Sgt. Stigwood’s Beatles Tribute Band

What if the Beatles had been able to “Get Back” together for one final triumph before time and tragedy made that an impossibility? We’ll never know. Diehard fans only have the universally detested Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (1978) as a small consolation prize.  

That long-hoped-for return of the Fab Four never happened—but a glitzy, episodic, all-style-and-no-substance-big-budget-yet slapped-together compilation of Beatles tunes was foisted upon the moviegoing public in 1978 to a chorus of dismay and, as they might say today, cringe. 

Produced by impresario Robert Stigwood, the project initially had all the earmarks of a hit—on paper. The critical and box office successes of Stigwood’s previous movie musicals, Tommy and Grease, gave the producer firm footing as he put together his new magnum opus. (Stigwood had also produced the hugely successful Saturday Night Fever, but that doesn’t quite fit into the same “Hollywood movie musical” genre.)

Stigwood now announced plans for his greatest show of all, one that could possibly reunite the members of not just a beloved band but the greatest cultural force in modern music history—the “new Beatles musical.” He had succeeded in acquiring the rights to songs in the Beatles catalog and hinted that the Fab Four would possibly reunite for the film (they had officially disbanded in 1970). Excitement and anticipation were high, but the enthusiasm did not last long. 

The possibility was intriguing and the results would doubtlessly have been far different if the Beatles had accepted the offer. After all, The Who had collaborated with Stigwood and director Ken Russell on bringing their rock opera Tommy to the big screen, with Roger Daltrey in the lead and Townsend, Moon and the whole band performing in the film as well. The result is still considered a masterpiece of moviemaking by many. 

When it became clear that John, Paul, George and Ringo had zero interest in reuniting to collaborate on the project, Stigwood changed gears, assembling an all-star cast and cobbling together a script that could encompass the 29 songs he had licensed from Lennon, McCartney and Harrison. 

Ringo, John, Paul and George in full dress uniform, but they did not report for duty.

It’s likely that the big buildup of enthusiasm for a possible reunion of the greatest musical group of all-time contributed to the film’s poor reception when it failed to deliver that long-hoped-for moment. (Regrettably, all four Beatles never performed together again; Lennon was killed in 1980.) McCartney and Starr actually attended the film’s premiere; Lennon and Harrison sat it out. No one had anything nice to say about the movie. 

Even after Sgt. Pepper crashed and burned at the box office, producers still attempted to revive the movie musical as a popular film genre as the 1980s dawned, always unsuccessfully. The Village People disco campfest Can’t Stop the Music (presented by Stigwood’s Grease producing partner Alan Carr) and Olivia Newton-John’s lackluster Xanadu firmly pounded the final nails into the movie musical’s coffin in the early ’80s. Even the surefire Grease 2 had been a critical and commercial dud.

The film draws chiefly from the Sgt. Pepper album and Abbey Road, though there are also songs from Revolver, Rubber Soul and the Magical Mystery Tour albums. The soundtrack was produced by Beatles arranger George Martin.

The new Fab Four: Peter Frampton and the Bee Gees.

Directed by journeyman Michael Schultz (Cooley High, Car Wash) with choreography by Patricia Birch (you may recognize some of her favorite background dancers from the Grease chorus), Sgt. Pepper is pure ’70s fantasy and kitsch, colorful but undeniably messy in its style and storytelling. Perhaps hoping to mimic the rock opera milieu of Tommy, none of the principals speak a word here—it’s all song after song, but without Tommy’s strong narrative spine. This was a compilation of Beatles songs in need of a story to tie them together. So, as exposition for a highly contrived plot, the viewer is forced to rely on a ponderous narration by George Burns, the octogenarian Golden Era comedian who had enjoyed a recent comeback in The Sunshine Boys and Oh, God!

The less said about the nonsensical and incomprehensible plot, the better; it involves a hunt for stolen magical musical instruments and the rags-to-riches rise of a 1970s pop group. Tired tropes abound, including the nefarious doings of Hollywood and the music industry, with pale echoes of Beatles films like Help! and A Hard Day’s Night.

Mr. Kite (George Burns) and the boys in Heartland

But there are definitely bright spots that make this bad movie fun to watch. The production design and costumes are first-rate, and the star-studded cast makes you keep watching to see who will turn up next. 

The Lonely Hearts Club Band is led by rock heartthrob Peter Frampton as Billy Shears, supported by none other than the Bee Gees. British singer and guitarist Frampton had just electrified the music world with his first solo album Frampton Comes Alive. Born in the UK and raised Down Under, the Bee Gees—Barry, Robin and Maurice (BG – Brothers Gibb)—had been around since the ’60s when they were known as Australia’s answer to the Beatles but had recently become mega stars with the release of the soundtrack to the hit film Saturday Night Fever, produced by Stigwood. 

