Five Little Peppers at Home (1940)

The cynic in me wanted to dislike the "Five Little Peppers" movies. After all, they are incredibly sweet and a bit on the syrupy side. However, the films managed something difficult...made it enjoyable and fun...so much so that after the first film I was looking for more. Here in "Five Little Peppers at Home" the same nice family returns for more adventures.

The plot of this film seems darker than the previous film. However, despite all the problems that happen in this film (and there are a LOT), the family manages to stick together and retain good old family values. It begins with 'Grandpa' King learning that he's practically bankrupt. The copper mine from the first film turns out to be a dud...and King has so leveraged his fortune that now he faces foreclosure. Now you'd think that the family would be miserable, but they simply move back in to their old home...along with King, his grandson AND the butler, Martin. Together, things are tight but they are happy.

Big problems occur later, when Martin takes the kids on an outing to visit the mine. Because it's closed, no one told the kids not to go inside and apparently Martin was an idiot because he took them all inside and they began digging about the place. Suddenly, there's a cave in....and you'll have to see the film to see what's next for this happy brood.

I liked this one a lot....not quite as much as the first one...but still I had a lovely time watching it. The writing really made the family adventures most enjoyable and it's a great example of a B-movie that manages to rise above its humble budget and expectations.