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

[tastyjay 16]

So, so painful. We must hear your take on this wretched film.

[CarolineEAnd 41]

Certain interns may or may not love this movie bunches. Possibly.

Let's not pretend that Fixing a Hole has ever been performed better than by George Burns. Also, the whole I Want You sequence is pretty radtown.

But yeah, that movie is awful. I love it, but it's awful.

[sarahride 83]

Right on. Excellent pick.

[Liza Radley 2]

This film is a HDTGM MUST! I know it's a 1970s rock opera-style fantasy, but was ANYONE not high during the entire production? Pre- and post-? I agree it's extremely painful to watch, but it's a good pain. Please discuss!!!

[xjbozek 0]

....now on Netflix Instant Retch

[MotorboatJones 41]

This movie begs to be a HDTGM pick. It's inexplicable. It's as if someone thought "We have the music of the Beatles and we have the Bee Gees and Peter Frampton. That's all we need for a hit movie."

 

Here are some high(low)lights:

 

The movie has no spoken dialogue. In fact, the only person who talks in the movie is George Burns who provides some narration.

 

The movie has basically no plot. Peter Frampton and the Bee Gees play a band that makes it big in Pepperland. Mean Mr. Mustard steals some kind of magical instruments from Pepperland and dsitributes them to different villains. The Bee Gees and Peter Frampton have to retrieve them. They do. When they are retrieving the last instrument, well, I won't spoil it.

 

 

 

 

 

Nah, I guess I will...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When they are retrieving the last instrument, Peter Frampton's girlfriend, Strawberry Fields, gets knocked down during a struggle and falls to her death. Everybody mourns. Then Billy Preston (because they couldn't get a real Beatle) shows up, sings "Get Back" and brings her back to life.

 

 

For some reason, the producers felt they needed to shoehorn every song from the Beatles's Sgt Pepper album into the storyline. The problem? The songs of Sgt. Pepper have no connecting story. It's pretty hamfisted.

 

Also, some of the performances are truly nutty. For instance, Steve Martin plays one of the "villains" in possession of Pepperland's instruments. He plays some kind of plastic surgeon who taps people on the head with a littel hammer and instantly transforms them. He performs Maxwell's Silver Hammer, which, other than the chorus seems to have nothing to do with his scene. He also performs it in full 70s "Wild and Crazy Guy" mode with really strange phrasing and spastic movement.

 

It's really, really bad, but watchably bad.

[Quasar Sniffer 4174]

There actually hasn't been much of that special pure-product-of-its-time insanity that led to films like this on HDTGM, at least from the 60s and 70s. I endorse this being examined.

[yomanitsflak 2]

This movie is amazingly bad. It would be great to have this HDTGM'ed.

[CinemaSpectrum 2]

This was tailor made for HDTGM. It's got famous people embarrassing themselves, non-sensical plotlines, bizzarre designs, great hair... and I can't wait for June to defend Robin Gibb's version of "Oh Darlin." This is a great choice.

[jarrycanada 2483]

May I ask a question: Have you guys really watched this movie, all the way to the end?

 

I've tried to watch this movie so many times and I can never got to the ending. it's really that fucking bad. it's on cable tv all the time and I've got it on my PVR but it's painfully bad. I don't think I've even made it past the 20 min mark.

 

at first when I tried to watch it, ike you guys I was thinking of this show and how it would be perfect but I tried watching it and its so fucking painful to watch. Plus it's earlier then 1980s so it may never get done because as you all may have noticed, paul and the gang don't do pre 1980s movies, don't believe me look at the list...

 

anyway, Here is my working theories about this film. this movie is a fuck you to The Beatles like "Staying Alive" is to the Beagles. I say that because by not using there music in a way that you would think of. you think of the Beatles when you think of Sergent Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club but you're not going to get The Beatles you get the Beagles.

 

and in Staying Alive it's marketed as a Beagles movie or so you would think but it's all Frank Stallone music. Maybe just maybe The Beagles got thinking hey lets fuck someone else music up like Frank Stallone did ours. that's my unproven conspiracy theories.. anyway I would sure love to know how the fuck Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band movie got made but I am not sure i could watch the movie.

[leucotone 2]

I was getting ready to start a new post of this, but found this one already in existence. This movie defies explanation, yet it's still hilarious to watch. There are so many things that are wrong or confusing with this film, but what other movie in history has put George Burns, Steve Martin, and Aerosmith together? I would love to hear this movie critiqued on the show.

 

By the way, jarrycanada, I think you meant the Bee Gees, not the Beagles.

[HipGuide 196]

How have they not done this yet?

[djkixen 1]

I agree. This movie seems to be made using a guide called How To Ruin a Movie Spectacularly.

 

Take the Beatles songs. Now force people to compare the near flawless originals to these subpar versions by middle of the road singers, and non-singers. Heck, let a robot sing too.

 

You know how people hate talking in movies? Don't have to watch any of that pesky dialogue.

 

Many scenes (especially Steve Martin's Maxwell Silver Hammer) are clearly trying to capitalize on the style of Rocky Horror Picture Show, and paling in comparison to that as well.

[CaptainAmazing 127]

I looked at the master list of movies they’ve done and was about to admit that JerryCanada was right about them not doing anything pre-1980, and then I started finding plenty of them after roughly the time his post was made. Zardoz, Star Wars Holiday Special, Hercules in New York, etc. Seems like they prefer “newer” movies a bit, but they do make plenty of exceptions nowadays.

 

I say do this one for sure!