"Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" movie, 1978

[lovepuppy]

Posted: 8/2/09 at 4:02am

I'm a huge Beatles geek but had never seen it before, for good reason: have always heard it was super-lame. And it is. I was chatting online with a friend tonight with it on cable in the background and every time I looked up, something ridiculous and trippy was happening. So be it; at least the background music was great. Can't wait til Beatlefest here in a couple of weeks, but that's another matter.

Can I just say, until that crazy finale with Billy Preston strutting around in a gold lame' uniform zapping people with magic laser fingers, my favorite scenes were just of the Bee Gees meandering around, looking moody and singing. But now--Tina Turner next to CAROL CHANNING?!? The Pointer Sisters, Dame Edna, Jose Feliciano, and Bowser from Sha Na Na?!? And everyone, including Frampton and Brothers Gibb, look like they're all being prompted on lyrics and dance moves. On camera. Ridiculous. I love this finale -- they should just loop this for an hour and make its own movie of that!!

Just felt like sharing. Thanks! Peace & love, baby!

Updated On: 8/2/09 at 04:02 AM

[tazber]

Posted: 8/2/09 at 4:20am

3 scenes I love:

Steve Martin as Maxwell Hammer
Alice Cooper as a giant face
Robots singing She's Leaving Home

[rosscoe(au)]

Posted: 8/2/09 at 4:41am

I saw this in the cinema when it first came out and loved it. Might need to see if I canfind it on DVD, cause I remember none of that

[danmag]

Posted: 8/2/09 at 7:02am

I was obsessed with this movie when it came out because I was madly in love with Peter Frampton. In my defense I was only 13 years old. Saw it again recently and couldn't believe how trippy and strange it was!

[mattonstage]

Posted: 8/2/09 at 7:28am

It was awful when I first saw it in the theaters, I was also 13 at the time, it's been awful every time I've seen it since, and I LOVE every single minute. Our smallish town where I grew up actually had a "premiere" with one of the stars, Frankie Howard, who played the bad guy who sings 'When I'm 64'. I remember at the screening I saw, the audience applauding when certain names came up, Peter Framton, Alice Cooper, etc. I was the only person who clapped when Steve Martin's name appeared.

[best12bars]

Posted: 8/2/09 at 9:11am

This is one of my favorite "bad movies" of all time. It's right up there with Sextette, The Apple, and Can't Stop the Music.

[TimesSquareRegular]

Posted: 8/2/09 at 9:36am

Definitely in the "so bad it's good" category, along with the aforementioned CAN'T STOP THE MUSIC and SEXTETTE .... and let's not forget SHOWGIRLS.

[Unknown User]

Posted: 8/2/09 at 9:55am

My little great-niece LOVES this movie (Along with Xanadu) and watches it over and over. I am trying to turn her on to Tommy for a little variety.

[uncageg]

Posted: 8/2/09 at 11:18am

I saw this with my older sister in the theater when it came out. I was familiar with the music so I wanted to see it. Plus, we both had a big crush on Barry Gibb, although she did not know I did at the time!

[StockardFan]

Posted: 8/2/09 at 11:59am

I don't think I've ever seen the whole thing straight through...

[JohnBoy2]

Posted: 8/2/09 at 3:14pm

Since I'm about half-past give a sh*t, when it comes to The Beatles, this film is a welcome diversion from the same old, same old, that I've been hearing for the past 45 years!

[justagirl2]

Posted: 8/2/09 at 5:33pm

God, I LOVE this movie. One of my favorite campy messes. My mom's a huge Bee Gees fan, and I remember her showing it to me when I was very young. Alice Cooper is a cousin of my dad's and I'd met him before, so when he came onscreen I flipped my little 6 year-old sh*t. I thought it was the coolest thing ever.

I have a big appreciation for trippy, drugged-out movies...a good reason why Tommy is one of my absolute favorites.
Updated On: 8/2/09 at 05:33 PM

[spiderdj82]

Posted: 8/2/09 at 5:36pm

Never seen it, but SGT PEPPER'S (the album) is one of my favorites.

[Marquise]

Posted: 8/3/09 at 6:38am

Whatever happened to Sandy Farina?

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 8/3/09 at 4:28pm

All I remember is Aerosmith singing "Come Together".

[danmag]

Posted: 8/3/09 at 4:39pm

These two were just so damn cute....

[tazber]

Posted: 8/3/09 at 6:44pm

Alice Cooper's giant face floating in a druggy haze

[danmag]

Posted: 8/3/09 at 6:46pm

The makers of this film obviously smoked A LOT of weed.

[tazber]

Posted: 8/3/09 at 6:46pm

Steve Martin hams it up as the homicidal Dr. Maxwell

Updated On: 8/3/09 at 06:46 PM

[spiderdj82]

Posted: 8/3/09 at 6:54pm

Okay these clips (plus others I watched) COMPLETELY turned me off from seeing this. I love the music too much to listen to bastardized versions of it.

[spiderdj82]

Posted: 8/3/09 at 7:02pm

SO Much Better

[Eris0303]

Posted: 8/3/09 at 7:32pm

You can't compare Across the Universe and Sgt Pepper's. One was trying to be a piece of art and one most certainly was not.

[spiderdj82]

Posted: 8/3/09 at 7:34pm

I am talking about vocals only.

[doodlenyc]

Posted: 8/4/09 at 4:00pm

This was a terrible mess, and I remember sitting through it twice in a row when I was thirteen! I didnt care about the Bee Gees or Frampton, who was HUGE at the time, but I loved the Beatles. This film actually lost Frampton alot of cred and his career stopped.

I love the robots on Frankie Howerd's bus!! I also loved Sandy Farina and Paul Nicholas, but my favorite was Diane Steinberg as Lucy.

The story is ridiculous and difficult to follow, actually. I loved the album (yes, album!) for about a year after, then realized it was VERY uncool. I only skipped the awful rendition of Fixing a Hole.

[Jim Colyer]

Posted: 8/8/09 at 6:09pm

The Bee Gees took a backward step when they made the Pepper movie. I was disappointed at the time. The movie was awful.