Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band

Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band is a 1978 American musical comedy film directed by Michael Schultz and written by Henry Edwards. The film tells the loosely constructed story of a band as they wrangle with the music industry and battle evil forces bent on stealing their instruments and corrupting their home town of Heartland. The film is presented in a form similar to that of a rock opera, with the songs providing "dialogue" to carry the story. Only George Burns has spoken lines that act to clarify the plot and provide further narration.

The film's soundtrack, released as an accompanying double album, features new versions of songs originally written and performed by the Beatles. The film draws primarily from two of the band's albums, 1967's Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band and 1969's Abbey Road. The film covers all of the songs from the Sgt. Pepper album with the exceptions of "Within You, Without You" and "Lovely Rita", and also includes nearly all of Abbey Road.

The production was loosely adapted from Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band on the Road, a 1974 off-Broadway production directed by Tom O'Horgan. The film was released to extremely negative reviews.

Plot
The film was produced by Robert Stigwood, founder of RSO Records, who had earlier produced Saturday Night Fever. RSO Records also released the soundtrack to the film Grease in 1978, which had Barry Gibb producing and Peter Frampton playing lead guitar on the title track. In 1976, the Bee Gees had recorded three Beatles cover songs, "Golden Slumbers/Carry That Weight", "She Came In Through the Bathroom Window" and "Sun King", for the musical documentary All This and World War II.

The Beatles' former producer, George Martin, served as musical director, conductor, arranger and producer of the film's soundtrack album. Before the film's release, Robin Gibb of the Bee Gees announced: "There is no such thing as the Beatles now. They don't exist as a band and never performed Sgt Pepper live in any case. When ours comes out, it will be, in effect, as if theirs never existed."

Mr. Kite (George Burns), elderly mayor of the small-yet-wholesome town of Heartland, recounts the history of Heartland's celebrated marching band. Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band brought happiness through its music, even causing troops in World War I to stop fighting. In August 1958, bandleader Phineas Patrick Paul Pepper died in the middle of a performance. Sergeant Pepper left the band's magical musical instruments to the town; so long as they remain in Heartland, its people will live happily ever after. Heartland City Hall, which contains the instruments, is topped with a Magical Weather Vane in the shape of a marching band trumpeter; the vane foresees good and ominous developments. Sergeant Pepper left his musical legacy to his handsome and good-hearted grandson, Billy Shears (Peter Frampton). Billy forms a new Lonely Hearts Club Band with his three best friends: brothers Mark, Dave, and Bob Henderson (The Bee Gees). Billy's charming but avaricious half-brother, Dougie (Paul Nicholas), serves as the band's manager.

Heartland loves the new band ("With a Little Help From My Friends"), and soon Big Deal Records president B.D. Hoffler (Donald Pleasence) invites them to Hollywood with the promise of a record deal. The band accepts ("Here Comes the Sun"). Billy bids farewell to his sweet hometown girlfriend, Strawberry Fields (Sandy Farina). Once in Hollywood, B.D. gets the naive band to sign an exploitative contract by plying them with drugs and alcohol. He gets sexy singers Lucy (Dianne Steinberg) and the Diamonds (Stargard) to seduce Billy and the Hendersons. Hitting it off with Lucy, Billy all but forgets about Strawberry. The band quickly succeeds with hit records and sold-out shows.

Meanwhile, villainous Mr. Mustard (Frankie Howerd) and his henchman the Brute drive to Heartland in their computer- and robot-equipped van. Mustard gets his orders via computer from the mysterious FVB, who directs him to steal the magical instruments from City Hall. Mustard is commanded to keep the drum, and to distribute the other instruments among FVB and its affiliates. Without the instruments, Heartland - now under Mustard's control - quickly degenerates into a hotbed of vice and urban decay. Strawberry travels to Hollywood ("She's Leaving Home"), where she finds Billy and the band at a recording session. She tells them of Heartland's plight. The band and Strawberry steal Mustard's van. They use its computer to locate the stolen instruments. They recover the cornet from the deranged, money-driven anti-aging specialist Dr. Maxwell Edison (Steve Martin). They recover the tuba from mind-controlling cult leader Father Sun (Alice Cooper). They find the drum still in Mustard's van. However, the computer malfunctions before they can locate the final missing instrument...the saxophone, which remains in the hands of FVB.

