For years, I’ve heard stories of how the pilot episode of David Lynch and Mark Frost’s Twin Peaks was screened to a variety of audiences long before it debuted the ABC Television Network in April 1990. Continuing my efforts to document the history of my favorite show, I’m revisiting the 1989 Telluride Film Festival where attendees received a first look at this groundbreaking premiere episode.
TELLURIDE FILM FESTIVAL
The beloved Telluride Film Festival was founded in 1974 by Bill and Stella Pence; James Card, director of the George Eastman House Film Collection; Tom Luddy, director of the Pacific Film Archive; along with the Telluride Council for the Arts and Humanities.
Bill graduated from Carnegie Mellon University’s College of Fine Arts in 1961 with a degree in bachelor’s degree in printing management. He ended up in Colorado Springs following a brief stint with the United States Air Force and joined Janus Films. There, he would eventually rise to the role of vice president and director of sales for the art film distributor.
“We wanted to create a festival that ordinary people who loved movies could go to,” said Pence in an August 2017 interview with Carnegie Mellon University. “You couldn’t have people more capable in presenting the art of film. We knew and loved and understood film — and wanted to present it under the best possible circumstances. It’s been that way ever since.”
While the Pences retired from the festival in 2007, the tradition continues on today. The event in 2020 was canceled due to the global pandemic. Telluride Film Festival executive director Julie Huntsinger recently announced the 48th annual festival will be held on September 2-6, 2021.
“…We hope to welcome back our audience to the beautiful mountains of Telluride to do what we do best: celebrate the art of film,” said Huntsigner.
Telluride Film Festival is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit educational program and their festival headquarters are in Berkeley, California.
SHERIDAN OPERA HOUSE
The Sheridan Opera House, located at 110 North Oak Street in Telluride, serves as the primary venue for film screenings. It was built by the Telluride miners in 1913 as a “vaudeville theater and cultural center, attracting variety shows, orchestras and touring theater companies.” Performers from Lillian Gish to Sarah Bernhardt to Jackson Browne to Jimmy Buffet have graced its stage.
In 1983, J.W. Lloyd and R.N. Williams purchased the Opera House from the Pences, and added a new entryway, conference room and the third floor Vaudeville Bar.
When Twin Peaks was shown in 1989, the building was in need of repair. Two years later, the Sheridan Arts Foundation was created and saved the Opera House from demolition.
16TH FILM FESTIVAL
The 16th Telluride Film Festival was held from September 1-4, 1989. One of the more unique aspects of this festival is the schedule is kept secret until just before Opening Day. This could explain how Twin Peaks appeared on the schedule that year.
I also wonder if it was added to the slate in an effort to secure a distributor in case the ABC Television deal fell through. Telluride is famous for being a place where deals are made.
David Lynch was no stranger to Telluride as Blue Velvet debuted during the festival in 1986. That year, Laura Dern and Kyle MacLachlan joined Lynch on the trek to the mining-turned-skiing town. Audiences were thrilled and the film was the talk of the festival.
Thanks to Michael’s Telluride Film Blog, I can confirm that Twin Peaks was indeed shown in 1989. It appears that Mark Frost and Michael Ontkean attended the festival as well.
Despite exhaustive searches, I couldn’t find any photos of them at the event. I also need to find a program like the one shown above (currently, there are no items for sale on eBay). With a program in hand, I could confirm what date the pilot was actually screened during the four-day event.
Thanks to long time Twin Peaks fan Pete Vilmur, he confirmed the dates the pilot was shown: “I’ve got the program you depict above. It indicates that Twin Peaks showed on Sept 3 at 4p in the Sheridan Opera House, at 8:15p at the Community Center, and at 11p at Nugget Theatre. I’ve got the yearbook for this event as well and there are no photos of Ontkean or Frost in either.”
AUDIENCE REACTION
It’s unclear which version of the pilot episode was screened during Telluride – the broadcast version which ends with the gloved hand picking up Laura Palmer’s necklace or the extended ending created for the International release of the episode.
Regardless of which version, reactions were not positive.
Boston Globe reporter Jay Carr briefly mentioned the screening in his recap from Telluride, calling Special Agent Dale Cooper, “the creepiest FBI man you’ve ever seen.”
Syndicated film critic Roger Ebert offered a more disappointing report stating that the “Telluride audience found ‘Twin Peaks’ indulgent and slow-paced and rewarded the screening with generous boos.” What the hell is up with people “booing” films?!
I found no other reports, images or details from the event aside from those two mentions.
While some audience members may not have enjoyed Twin Peaks, they raved about Guiuseppe Tornatore’s Nuovo Cinema Paradiso, Jim Sheridan’s My Left Foot and Michael Moore’s documentary Roger & Me.
TWIN PEAKS OUT-DAZZLES
Interestingly, just one day earlier, Washington Post syndicated columnist Tom Shales wrote a glowing review about Twin Peaks. Hollywood insiders and television critics had been aware of Lynch and Frost’s pilot (something that will be discussed in a separate article). Shales was one of the first newspaper reporters who was mesmerized by the pilot, claiming it was must see television.
“‘Twin Peaks’ isn’t just a visit to another town; it’s a visit to another planet. Maybe it will go down in history as a brief and brave experiment. But as can be said of few other TV shows in the near and immediate future: This You Gotta See.”
It’s unclear if he was at Telluride but he certainly wasn’t “booing.”
While things may not have went as smoothly at Telluride that year, the Twin Peaks pilot would continue being shown for the next several months at film festivals and smaller venues.
Hi Steven — I’ve got the program you depict above. It indicates that Twin Peaks showed on Sept 3 at 4p in the Sheridan Opera House, at 8:15p at the Community Center, and at 11p at Nugget Theatre. I’ve got the yearbook for this event as well and there are no photos of Ontkean or Frost in either.