Sandra Peabody
Peabody in 1973
Born
Sandra Lee Peabody

(1948-01-11) January 11, 1948
Other namesSandy Peabody
Sandra Cassell
Liyda Cassell
Sandra Cassel
Sandra Stubelek
Alma materCarnegie Mellon University
Occupations
Years active1965–present
SpouseTimothy Stubelek
Children1

Sandra Peabody (born January 11, 1948)[1] is an American producer, writer, acting coach, talent agent, and a retired actress. Trained the Meisner technique directly from acting teacher Sanford Meisner, she is primarily known for her early scream queen roles in 1970s horror films and her subsequent career as an award-winning children's television producer throughout the 1980s and 1990s. She received accolades during her producing career, including an Emmy Award and CableACE Award.

Peabody began her career as a teen actress in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. First appearing in the professional stage production Enter Laughing (1965) as Wanda during her senior year of high school, Peabody later forayed into acting in feature films, such as Misfit (1965) and The Horse Killer (1966). In 1966, Peabody began studying drama at Carnegie Mellon University and Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre with Meisner.

After appearing in stage plays such as The Odd Couple, Stop the World – I Want to Get Off (both 1969), and the stage musical Tarot (1970), which opened at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, Peabody reached fame when Wes Craven cast her as Mari Collingwood in his controversial directorial debut The Last House on the Left (1972), which was a stressful production for her. Her follow up films were the horror films Voices of Desire (1972) and Massage Parlor Murders! (1973). Peabody achieved further success when she portrayed Minnie Oakley in the stage musical Annie Get Your Gun (1973).

After starring in the exploitation crime comedy film Teenage Hitchhikers (1974), Peabody made her final acting appearance in the play Tunnel of Love (1977). Subsequently, Peabody taught theatrical training at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts before moving to Portland, Oregon and launching a successful career as a children's television producer beginning in 1982. Her credits include Get Movin' (1982) and the Emmy-winning Popcorn (1984-1992)—both local programs for the Portland cable television station KATU. She has worked as an acting coach and talent agent since the 1980s.

Life and career

1948–1971: Early life and career beginnings

Sandra Lee Peabody was born on January 11, 1948.[1] The daughter of M. O. Peabody, she grew up in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.[2][3] Peabody's career began in the Miami region, both on stage and in film.[1] While attending Stranahan High School, Peabody was a cheerleader and an aspiring actress.[4][5] Peabody made her professional acting debut as a teen actress in the feature length educational film Misfit (1965), during her junior year.[6] Eighty actresses auditioned for the role of a teenage drug addict. While Peabody was not the original choice for the part, she got cast after the original actress quit the production after becoming sick before filming.[1]

During her senior year, Peabody was cast in the play Enter Laughing (1966) as Wanda, the girlfriend of the main character.[7] The play opened in January 1966 at the Hollywood Little Theater to favorable reviews, with her cemetery scene highlighted.[7] Peabody subsequently portrayed Beauty in a play adaptation of Beauty and the Beast and Katie Brown in the play Calamity Jane (both in 1966).[8][9] Peabody's next role was in Luke Moberly's mystery film The Horse Killer (1966), in which she portrayed another "girlfriend" type character.[10] In a retrospective interview, Peabody described the film as having an unusual story and her scenes involving a lot of horseback riding.[1]

After graduating high school in 1966, Peabody got accepted into Carnegie Mellon University to study drama.[2] The following year, she was selected to do summer stock at the Priscilla Beach Theater in Plymouth, Massachusetts as an actress-in-training.[2] She later studied the Meisner technique with acting teacher Sanford Meisner at the Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre.[11] In 1969, she had a role as Gwendolyn Pigeon in Neil Simon's The Odd Couple.[12] Mariruth Campbell of The Journal News described her as being a "competent" actress.[12] Peabody was a part of the stage plays Celebration, Little Mary Sunshine, and Stop the World – I Want to Get Off (all in 1969).[13][14][15]

In 1970, Peabody had a supporting role in Robert Kalfin's Off-Broadway musical production Tarot, which ran at the Brooklyn Academy of Music.[16] Her feature film career in New York City would mark a stark contrast to her ingenuous roles in Misfit and The Horse Killer. In 1970, one of the first roles she signed onto was for the critically panned sexploitation satire film The Filthiest Show in Town (1970), a parody of dating game shows.[1][17] She appeared in the commercial segments as a character named Olga.[1]

1972: The Last House on the Left fame

"I remember once we riding on the train from New York to Westport, and somebody from the movie said to me, 'Sandra, you look like a cow that's just been slaughtered!" I said, 'Well, that's because I don't really know how the script is going to be changed.' The thought of a lot of these scenes upset me, and a lot of the time, I wasn't quite sure what was going to be done until we actually did it. I was convinced that however a scene was shot, that it would be OK because I trusted Wes and Sean.

