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Sandra Peabody

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Sandra Peabody
File:Sandra Peabody in film debut.jpeg
The making of Misfit (1965). From left, Peabody, and Steven Jones with director Bob O'Donnell and cinematographer Mario Delio.
Born
Sandra Lee Peabody

(1948-01-11) January 11, 1948 (age 76)
Portland, Oregon, U.S.
Other namesLiyda Cassell
Sandra Cassell
Sandra Cassel
Debbie Craven
Alma materCarnegie Mellon University
Occupation(s)Actress
Screenwriter
Producer
Script supervisor
Acting coach
Model
Years active1970–present
SpouseTim Stubelek

Sandra Peabody (born January 11, 1948)[1] is an American talent agent, acting coach, producer, and former actress and fashion model.[2] She began her film career as a teen actress in the mid-1960s with roles in Bob O'Donnell's faith-based Misfit (1965) and Luke Moberly's mystery film The Horse Killer (1966).

Her move to New York City followed her attempt to foster a more mature image in feature films. This proved successful with her portrayals of victim Mari Collingwood in Wes Craven's directorial debut exploitation-horror film The Last House on the Left (1972) and a teenage runaway in Claude Goddard's crime film Teenage Hitchhikers (1974). Other films include Chuck Vincent's X-rated erotic-horror film Voices of Desire (1972) and the grindhouse film Massage Parlor Murders (1973).

Peabody had a reoccurring stage career, beginning with her role as Gwendolyn Pigeon in Neil Simon's revival of The Odd Couple (1969). She followed this with Robert Kalfin's Off-Broadway musical revue Tarot (1970) and a supporting role as Minnie Oakley in Jay Harnick's musical comedy Annie Get Your Gun (1973–1974). Her last acting role would be in the Alan J. Wendl directed stage play Tunnel of Love (1977).

Peabody subsequently moved to the West Coast and transitioned into producing children orientated programming. She now works as a talent agent and acting coach in the Los Angeles and Portland areas.

Life and career

Early roles

Peabody began her career as a teen actress. In the mid-1960s, she made her debut appearance in Bob O'Donnell's faith-based film that delved into drug abuse called Misfits (1965). It was released into churches of Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The film was produced by a company in the New York area and she got the part after the lead actress was unable to commit to filming after becoming sick with an ailment.[3]

In the mid-1960s, she was mostly cast in low-budget drive-in films that were being shot locally in Florida such as Luke Moberly's now-lost mystery film The Horse Killer (1966), which Peabody stated that was "a mystery, where these incidents were happening and they were trying to find this weird guy who was doing it. I was playing the girlfriend, and we had a lot of scenes riding horses and that sort of thing."[4][5]

In 1970, Peabody had a supporting role in Robert Kalfin's Off-Broadway production Tarot[6] which ran at the Brooklyn Academy of Music.[7] Additionally, she began to appear on television in commercials and on the two soap operas All My Children and As the World Turns in supporting roles.

Following her appearances in Miami productions, Peabody subsequently moved to New York in pursuit of more acting opportunities and for school.

Collaboration with Wes Craven (1972)

Discovery (1972)

In pursuit of a broader range of acting opportunities, Peabody moved from the Miami area to New York City. She responded to a casting notice in the trade publication Backstage for a film under the working title Night of Vengeance.

Peabody revealed that she had to film the lake scene for Last House numerous times.[8]

She was originally asked to audition for the supporting role of Phyllis Stone. After meeting with producer Sean S. Cunningham, she was cast in the role of the then scripted blonde seventeen-year-old protagonist Mari Collingwood.[9]

The project was originally planned to be a hardcore pornographic horror film, but the filmmakers promised her that would be changed to just focus on the horror elements. It would ultimately be released under the title The Last House on the Left,[10][11] a loose remake of Ingmar Bergman's The Virgin Spring (1960).

