Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1978)

Small town band hits it big, but they must battle a nefarious plot in the music industry.

Director:

Michael Schultz

Writer:

Henry Edwards

Stars:

Peter Frampton, Barry Gibb, Robin Gibb

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Peter Frampton	...	Billy Shears
Barry Gibb	...	Mark Henderson
Robin Gibb	...	Dave Henderson
Maurice Gibb	...	Bob Henderson
Frankie Howerd	...	Mr. Mustard
Paul Nicholas	...	Dougie Shears
Donald Pleasence	...	B.D. Hoffler
Sandy Farina	...	Strawberry Fields
Dianne Steinberg	...	Lucy
Steve Martin	...	Dr. Maxwell Edison
Aerosmith	...	Future Villain Band (FVB)
Earth Wind & Fire	...	Themselves
Alice Cooper	...	Marvin Sunk (the 'Sun King')
Billy Preston	...	Sergeant Pepper
Stargard	...	The Diamonds

Storyline

A small town band makes it big, but loses track of their roots, as they get caught up into the big-time machinations of the music biz. Now, they must thwart a plot to destroy their home town. Built around the music of the beatles, this musical uses some big name groups like Peter Frampton and Aerosmith.

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Plot Keywords:

small town | the beatles | based on song | convertible | the beatles song | 

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Taglines:

A splendid time is guaranteed for all.

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Genres:

Adventure | Comedy | Fantasy | Musical

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

24 July 1978 (USA)

Also Known As:

Banda de los corazones

Filming Locations:

Century City, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$18,000,000 (estimated)

Gross:

$12,900,000 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

NF Geria II Filmgesellschaft m.b.H., Robert Stigwood Organization (RSO)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

113 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby (35 mm prints) 70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Variety show veteran Chris Bearde was hired to direct the movie but was fired by executive producer Robert Stigwood prior to principal production on the film.

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Goofs

During the Aerosmith scene, Steven Tyler's microphone does not have a cable, and doesn't appear to be wireless. In the closeup, you can see bare pins where the cable should be connected.

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Connections

Referenced in The Cinema Snob: Moment by Moment (2013)

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Soundtracks

"Because"
Music and Lyrics by John Lennon and Paul McCartney
Performed by Alice Cooper, The Bee Gees
Produced by George Martin
By Arrangement with Northern Songs Limited

User Reviews

A Guilty Pleasure

In 1978, when I was 12 years old, we were living in Moscow, while my father was stationed at the Canadian Embassy. To escape the "fun" of living behind the Iron Curtain, we routinely took the Moscow-Helsinki express and travelled around Scandinavia. Our trip always ended at this huge department store in Helsinki, where we'd order all our non-perishable groceries until our next trip. My brother and I were allowed to purchase one record apiece to take back with us.

So one time, I picked up the soundtrack to this film. I don't think the movie had been released yet. Goodness knows, I didn't know that the movie was going to be a howler. All I know is that I loved the soundtrack. I listened to it over and over, and pored over the photographs on the album cover, trying to get a sense of the movie.

A few years later, I read "The Golden Turkey Awards" and then I started to realize how bad the movie was. I didn't get my chance to see it until 1997. Oh, it stunk! Cheese everywhere, from the awkward love story to the campy antics of the villain and his robots.

And yet, I watch it every time it comes on TV. Finally, I have the movie to go with the soundtrack. And let's face it - I love cheesy movies.