—Peabody reflecting the evolving script of The Last House on the Left (1972)[18]

Peabody responded to a casting notice in the trade publication Backstage for a film under the working title Night of Vengeance and got a call from director Wes Craven and producer Sean S. Cunningham for an audition. Peabody set up a day to meet them to read for the supporting role of Phyllis.[19] After meeting the filmmakers, they decided to instead cast her in the role of seventeen-year-old protagonist Mari Collingwood.[19]

The film was written as a violent hardcore pornographic horror film.[19] Peabody did not want to sign on for the project based on the original script.[19] The filmmakers promised her it would instead be a legitimate horror film without any of the porn.[19] It would ultimately be released as The Last House on the Left,[20] a loose remake of Ingmar Bergman's The Virgin Spring (1960).[21]

The Last House on the Left was a challenging production for Peabody.[22][18] Peabody reflects that because she is an emotional person, she reacted to her scenes as if they were real, and she was genuinely upset.[18] Peabody believes she did poorly in the film because she struggled to channel her off-camera emotions into some of her scene work.[18] After a couple of days into filming, Peabody left the production.[18] The crew had to talk her into coming back.[18] Assistant producer Steve Dwork described Peabody as a "neophyte" who often required motivation from Craven.[18]

Peabody revealed that she had to film the lake scene for Last House numerous times.[23]

Craven thought highly of her, finding her "pretty" and "plucky," but felt she did not have the confidence required for the gritty shoot.[24] Peabody states that despite her uncertainty with some of the scenes, she trusted Craven and Cunningham.[22] Additionally, Peabody had a troubling working relationship with method actor David Hess, who stayed in character throughout the entire shoot.[25] Peabody was scared of him, stating that he would chase after the cast and crew at night with a knife to unnerve them and she believed that he had been a serial killer at some point in his past.[18] When Peabody went to view the film, she walked out.[26]

Upon release, the film was a critical and commercial success, earning more than $3 million at the American box office.[27] Years after its release, she believes that Craven and Cunningham did a great job creating the film with their limited budget and that Last House was an advanced violent film for its period.[28] Peabody's subsequent roles were final girl Anna Reed in Chuck Vincent's Voices of Desire (1972), masseuse Gwen in Massage Parlor Murders! (1973), and a walk on part as a cult member in Legacy of Satan (1973)—all exploitation horror films.[29][30][31]

1973–1982: Annie Get Your Gun, Teenage Hitchhikers and retirement

Peabody had a sporadic television career in the early 1970s, appearing on the soap operas All My Children, As the World Turns, The Edge of Night, and One Life to Live in "girlfriends of girlfriends" roles, along with various commercial appearances for things such as breakfast cereal.[11][1] Additionally, she also worked as a model.[11] However, she was not fond of these fields of work.[11] In an interview, she described models as being a "bitchy lot," stating these industries do not allow people to develop their skills as professionals, believing it to be entirely about pursuing jobs.[11] During this time frame, while pursuing casting calls, Peabody struggled to get acting jobs for characters her age, so she signed with a children's agent.[11]

Peabody returned to acting on stage as Minnie Oakley in Jay Harnick's acclaimed musical comedy Annie Get Your Gun (1973), alongside Barbara Eden and John Bennett Perry.[11] Jonathan Takiff of Philadelphia Daily News stated, "Clinched up in a shapeless bag of a dress, carrying on in a raggle-taggle performing style, Sandra Peabody is totally believable as an adolescent hick from the sticks."[11] Although the character Minnie is a teenager in the musical, Peabody was 25 years old during the production, and the director didn't realize her age until she refused to sign a contract that required an accompanying guardian.[11]

In 1974, Peabody starred in the exploitation comedy road movie Teenage Hitchhikers opposite Kathie Christopher.[32] The story is about a duo of teenage runaways traveling West.[32] She played Bird, one of the quick-witted girls.[32] Her performance received positive reviews: one critic, Linda Gross, wrote for Los Angeles Times that her performance was "ingenious,"[33] while a review written for DVD Talk praises her comic timing capabilities.[32] It has since become a cult film and is one of filmmaker Quentin Tarantino's favorite films.[34] It was included in the QT Six Lineup at the Quentin Tarantino Film Festival in 2005—shown in 35 mm movie film.[35] Peabody later worked as the script supervisor for the sex comedy Video Vixens (1975).[36]

