Innocent, breezy fun. An above-average little comedy-mystery that has nice pace, enjoyable characters, clever lines for the lead children (who hold up this film) and enough whodunit twists and turns with its central murder plot to sustain interest. I had the delightful chance of doing the stage version of "Home, Sweet Homicide" in my 9th grade high school play back in 1964, debuting in the scene-stealing Dean Stockwell role of "Archie." I turned from chicken to ham immediately with the audience response I received and it sparked a life-long interest in acting.
Peggy Ann Garner, Connie Marshall and especially young Stockwell are thoroughly delightful and play off each other very well as adolescent amateur sleuths itching to solve a neighborhood murder. While throwing the police off with errant clues in the hopes of crediting their widowed, crime-story-writing mother (a centered Lynn Bari) for catching the culprit, the siblings are also in cahoots together as they scheme to match their busy mother up romantically with the handsome investigator (a rather staid Randolph Scott) assigned to the case.
Teenage Barbara Whiting, who was such a hit in the 1945 "Junior Miss" film, is again in droll support to young Peggy Ann Garner a year later here playing a school friend. Veteran James Gleason as Scott's grousing co-investigator is also a standout. While the budget may be strictly "B" fare, this nice little programmer nevertheless rises above some of the supposed "A" level post-WWII comedies out there.
A simple, light-hearted and extremely satisfying time-filler, I noticed that fans of this film have not been able to find a copy of it. Here in North Hollywood California, I was able to go to Eddie Brandt's Saturday Matinée Store and rent it on VHS. They must have taped it off of TV. This store carries almost all of the oldies one way or another. Check them out on-line.
Peggy Ann Garner, Connie Marshall and especially young Stockwell are thoroughly delightful and play off each other very well as adolescent amateur sleuths itching to solve a neighborhood murder. While throwing the police off with errant clues in the hopes of crediting their widowed, crime-story-writing mother (a centered Lynn Bari) for catching the culprit, the siblings are also in cahoots together as they scheme to match their busy mother up romantically with the handsome investigator (a rather staid Randolph Scott) assigned to the case.
Teenage Barbara Whiting, who was such a hit in the 1945 "Junior Miss" film, is again in droll support to young Peggy Ann Garner a year later here playing a school friend. Veteran James Gleason as Scott's grousing co-investigator is also a standout. While the budget may be strictly "B" fare, this nice little programmer nevertheless rises above some of the supposed "A" level post-WWII comedies out there.
A simple, light-hearted and extremely satisfying time-filler, I noticed that fans of this film have not been able to find a copy of it. Here in North Hollywood California, I was able to go to Eddie Brandt's Saturday Matinée Store and rent it on VHS. They must have taped it off of TV. This store carries almost all of the oldies one way or another. Check them out on-line.