Craven thought highly of Peabody, describing her as "pretty" and "plucky," but acknowledged she lacked the confidence required for the gritty shoot.[12] The film was a critical and commercial success, earning more than $3 million at the American box office[13] and her performance was generally met with positive reviews.[14][15]

Peabody would ultimately detest the film. During a cast screening, Peabody brought her mother to watch the film with her, and unhappy with what she was seeing, she ultimately walked out.[16] She attests that while she was horrified while filming it, viewing it from a modern lens it is likely seen as a "funny film."

The cameraman [Hurwitz] was one of the better people on the set. That guy was great. He told me, "Have something else in your life besides acting because it's a terrible business." He was a fatherly kind of guy to me. He died a few years after Last House on his bicycle. It was horrible and tragic.

—Peabody discussing her positive experience working with Victor Hurwitz, the cinematographer of The Last House on the Left.[17]

Sexual assault and abuse

The Last House on the Left was a difficult production for Peabody. The film did not have a complete script at the time of filming, and Peabody was in an extremely vulnerable mental state due to the lack of preparation for her scenes. She has expressed contempt towards her overall performance.[18] Peabody spent a lot of time on the set with Craven, who often encouraged her throughout filming the torture, humiliation, and rape scenes.

She endured an excessive amount of abuse from the lead actors David A. Hess and Marc Sheffler throughout the shoot.[18][19]

Sheffler, who portrayed Junior, revealed in an interview that he grabbed Peabody, held her over a cliff, and threatened to throw her off if she didn't reach the level of desperation needed for the scene, stating "She wasn’t getting the scene. She wasn’t at the anxiety level that she needed to be. So, we’d done it I don’t know how many times … everybody was getting annoyed. So, I said to Wes, 'Give me a minute with her.' What I did was... you can’t see it in the shot but I took her over to the cliff, and I put her over the cliff and just grabbed her and said, ‘If you don’t get this fucking scene right now, I’m going to drop you and Wes will shoot it, and we’ll get a different scene, but it’ll work because you’ll be fucking mangled.”[20]

Additionally, method actor Hess singled her out from the rest of the cast and treated her differently than female co-stars Lucy Grantham and Jeramie Rain. Peabody stated that he would chase after her with a knife at night and that she genuinely thought he was a serial killer at some point in his life.[18] Hess revealed that before shooting the rape scene of her character, that he started roughly grabbing her breasts and threatened to legitimately rape her during the filming of the scene.[12][21] During this particular shot, assistant director Yvonne Hannemann described it as an upsetting shoot with her in tears and walking off the set.[12]

Final roles

Peabody would later have a bit part in Case of the Full Moon Murders (1972). It was filmed in Miami, Florida, and was made by a majority of Last House's crew, being directed by producer Cunningham and starring her costar Fred J. Lincoln.

Chuck Vincent cast her as Anna Reed in the X-rated erotic-horror film Voices of Desire (1972).[22]

In 1973, she was cast under a film titled The Seven Deadly Sins. It would ultimately be renamed Massage Parlor Murders!. It had a stint in grindhouse theaters before falling into obscurity and becoming a lost film. It was restored by company Vinegar Syndrome, and released on DVD and Blu-ray in 2013.[23] Her next role was Olga in the Tina Russell and Harry Reems led The Filthiest Show in Town (1973).

Peabody returned to acting on stage when was cast as Minnie Oakley in Jay Harnick's musical comedy Annie Get Your Gun, from 1973 to 1974 alongside Barbara Eden and John Bennett Perry.[24] 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 adolescent hick from the sticks. Which is why, obviously, she was selected for the role from a literal army of teenage competitors." While her character was written as a teenager, Peabody was 25 years old during the production and stated, "Even the director thought I was a kid, he never found out the truth until I refused to sign a contract which called for an accompanying guardian. Looking young does have its disadvantages, when I first left school (Carnegie-Mellon, in Pittsburg) and started hitting the casting calls in New York, I couldn't get acting jobs for characters my age. So then I got smart, and signed with a children's agent."[25]

In 1974, Peabody had a non-speaking cameo role in the horror film Legacy of Satan.[26] The following year, Sandra starred in Claude Goddard's comedy crime film Teenage Hitchhikers, which was about a couple of young hitchhikers who embark on a cross country trip in search of freedom, excitement and independence. In a review for Los Angeles Times, Linda Gross[27] stated that Peabody's performance was "ingenious."

