To this day, Sandra remains true to her vocation

The most successful creation of Sandra Peabody's post-Last House on the Left career in TV production was undoubtedly her Emmy-winning Popcorn, but all good things must come to an end, and in 1993 the show was not renewed. After the cancellation, Sandra was laid off from KATU.¹

She certainly didn't stop there, of course. Even while Popcorn was still running, in 1988 she produced A Time to Care, a documentary about the Twin Oaks Care Center in Albany, Oregon. Sandra was interviewed for the Albany Democrat-Herald newspaper:

"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."²

Sandra told the paper that the first segment would look at how volunteers helped the home's residents. The show was picked up by Group W (Westinghouse) to be syndicated and distributed.

Her continuing interest in creating content for children and young people was shown in 1994 when she acted as casting director for Wee Sing Under the Sea, the ninth instalment of the long-running Wee Sing series of home videos. This was filmed in Sandra's home city of Portland, the last entry in the series before production moved to Los Angeles.³

Although in 2001 Sandra created and producing the public television series Zone In, a show which Szulkin (p197) says covered "tough issues for kids", by then she had begun to turn her attention to acting coaching, as well as acting as a talent agent to help young actors make their way safely in the industry.

In the late 1990s, Sandra taught the Meisner technique to the then-unknown Bret Harrison. Although he was only fifteen at the time, Sandra was sufficiently impressed with his early mastery of Meisner's "living truthfully under imaginary circumstances" and emotional openness to invite him to attend more advanced classes without payment.⁴

We've already noted both Harrison's and Alicia Lagano's success in starting professional acting careers after studying with Sandra. Another youngster who ended up on screen after being taught by her was Calais Radcliffe, who began with an episode of the sketch comedy series Portlandia while still a fifth-grader. Sandra helped her arrange to audition – successfully – for the show. Her mother reported that she was told Radcliffe was:

"really good, able to improv, and [...] comfortable talking to adults."⁵

Once again, Sandra's commitment to supporting young actors paid off. Similarly, Harrison reported that she "showed [him] what acting was really about" and was the one who had encouraged him to go to Los Angeles in order to further his career.⁶

I've said in the past that I don't intend to name the institution where Sandra Peabody currently works; she deserves peace. What I will say is that after more than a quarter of a century, she is still offering classes for both adults and children this winter – emphasising a "supportive environment", just as you would expect from the woman who's been creating those for half a century.

¹ Schulberg, Pete. "Where does news stop, advertising begin?". The Oregonian (19 February 1993). p46.
² Lopez, Cindy. "Sweet Home care center included in documentary". Albany Democrat-Herald (29 July 1988). p5.
³ Dickson, EJ. "‘Wee Sing,’ a Direct-to-Video Children’s Musical Series, Has an Adult Following Online". vice.com (13 April 2014).
⁴ The Oregonian (24 September 2007).
⁵ Turnquist, Kristi. "West Linn fifth-grader played the scene-stealing, bratty MTV exec on 'Portlandia'". oregonlive.com (8 January 2013).
⁶ Yim, Su-Jin. "Chicken-Winging It As An Actor". The Oregonian (17 January 2001). pB01.