"Spice of Life" is the first segment of the sixty-fourth episode of Pepper Ann. It aired on November 12, 2000.
Synopsis[]
Pepper Ann deals with a mean old woman who doesn't like door-to-door salespeople, but when she dies (and Pepper Ann finds out that she's Vera the secretary's mother), Pepper Ann offers to speak at her funeral, but how can she eulogize someone she hates?
Plot[]
The students of Hazelnut Middle School must sell spices in order to raise money for new books, though Nicky scoffs at this as she never sees any new books. Pepper Ann wants to win cardboard cutouts of the Cutie Maootie Boys and has a rivalry with Dieter. They encounter the house of Edna "Old Lady" Groober whom Pepper Ann tried to sell to, but never does due to her temper. Pepper Ann tries again and Groober yells at her. Pepper Ann responds with "Will it kill ya to be nice?" The next day, Pepper Ann wins the fundraiser, but learns that Groober, who is Vera's 114-year-old mother has died.
Pepper Ann believes that she had in fact killed Groober, but Vera tells her that she would tell her the same thing and that she had lived a full long life. She further tells her that Groober insisted that she give a eulogy at her funeral, even though she never liked her. Pepper Ann goes asking people how they felt about her, including her mother. They begin by insulting her, but when she mentions that she died, everyone turns around and says how much they liked her. Pepper Ann has a nightmare that the Cutie Magootie Boys tell her that she is experiencing hypocrisy and that she needs to be honest for the eulogy.
Pepper Ann decides to tell Vera that she will not give the speech, but gets distracted by stories of her mother and becomes interested. Afterwards, she tells her that she will be there after all. Pepper Ann gives a very special eulogy explaining how Groober was a special person and how they will remember her for her character. After the funeral, and after Pepper Ann tosses her Cutie Magootie Boys cutouts away, Vera tells her that Groober wrote in her will that she donated to charity in her name as she enjoyed her spunk. Principal Hickey is caught off guard by Nicky and reveals that he received an inheritance from Groober and used it to buy books.
Cast[]
- Kathleen Wilhoite as Pepper Ann Pearson
- Jeff Bennett as Dieter Liederhosen, Donner, Middle-Agen Man, Cutie Magootie Boy #1
- Danny Cooksey as Milo Kamalani, Toilet, Cutie Magootie Boy #4
- Clea Lewis as Nicky Little
- April Winchell as Lydia Pearson, Potato, Old Lady Nelson
- Don Adams as Principal Hickey
- Paddi Edwards as Vera Groober-Schwartz
- Tress MacNeille as Old Lady Groober, Sandwich
- Rob Paulsen as Cutie Magootie Boys #2 & #3, Tyler, Minister
Trivia[]
- This episode is dedicated to Paddi Edwards, due to this being the last episode she recorded for the series before her passing on October 18, 1999, over a year before this episode aired.