Peter Frampton as Billy Shears

In the film, Frampton and the Gibbs do display great chemistry and camaraderie, and their musical styles blend well, and the Bee Gees’ famously beautiful harmonies do some of the Beatles’ tunes particularly proud.   

In addition to narrating the film, George Burns plays Mr. Kite, the mayor of Heartland, doing a song-and-dance soft shoe routine to “Fixing a Hole. ”

Barry, Robin and Maurice Gibb as the Henderson Brothers

Also in the cast are singer/actor Paul Nicholas (who most recently had played nasty cousin Kevin in Tommy), English actor Frankie Howerd as Mean Mr. Mustard and legendary character actor Donald Pleasence. Pleasence, famous for his chilling portrayals of menacing villains (Harvest Home, Eye of the Devil) plays a hip but unscrupulous record executive, in a wavy wig and polyester shirt unbuttoned to the navel, warbling “I Want You/She's So Heavy.” 

Steve Martin (Only Murders in the House) clowns amiably and amusingly as a nutty plastic surgeon singing “Maxwell’s Silver Hammer.”

A wild and crazy guy: Steve Martin as Dr. Maxwell

The lighter side of Donald Pleasence

The musical cameos by current rock and roll superstars are a definite highlight, and a few of their cover versions of Beatles hits even made the charts: Aerosmith (“Come Together”), Alice Cooper (a trippy rendition of “Because”) and Earth, Wind and Fire (“Got to Get You Into My Life”).

Unfortunately, Sgt. Pepper did nothing to launch the career of Sandy Farina, a singer with a pretty face and a pleasant voice. As Strawberry Fields, who sings both “Here Comes the Sun” and “Strawberry Fields Forever,”  she gives a performance that’s somewhat less than memorable. She never played a lead onscreen again.

Billy Shears and Strawberry Fields (Sandy Farina)

The Girl with Kaleidoscope Eyes: Dianne Steinberg as Lucy

In one of the film’s campier moments (there are many), singer/dancer Dianne Steinberg performs “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” with Stargard, a disco girl group who had a hit with the theme song from the Richard Pryor comedy Which Way Is Up (also directed by Michael Schultz). Despite her valiant efforts in the film, Steinberg also failed to reach stardom. 

Earth Wind & Fire scored the biggest cover hit: "Got To Get You Into My Life."

A precursor to the music videos that would soon become de rigueur for artists in the MTV era, the movie becomes much more palatable for music lovers than cinephiles. Fans of Peter Frampton, the Bee Gees and other ’70s luminaries will no doubt enjoy the colorful, creative and often comedic montages of the Beatles covers, woven into the outlandish throwaway plotline. Some of the high points include Robin’s rendition of “Oh! Darling” and Barry’s “A Day in the Life”; Frampton’s “Golden Slumbers,” “Long and Winding Road” and “She Came in Through the Bathroom Window” are also memorable moments.

Billy Preston commands a happy ending with "Get Back"

Billy Preston, who had played with the Beatles for their final live appearance on the rooftop of Apple Records in 1969, is the deux ex machina who ensures a happy ending, singing and dancing his inimitable and spirited version of “Get Back.”

The finale is an homage to the star-studded original Sgt. Pepper album cover itself. Stigwood and company rounded up every available showbiz name working in the environs at the time; the result is a motley and diverse crew of entertainers including Tina Turner (right next to Carol Channing!), Helen Reddy, Sha Na Na, Wolfman Jack, Connie Stevens, Leif Garrett, Peter Allen, Chita Rivera, Gwen Verdon and Dame Edna. (The juxtaposition was not quite as impressive as Aleister Crowley, Bob Dylan, Marilyn Monroe, Mae West and Edgar Allen Poe on the actual album, but a fascinating time capsule of 1970s fame nonetheless.) 

The finale: All the stars there are in heaven—or at least in Culver City.

For a movie that belly flopped at the box office and was razzed unmercifully by critics upon its initial release, time has been kind to Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. Flashy, a bit trashy, but with its heart in the right place, it definitely deserves to be elevated to cult status by anyone who has an affinity for the music of the Beatles and the energy, glitz and glamour of the 1970s. 

This is an entry in the legendary So Bad It’s Good Blogathon hosted by Rebecca of Taking Up Room. Looking forward to a fun weekend of guilty cinematic pleasures!