In 1975, Peabody worked as the script supervisor for the exploitation film Video Vixens, in which she is credited for the script continuity and featured her Last House costar Steve Miner as the assistant editor.[28]

Producer and talent agent

Subsequently, Sandra began to distance herself from the exploitative films that she was becoming known for and began to transition into children's programming. In 1983, she joined Mary Lee Fones and Karen Kalergis in an effort to bring child friendly content to cable systems beyond prominent film industry locations such as Los Angeles and New York.[29] The same year, Peabody created the half-hour children's program Get Moving.[30] In 1990, Sandra wrote and produced the television series Where in the World. The series lasted until 1995.[31]

In 2001, Peabody wrote and produced the educational series Zone In.[32] She created more entries in 2007.[33] Peabody was Alicia Lagano's acting coach and in an interview stated:

"She was open and affected by everything, which is a great element for an actor to have, that kind of feeling and ability to relate to things and be so open at such a young age. She was willing to try everything, to throw herself on her face. Some people worry about their image and what they look like and what people will think of them. She was just so open and real."[34]

As of 2020, Peabody is reported to be an acting coach and agent in the Portland, Oregon and Los Angeles, California areas.[35]

Personal life

Peabody graduated from Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre and studied with master acting teacher Sanford Meisner for two years. She obtained a bachelor's degree in Arts and Letters at Carnegie Mellon University.

Peabody developed a close bond with Last House's cinematographer Victor Hurwitz, who she described as a paternal figure and stated that he is the person that encouraged her to not pursue acting as a career due to how bleak the industry was.[36]

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes
1965 Misfit Lead Credited as Sandy Peabody
1966 The Horse Killer Supporting Credited as Sandy Peabody
1972 The Last House on the Left Mari Collingwood Credited as Sandra Cassell
Voices of Desire Anna Reed Credited as Liyda Cassell
1973 The Filthiest Show in Town Olga Credited as Sandra Cassel
Massage Parlor Murders! Gwen
Case of the Full Moon Murders Strip Poker Girl Credited as Debbie Craven
1974 Legacy of Satan Cult Extra Cameo
1975 Teenage Hitchhikers Bird
Video Vixens None Script continuity

Stage productions

Year Title Role
1969 The Odd Couple Gwendolyn Pigeon
1970 Tarot The Sun
1973–1974 Annie Get Your Gun Minnie Oakley

Television

Year Title Role Notes
1970 All My Children Supporting [4]
As the World Turns [4]
1983 Get Moving None Writer / Producer
1990–1995 Where in the World None Writer / Producer