Peabody's last acting credit is the stage production Tunnel of Love (1977).[37] After retiring from acting, Peabody taught theater techniques to children at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts until 1982.[38] Peabody wrote, directed, and produced the variety show Get Movin' (1982), which earned her a CableACE Award in 1983.[38] Peabody conceptualized the series at a time when networks began to decrease funding for children's programming.[38] Peabody wanted the series to prominently involve children's ideas, asking them to submit their interests in a survey conducted in the November 1982 issue of the Portland Children's Museum newspaper Boing!, in addition to holding auditions at the cable company's studio to showcase local talent.[39] The series lasted for a 26-episode season.[38]

1983–present: Popcorn and award-winning producing career

Subsequently, Peabody produced the children's public broadcasting series Popcorn (1985–92) for the television station KATU, which debuted as a prime-time special in 1985 before being picked up as a weekly series in September 1986.[40] For this series, Peabody signed a contract with KATU.[38] The series received critical acclaim, with writer Judy McDermott of The Oregonian stating it is "an unabashed celebration of children."[38]

Peabody said in an interview that the inspiration for the series came from her believing, "There's still a lot of the kid left in me."[38] As a producer, the series earned Peabody an Emmy Award, a NAB award, and two Iris Awards.[41][42][43] In 1993, KATU canceled the series, and Peabody was laid off.[44]

In 1988, Peabody developed A Time to Care (1988), a television documentary series that focused on local nursing homes and the positive effects that community volunteerism had on the residents.[45] She stated that it's "a neat idea for a series because what they're basically saying is that more than ever people are reaching out to help others."[45] The broadcasting division Group W picked up the series for distribution and syndication.[45]

In 1994, Peabody served as the casting director for the children's musical home video Wee Sing: Under the Sea.[46] Peabody wrote and produced the educational public television series Zone In (2001) revolving around "tough issues for kids."[1] Since the 1990s, Peabody has worked as both an acting coach and talent agent at Northwest Children's Theater, where she has mentored numerous aspiring child actors and has helped them navigate entering the industry such as Bret Harrison and Alicia Lagano.[47][48]

Personal life

In the early 1970s, she lived in The Village. In the summer of 1971, Peabody embarked on a cross-country road trip from New York to the West Coast.[19] In 1973, Peabody stated that she studied both free-form jazz dance and Transcendental Meditation.[11] While filming The Last House on the Left, Peabody developed a close relationship with cinematographer Victor Hurwitz.[49] She described Hurwitz as being a "fatherly kind of guy" towards her and was saddened by his death on a bicycle a few years after the release of the film.[49] Peabody says, "He told me, 'Have something else in your life besides acting because it's a terrible business."[49] After filming Teenage Hitchhikers, Peabody continued communication with director Jerome S. Kaufmann through letters.[50] Peabody has lived in Portland, Oregon since the 1980s.[38] Peabody is married to Timothy Stubelek.[51] They have a son together, Tyson Stubelek.[51]

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes References
1965 Misfit[lower-alpha 1]Credited as Sandy Peabody [52]
1966 The Horse Killer [10]
1970 The Filthiest Show in Town Olga Credited as Sandra Cassel [1]
1971 Daughters of Joy [lower-alpha 1] [53]
1972The Last House on the LeftMari CollingwoodCredited as Sandra Cassell[1]
Voices of DesireAnna ReedCredited as Liyda Cassell[54]
1973 Massage Parlor Murders! Gwen Working title was The Seven Deadly Sins [1]
Legacy of Satan Cult Extra Cameo [31]
1974 Teenage Hitchhikers Bird [55]
1975 Video Vixens [lower-alpha 2] Script continuity [36]
1994 Wee Sing: Under the Sea Casting director, home video [46]

Stage

Year Title Role References
1965Enter LaughingWanda[56]
1966 Beauty and the Beast Beauty[8]
Calamity JaneKatie Brown[9]
1969 Celebration[lower-alpha 1][13]
The Odd CoupleGwendolyn Pigeon[12]
Stop the World – I Want to Get OffLittle Chap's Daughter[15]
Little Mary SunshineYoung Lady of the Eastchester Finishing School[14]
1970TarotThe Sun[16]
1973–1974Annie Get Your GunMinnie Oakley[11]
1977Tunnel of Love[lower-alpha 1][37]

Television

Year Title Role Notes References
[lower-alpha 3] All My Children [lower-alpha 1] Undisclosed number of episodes [1]
As the World Turns
The Edge of Night
One Life to Live
1982 Get Movin' [lower-alpha 4] Producer, 26-episodes [38]
1985–1992 Popcorn Producer [38]
1988 A Time to Care Writer / Producer [45]
2001 Zone In Writer / Producer [1]