As Heartland continues to deteriorate, the band plans a benefit concert to save the town ("For the Benefit of Mr. Kite"). B.D., Lucy, and Dougie go along with the plan...exploiting the situation for financial gain. Dougie and Lucy, who have bonded over their shared love of money, plot to run off with the show's proceeds. They hide bags of money in Mustard's van while Billy, Strawberry, and the Hendersons are watching Earth, Wind & Fire perform at the benefit. Mustard and the Brute suddenly arrive and take back the van, which also contains the recovered instruments. They also kidnap Strawberry, with whom Mustard has fallen in love from afar ("When I'm 64"). Mustard drives off with Dougie, Lucy, Strawberry, and the money hidden on board. Billy and the Hendersons see the van leave and pursue it in the town's hot air balloon.

Mustard drives to FVB's headquarters, where the Future Villain Band plans to take over the world. This Orwellian hard-rock group (Aerosmith) contrasts the wholesomeness of Sgt. Pepper's band. FVB is described as "the evil force that would poison young minds, pollute the environment, and subvert the democratic process"; they perform in militaristic uniforms on a high platform stage made to look like stacks of money, accompanied by uniformed youth twirling flags. To turn Strawberry into a "mindless groupie", FVB chains her up onstage while the band plays "Come Together" and lead singer Sal (Steven Tyler) fondles her. Dougie and Lucy are also tied up and forced to watch. Billy and the Hendersons arrive and engage FVB in hand-to-hand combat. Sal gets the upper hand against Billy, but Strawberry pushes him away. In the process, she falls from the stage to her death.

The town of Heartland, now cleaned up, holds an elaborate funeral for Strawberry ("Golden Slumbers/Carry That Weight"). The depressed Billy attempts to get Strawberry off his mind ("The Long and Winding Road"); when he can't, the Hendersons worry for him ("A Day In the Life"). Billy attempts suicide by jumping from a rooftop. Before he can hit the ground, in a form of Deus ex machina, the Magical Weather Vane on top of City Hall comes to life as Sergeant Pepper (Billy Preston). Wielding magical lightning bolts, Pepper catches Billy ("Get Back"). Pepper dances through the town square, transforming Mustard and the Brute into a bishop and a monk. Mustard's van is transformed into a VW Beetle. Dougie and Lucy are transformed into a priest and a nun. Strawberry is restored to life, and happily embraces Billy. Sergeant Pepper transforms the band members' mourning suits into shiny new uniforms. In the finale, the cast appear with numerous celebrities in a tribute to the original Beatles album cover.

Cast
The cast also features
 * The Bee Gees, Barry, Robin, and Maurice Gibb, whose music had been integral to Saturday Night Fever (released by this film's international distributor, Paramount Pictures), play Mark, David and Bob Henderson, members of the re-formed Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. They also provide the computerized voices for Mean Mr. Mustard's robots.
 * Peter Frampton, whose album Frampton Comes Alive! was the biggest-selling live album ever at the time, plays Billy Shears, leader of the re-formed band and grandson of the original Sgt. Pepper character.
 * Steve Martin's comedy album A Wild and Crazy Guy was released the same year as the film, reaching number two on the music-dominated Billboard 200 album charts. His performance as Dr. Maxwell Edison, singing "Maxwell's Silver Hammer", foreshadows his zany dentist role in the 1986 film Little Shop of Horrors.
 * British comedian Frankie Howerd as Mean Mr. Mustard (his only major U.S. film appearance; he later quipped about the film "It was like Saturday Night Fever, but without the fever")
 * Paul Nicholas as Dougie Shears
 * Donald Pleasence as B.D., referred to in Burns' narrative voice-over as B.D. Hoffler, but officially known in the film's credits, publicity materials, and in-film posters as B.D. Brockhurst
 * Sandy Farina as Strawberry Fields
 * Dianne Steinberg as Lucy
 * Aerosmith as Future Villain Band (FVB)
 * Alice Cooper as Father Sun
 * Earth, Wind & Fire, appearing as themselves
 * Billy Preston as the magical Sgt. Pepper golden weather vane come to life
 * George Burns as Mr. Kite
 * Stargard as the Diamonds
 * Anna Rodzianko and Rose Aragon as The Computerettes
 * Carel Struycken as Brute
 * Patti Jerome as Saralinda Shears
 * Max Showalter as Ernest Shears
 * John Wheeler as Mr. Fields
 * Jay W. MacIntosh as Ms. Fields
 * Eleanor Zee as Mrs. Henderson
 * Patrick Cranshaw as Western Union Manager
 * Teri Lynn Wood as Bonnie
 * Tracy Justrich as Tippy