References

  1. ^ "United States Public Records, 1970–2009," database, FamilySearch (23 May 2014), Sandra L Peabody, Residence, Portland, Oregon, United States; a third party aggregator of publicly available information.
  2. ^ Baronne, Matt. "The 50 Most Hard to Watch Scenes in Movie History". Complex. Retrieved May 13, 2016.
  3. ^ Mangan, Pat. "Teen Screen". The Miami Herald. Retrieved 3 February 2021.
  4. ^ a b c Szulkin 2000, p. 197. sfn error: multiple targets (3×): CITEREFSzulkin2000 (help)
  5. ^ Freund, Bob. "Luke Moberly Directs First Feature". Fort Lauderdale News. Retrieved 3 February 2021.
  6. ^ Willis, John (1971). John Willis' Theatre World, Volume 27. Crown Publishers. p. 124.
  7. ^ "Stage: A Musical by The Rubber Duck". The New York Times. December 13, 1970. Retrieved August 27, 2017.
  8. ^ Szulkin, David A. (2000). Wes Craven's Last House on the Left: The Making of a Cult Classic. FAB Press. ISBN 9781903254011.
  9. ^ Szulkin 2000, p. 41. sfn error: multiple targets (3×): CITEREFSzulkin2000 (help)
  10. ^ "A History of Horror". eric.b.olsen.tripod.com. Retrieved 20 July 2010.
  11. ^ "DVD trailers, reviews, and ratings". rottentomatoes.com. Retrieved 20 July 2010.
  12. ^ a b c Szulkin 2000, p. 79. sfn error: multiple targets (3×): CITEREFSzulkin2000 (help)
  13. ^ "The Last House on the Left, Box Office Information". The Numbers. Retrieved January 21, 2012.
  14. ^ Catalino, Mike. "Original Vs. Remake: The Last House on The Left". Arrow in the Head. Retrieved May 13, 2016.
  15. ^ Catalano, Catalano. "Original Vs. Remake: The Last House on The Left". Arrow in the Head. Retrieved May 13, 2016.
  16. ^ Szulkin 2000, p. 117. sfn error: multiple targets (3×): CITEREFSzulkin2000 (help)
  17. ^ Szulkin, David A. (2000). Wes Craven's Last House on the Left: The Making of a Cult Classic. FAB Press. ISBN 9781903254011.
  18. ^ a b c Szulkin 2000, p. 50. sfn error: multiple targets (3×): CITEREFSzulkin2000 (help)
  19. ^ "David Hess Interview". Slasherama. Retrieved April 11, 2016.
  20. ^ Frater, Jamie (May 13, 2014). Listverse.com's Epic Book of Mind-Boggling Lists: Unbelievable Facts and Astounding Trivia on Movies, Music, Crime, Celebrities, History, and More. Ulysses Press. ISBN 9781612432977.
  21. ^ "Mad, Bad, and Dangerous to Know: An Interview with Actor/Director David Hess". the terror trap. Retrieved December 26, 2017.
  22. ^ "Voices of Desire (1972)". The Bloody Pit of Horror. Retrieved 7 April 2016.
  23. ^ Cotenas, Eric. "Massage Parlor Murders Blu-ray/DVD Combo". DVD Drive-in. Retrieved 26 February 2016.
  24. ^ "Annie Get Your Gun (1973)". Google Books. 1974. Retrieved June 18, 2016.
  25. ^ Takiff, Jonathan (August 10, 1973). "Kid Flexibility Pays Off for Sandra Peabody". Philadelphia Daily News. p. 33 – via Newspapers.com. Free access icon
  26. ^ Werner, Jason. "Legacy of Satan / Blood – Double Feature Coming to Blu-ray From Code Red DVD". Body Count Rising. Retrieved April 23, 2016.
  27. ^ Gross, Linda (December 5, 1975). "'Teens': Nothing Over the Rainbow". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved August 17, 2018.
  28. ^ "Video Vixens!". IMDb. Retrieved April 11, 2016.
  29. ^ Cable Vision, Volume 9. Cahners Business Information. 1983.
  30. ^ Community Television Review, Volume 7. National Federation of Local Cable Programmers. 1984.
  31. ^ Kids Explore. OCLC 39900123.
  32. ^ Zone in. OCLC 70048154.
  33. ^ Zone In on Fear. OCLC 263936633.
  34. ^ Owen, Rob (April 7, 2012). "Ex-Portlander Alicia Lagano shows her grit in 'Client List'". OregonLive. Retrieved April 4, 2017.
  35. ^ "Lakewood: Class Instructors". Lakewood Center For The Arts. Retrieved April 11, 2016.
  36. ^ Szulkin 2000, p. 47. sfn error: multiple targets (3×): CITEREFSzulkin2000 (help)

Further reading

  • 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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