Awards

Year Award Category Nominated work Result References
1983 CableACE Award Excellence in Local Programming Get Movin' Won [38]
1987 NAB award Service to Children Award Popcorn [57]
1989 Iris Award Excellence in Children's Programming [58]
1990
1992 Emmy Award Outstanding Public Service Announcement or In-House Campaign Category [41]

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 While Peabody is confirmed to have appeared, her role is undisclosed.
  2. ↑ Peabody does not act in this film
  3. ↑ Year date unknown.
  4. ↑ Peabody does not act in this series

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Szulkin 2000, p. 197.
  2. 1 2 3 "17-Year-Old Gets $1000 Scholarship From Restaurant Owner". Sun Sentinel. June 8, 1967. p. 31. Retrieved 2 September 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ↑ Peterson, Nan (May 6, 1966). "Stranahan Seniors Select Those 'Most Likely'". Sun Sentinel. p. 85. Retrieved 12 February 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ↑ Allen, Judy (May 15, 1963). "Cheerleaders Selected". Sun Sentinel. p. 59. Retrieved 16 October 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ↑ Jackson, Nancy (April 5, 1964). "Tribute to the Bard". Miami Herald. p. 61. Retrieved 20 May 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ↑ "Premiere of 'Misfit' Scheduled". Sun Sentinel. September 11, 1965. p. 19. Retrieved 24 May 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. 1 2 Dale, Marian (January 12, 1966). "'Laughing' Does End With a Laugh". Sun Sentinel. p. 37. Retrieved 2 September 2023.
  8. 1 2 Behrens, David S. (March 5, 1966). "Beaut of a Beastly Tale—And the Kids Love It". Miami Herald. p. 71. Retrieved 16 October 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. 1 2 From staff (June 25, 1966). "'Calamity Jane' Cast Is Set". Sun Sentinel. p. 17. Retrieved 16 October 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. 1 2 Freund, Bob (September 20, 1966). "Luke Moberly Directs First Feature". Sun Sentinel. p. 23. Retrieved 3 February 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Takiff, Jonathan (August 10, 1973). "Kid Flexibility Pays Off for Sandra Peabody". Philadelphia Daily News. p. 33 – via Newspapers.com. Free access icon
  12. 1 2 3 Campbell, Mariruth (July 3, 1969). "Fireworks Abound in 'Odd Couple'". The Journal News. p. 33. Retrieved 12 February 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. 1 2 Campbell, Mariruth (July 10, 1969). "'Celebration' for the Very Young". The Journal News. p. 29. Retrieved 12 February 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. 1 2 Campbell, Mariruth (July 25, 1969). "'Mary Sunshine' Is Bright and Fun-filled". The Journal News. p. 19. Retrieved 12 February 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. 1 2 Campbell, Mariruth (August 22, 1969). "Cornwall Play Done Sharply". The Journal News. p. 20. Retrieved 12 February 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. 1 2 "Stage: A Musical by The Rubber Duck". The New York Times. December 13, 1970. p. 84. Retrieved August 27, 2017.
  17. ↑ Walsh, Michael (September 11, 1974). "Ski flick bad but other is worse". The Province. p. 30. Retrieved 20 May 2021.
  18. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Szulkin 2000, p. 50.
  19. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Szulkin 2000, p. 41.
  20. ↑ Sumner 2010, p. 186.
  21. ↑ Ellinger, Kat (January 30, 2018). "Ingmar Bergman, folk horror pioneer". British Film Institute. Retrieved May 16, 2021.
  22. 1 2 Szulkin 2000, p. 49.
  23. ↑ Szulkin 2000, p. 81.
  24. ↑ Szulkin 2000, p. 79.
  25. ↑ Szulkin 2000, p. 60.
  26. ↑ Szulkin 2000, p. 117.
  27. ↑ "The Last House on the Left, Box Office Information". The Numbers. Retrieved January 21, 2012.
  28. ↑ Szulkin 2000, p. 189.
  29. ↑ McKinney, Justin (September 6, 2013). "Voices of Desire (1972)". The Bloody Pit of Horror. Retrieved 7 April 2016.
  30. ↑ Orndof, Brian (July 28, 2013). "Massage Parlor Murders Blu-ray". Blu-ray.com. Retrieved April 23, 2018.
