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 ...

---

Plot Keywords:

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

---

Taglines:

A splendid time is guaranteed for all.

---

Genres:

Adventure | Comedy | Fantasy | Musical

---

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

The shooting script called for Peter Frampton's character to kill Steven Tyler's. When it came time to film this scene, Aerosmith threatened to walk out. "There's no fucking way that Steven is gonna get directly offed by Frampton", commented Joe Perry. "It's gotta be an accident, the way it was in the original script we fucking agreed to." They finally agreed to a compromise, with Sandy Farina accidentally pushing Tyler's character to his death.

---

Goofs

Joe Perry appears to be lip-syncing during the Aerosmith scene. At one point, he gets off track.

---

Connections

Featured in The Cinema Snob: Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (2014)

---

Soundtracks

Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds
Music and Lyrics by John Lennon and Paul McCartney
Performed by Dianne Steinberg, Stargard
Produced by George Martin
By Arrangement with Northern Songs Limited

User Reviews

Why The Revulsion?

This was considered one of the biggest cinematic disasters of its era---a film that virtually destroyed the careers of the Bee Gees and Peter Frampton, and recording mogul Robert Stigwood (a giant at the time) likewise disappeared from view. Thirty years later, there are no less than 13 pages (so far) of blistering denunciations of this movie here at IMDb.

I have never understood any of this. I had a good time with the film when I was young, and in later years, it still held up for me. It certainly is no classic, but if you are willing to relax and meet it halfway, you might find yourself having a good time. It is fun watching people like Steve Martin, Frankie Howerd, and Donald Pleasence hamming it up, and George Burns is always enjoyable.

Once, I said all of this to an acquaintance in person, and his response was: "Why would I want to hear Beatles songs if the Beatles aren't doing them?" Herein lies the film's problem, I think. Fans of the Beatles consider their music to be untouchable---very few artists have tried to do covers of Beatles songs, and the few who have met with hostility. Fans of the "fab four" carry a lot of weight, and they consider covers of the music to be nothing less than blasphemy. Consequently, when this innocuous film came out, they went on the attack and never let up.

Come on, lighten up! It is a fun, innocent little film.