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

Writers:

Henry Edwards, Tom O'Horgan (play)

Stars:

Peter Frampton, Barry Gibb, Robin Gibb

1 nomination.

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)
Alice Cooper	...	Marvin Sunk (the 'Sun King')
Earth Wind & Fire	...	Earth, Wind & Fire
Billy Preston	...	Sergeant Pepper
Stargard	...	The Diamonds

Storyline

Ever since they were sent into World War I battle in 1918, Sergeant Pepper and his Lonely Hearts Club Band of Heartland, USA have been spreading the message of joy and love to the world, which has made them and Heartland famous. Upon Sergeant Pepper's death in 1958, the band's instruments have been housed on display at Heartland City Hall as symbols of that love and joy. Before his death, Sergeant Pepper asked his adolescent grandson Billy Shears to take on the reins of forming his own band to continue to spread the message of joy and love. With Billy's brother Dougie Shears as their Manager, Billy, now an adult, and his three best friends, brothers Mark, Dave, and Bob Henderson, embark on their lives as a new Lonely Hearts Club Band. They quickly come to the attention of Hollywood music producer B.D. Hoffler Of B.D. (Big Deal) Records. With the boys off to Hollywood to spread the words of joy and love to the world, enter into Heartland the evil and demented Mr. Mustard, an ex-real ...

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Plot Keywords:

small town | the beatles | the beatles song | weathervane | scanimate | 

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Taglines:

Only their music could conquer the forces of evil

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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 USA:

$20,378,470

Company Credits

Production Co:

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

Technical Specs

Runtime:

113 min

Sound Mix:

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

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Frankie Howerd later quipped about the film "It was like Saturday Night Fever (1977), but without the fever".

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Goofs

While Earth Wind and Fire are performing, the trumpet player is holding his instrument in the air while you can hear a trumpet playing.

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Connections

Features Tank (1974)

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Soundtracks

She's Leaving Home
Music and Lyrics by John Lennon and Paul McCartney
Performed by The Bee Gees, Jay W. MacIntosh, John Wheeler
Produced by George Martin
By Arrangement with Northern Songs Limited

User Reviews

What Were They Thinking?

Someone must have noticed that "Yellow Submarine" made money. That same person also noticed that the Bee Gees were popular. Put a popular disco group and popular Beatles songs together, and: magic???

Well, not really. This film hurts. It hurts all the more if one likes the Beatles' originals of these songs (OK, Aerosmith did a decent version of "Come Together," but that is not enough to mitigate the damage caused by the rest of the performances).

There are certain films that seem to be made just to put the tolerance of a badfilm watcher to the test. This film has its place in that pantheon, right between "Can't Stop the Music" and "Santa Claus Conquers the Martians."