  31. 1 2 Lentz 1994, p. 494.
  32. 1 2 3 4 Jane, Ian (June 29, 2010). "Teenage Hitchhikers". DVD Talk. Retrieved November 21, 2023.
  33. ↑ Gross, Linda (December 5, 1975). "'Teens': Nothing Over the Rainbow". Los Angeles Times. p. 102. Retrieved August 17, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
  34. ↑ From staff (September 9, 2005). "QT-Six: Start the right conversation, and Tarantino will talk". Austin American-Statesman. p. 60. Retrieved December 6, 2023.
  35. ↑ From staff (September 7, 2005). "QT 6 line-up announced!!!". Ain't It Cool News. Retrieved December 6, 2023.
  36. 1 2 Henri Pachard (Director) (1975). Video Vixens (DVD). United States: Troma.
  37. 1 2 "Wednesday at Oregon Ridge". The Baltimore Sun. December 4, 1977. p. 146. Retrieved 12 February 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  38. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 McDermott, Judy (December 15, 1985). "Popcorn". The Oregonian. p. 29. Retrieved 18 September 2023 – via GenealogyBank.
  39. ↑ Jefferies, Pat (December 21, 1982). "Children's talent captured on film for TV showing". The Oregonian. p. 26. Retrieved 30 October 2023.
  40. ↑ Butterworth, Beverly H. (March 25, 1987). "TV Tryouts". The Oregonian. p. 47. Retrieved 30 October 2023.
  41. 1 2 From staff (June 9, 1992). "KGW, KATU Receive Emmys". The Oregonian. Retrieved 30 October 2023.
  42. ↑ From staff (July 21, 1987). "Broadcast briefs". The Oregonian. Retrieved 30 October 2023.
  43. ↑ Potter, Connie (March 30, 1989). "Spitball shooting's just show biz, folks". The Oregonian. p. 90. Retrieved 30 October 2023.
  44. ↑ Schulberg, Pete (February 19, 1993). "Where does news stop, advertising begin?". The Oregonian. p. 46. Retrieved 30 October 2023.
  45. 1 2 3 4 Lopez, Cindy (July 29, 1988). "Sweet Home care center included in documentary". Albany Democrat-Herald. Albany, Oregon. p. 5. Retrieved 20 May 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  46. 1 2 David Poulshock (Director) (2005). Wee Sing: Under the Sea (DVD). United States: Wee Sing Productions.
  47. ↑ staff (January 17, 2001). "Harrison: No need to bus tables anymore". The Oregonian. p. 14. Retrieved October 31, 2023.
  48. ↑ Owen, Rob (April 7, 2012). "Ex-Portlander Alicia Lagano shows her grit in 'Client List'". OregonLive. Retrieved April 4, 2017.
  49. 1 2 3 Szulkin 2000, p. 47.
  50. ↑ Jerome S. Kaufmann (Director) (1975). Teenage Hitchhikers (Blu-ray). United States: Dark Force Entertainment.
  51. 1 2 From staff (April 18, 2002). "Obituaries". The South Hampton Press. p. 18. Retrieved 31 October 2023.
  52. ↑ Mangan, Pat (May 6, 1966). "Teen Screen". The Miami Herald. p. 75. Retrieved 3 February 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  53. ↑ From staff (May 20, 1976). "Capri Drive-In Theater". The Marshall News Messenger. Retrieved December 12, 2023.
  54. ↑ Harkness, Jane (July 4, 2020). "Why You Don't See These Horror Stars Anymore". Looper. Retrieved 23 March 2021.
  55. ↑ Prange, Stephanie (May 19, 2020). "'Teenage Hitchhikers,' 'Ator: The Fighting Eagle' Among Titles on Disc in May From Dark Force and MVD". Media Play News. Retrieved 23 March 2021.
  56. ↑ Dale, Marian (January 12, 1966). "'Laughing' Does End With a Laugh". Fort Lauderdale News. p. 37. Retrieved 2 September 2023.
  57. ↑ From staff (21 July 1987). "Broadcast briefs". The Oregonian. p. 36. Retrieved 18 September 2023 – via GenealogyBank.
  58. ↑ Dulken, Diane (February 21, 1990). "Time to have some fun". The Oregonian. p. 33. Retrieved 31 October 2023.

Works cited

  • Lentz, Harris M. (1994). Science Fiction, Horror & Fantasy Film and Television Credits. McFarland. ISBN 978-0-89-950927-3.
  • Sumner, Don (2010). Horror Movie Freak. Krause Publications. ISBN 978-1-440-21564-3.
  • Szulkin, David A. (2000). Wes Craven's Last House on the Left: The Making of a Cult Classic. Surrey, England: FAB Press. ISBN 1-903254-01-9.
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