell (Piper Laurie) schemed and plotted.

I was jealous to the max when a pal of mine recently chortled: "I've got an original Twin Peaks script, used by Catherine E Coulson, the Log Lady herself!"

I was slightly mollified when he told me I could scan or photograph the script, and I even contemplated the idea of starting a '90s blog to write about it. Then I discovered that - oh joy - the script dated from 1989! As this is '80s ACTUAL and we like to feature actual 1980s artifacts, it belongs here!

In our main Twin Peaks article, we covered the series's origins in the late 1980s, the pilot film, which was produced in early 1989 (most of which was used for the series pilot and dream sequences in the show), the fact that Angelo Badalamenti wrote the music in '89 and that production started on the first series, but I must say I'm surprised how far that work went. My pal's script is for episode five of series one, and dates from November 1989!

I was even more surprised to discover that the script for episode six, by Harley Peyton, was also written in November 1989.

Anyway, my pal's script was written by Mark Frost (Hill Street Blues), who co-created Twin Peaks with David Lynch.

A quick hunt around the Web reveals that a revised first draft script for the 1989 pilot film (originally to be called Northwest Passage) dates back to December 1988, and the script for episode one of the series dates back to July (first draft) and August 1989.

I hope you enjoy the photographs below! All I can burble is "WOW, BOB, WOW!" and "Damn fine coffee!"

Agent Cooper discovers little Audrey Horne in his bed at the Great Northern Hotel...

Highly confidential!

Drafts of the episode five script - and a note from Catherine E Coulson!

Agent Cooper regrets leaving his Ear-Pillow Silicon Ear Plugs behind!