Sandra Clark
First appearance	"Pilot"
Last appearance	"The Perfume Game"
Portrayed by	Jackée Harry
Information
Nickname(s)	Sandy
Species	Human
Gender	Female
Age	30 (in 1986) 33 (in 1989)
Date of birth	1956
Occupation	Secretary of Schumer & Nathan (1985-1989)
Title	Vamp
Family	Susie (niece) Rita Clark (mother)
Nationality	African-American

Sandra Clark was a breakout character on the sitcom, 227. She was portrayed by Jackée Harry, who won an Emmy Award for the role in 1987 for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series. She has often said that her character was based upon Mae West, Lucille Ball, and a girlfriend from school, Valjean.

[edit] Character Background

Sandra Clark was a vamp, who lived in a Washington, D.C. apartment building. She had a career as a secretary at her neighbor Lester Jenkins's construction business, Schumer & Nathan. She got along with everybody except for Mary Jenkins, who was a housewife, and for a fact, Sandra would gradually rub "Mary's face in it".

Sandra is most notably identified by her walk (which is mostly a wiggle) and her high pitched voice. She would often knock on the Jenkin's apartment door and shout "Mary, open up! It's me, SANDRA!"

Sandra never really had much of a relationship with her mother, Rita (portrayed by Della Reese), until the episode when Rita visits and explains that in reality she favored Sandra over her other children because they were so much like. It is also revealed in this episode that her father is a preacher.

[edit] Jackée's Dismissal

In the fall of 1988, when 227 had entered its fourth season, tensions arose between Jackée, who was becoming the star of the show, and the original lead star, Marla Gibbs.

In an interview, Jackée described the conflict.

"When Sandra took off and I took off with her, the truth is it did indeed create a lot of tension. There were problems on Marla's part, which was truly ridiculous because she had all the power. It was her show. Maybe the problem stemmed from the fact that from the beginning Marla wanted someone else for the part, but the network insisted on me. They were all pushing Sandra, and they were pushing me. That changed when I got big, maybe too big, in Marla's eyes. Not that Marla and I ever had any arguments. She was never rude to me, and we always remained cordial. But on the biggest night of my life, when I won my Emmy, not only wasn't there a party given for me, but there was also not a flower or a word of congratulations. Ever. There was nothing, and that hurt. Afterward, my part got less and less each week, and it became clear to me that it was time to leave so I did."

In the years following the show's cancellation, Marla Gibbs and Jackée resolved their differences and are on good terms today.

[edit] Spin-Off

Although the star's feud was a misdemeanor, NBC created a television pilot for a spin-off from 227 titled Jackée. The pilot aired on May 11, 1989, and centers on Sandra, who has moved to New York City to work in the film industry, but quickly discovers that the film company only specializes in porn. She gets a job working at a spa the next day, where she meets Margaret (Margaret Smith), whose boyfriend is dating someone else behind her back. Sandra finds out and worries that if she tells, Margaret will not speak to her anymore. When she does build up the courage to tell Margaret, her worries become true and her new friend does not believe her nor speak to her. It isn't long before Margaret discovers the truth for herself, and she and Sandra cut the boyfriend loose. The show ends after they are both on good terms again.

"227" star Helen Martin made a guest appearance but NBC rejected the pilot even after it ranked 5th in the television ratings for that night.