On May 26, 2019, fellow Twin Peaks location hunter Ivan Bukta and I set out for a day of film location visits in southern California. The sky was overcast and the weatherman predicted rain (this time, he wasn’t wrong), yet this didn’t deter us from an exciting day visiting more than 15 locations (I ended up going to a few additional spots late in the day for a grand total of 20). I picked up Ivan and we ventured to our first spot – Ruth Davenport’s Apartment from Twin Peaks Part 1 on Showtime. We both had not visited this site before that rainy Sunday morning. Funny thing is that it was very close to where Ivan lived.
I know typically I share the exact address for the numerous film locations on the Where Is page. Out of respect for the Bookhouse Boy who gave me a tip about this location, I can’t share the exact address this time. I can say that the building is in Los Angeles and close to Hollywood. If you are a fan of The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, the building has a name used in that film.
Before my trek through southern California, I visited the spot on Bing Maps (Google Street view didn’t offer a look at the spot). The photo above is from 2015 (notice the grey Toyota parked at the center bottom).
Google Street View did, however, offer this view near the building with what appears to be film or television production trucks. The image is from February 2017, so it’s unlikely that it was the Rancho Rosa production team.
I found another truck parked on the street that appeared to be from Universal Studios. So, my suspicions were confirmed – not Twin Peaks. But wouldn’t it have been awesome if it was?!
In the episode, Marjorie Green and her Chihuahua Armstrong call the Buckhorn, South Dakota police after discovering a terrible smell coming from her neighbor Ruth Davenport’s apartment. The apartment address in the series is 1349 Arrowhead Road in the fictitious town of Buckhorn. I used screen caps from the episode to take similar actual location images.
Officers Olson (played by James Giordano) and Douglas are dispatched to the scene. They arrive in a Buckhorn Police car. Look carefully and you’ll spot Marjorie and Armstrong in the reflection on the car BEFORE she walks down the stairs to greet the officers.
Officer Olson (played by Christopher Murray) steps out of the vehicle as Marjorie Green (played by Melissa Bailey) walks down the stairs.
Did you know that Murray is the son of Don Murray who played Bushnell Mullins in Twin Peaks Season 3? Mind blown!
The officers greet Marjorie at the bottom of the stairs.
The day Ivan and I visited, the green gate was closed. The grey Toyota from the Bing Maps image above was still parked behind the building. There were numerous “No Trespassing” and security camera signs posted throughout the area, so we didn’t stay long to capture these shots.
Marjorie speaks with the Buckhorn Officers about the situation inside.
After Marjorie realizes she doesn’t have a key, she tells the officers to speak with Chip to get a key. The scene cuts to Hank Fillmore (played by Max Perlich) walking along the side of the apartment complex.
The camera cuts to the officers frantically climbing down the stairs looking for Chip. One scene shows the stairwell behind her apartment building. I couldn’t get my Canon 5D Mark II camera through the green bars, so I used my iPhone to snap an almost similar image.
Douglas and Olson are seen walking behind the green gate. The building being constructed on May 26 doesn’t appear in the episode.
The Officers spot Hank walking along the side of the building. I would have loved to get a shot similar to the episode but that “No Trespassing” thing got in the way.
Hank is startled by the officers who ask him about Chip and the key to Ruth’s apartment. But….
CHIP AIN’T GOT NO PHONE!
Marjorie Green appears on the stairwell after realizing she has a key to Ruth’s apartment. Notice the big “No Trespassing” sign.
I wish I could have captured the correct angle for this close up shot of Marjorie and Armstrong. If you want a good laugh, watch Armstrong throughout the entire episode. His expressions are super cute and there are many times that he looks right at the camera.
Once again, I couldn’t capture the exact angle for this shot as it was taken from Marjorie’s point-of-view.
After the Officers retreat inside with Marjorie, Hank is left wondering if he is “free to go.”
Later in the episode, Hank is seen talking on his giant phone with Harvey. That scene was captured behind the apartment building.
Sadly, Ivan and I didn’t get to go inside this location, yet it’s also where the interior scenes were shot.
There is some behind-the-scenes footage in the short film by Jason S. titled “See You on the Other Side Dear Friend” from the Season 3 Blu-ray/DVD set. Here are some screen caps from the exterior scenes:
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