Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band

1 9 7 8 (USA)

With a score consisting of 29 compositions by John Lennon, Paul McCartney and George Harrison, Sgt Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band must have sounded like a great idea at the time. The inspiration was embellished by top-casting Peter Frampton and The Bee Gees, and surrounding them with a bunch of featured guest stars as varied as George Burns and Alice Cooper.

Unfortunately, "folly" simply doesn't do justice to this fevered mess. The movie had a mindless and skeletal plot revolving around a number of peculiar characters who set out to steal the musical instruments belonging to Sgt Pepper's band. There was no focus to Michael Schultz's direction of this fantasy, which was clouded by an excess of electronic visual effects and an obtrusive soundtrack.

Patricia Birch choreographed for producer Robert Stigwood, whose starry Technicolored line-up of featured actors and musical groups included Frankie Howerd (oo-er missus), Paul Nicholas, Billy Preston, Alice Cooper, Earth, Wind & Fire, Peter Allen, Keith Carradine, Donovan, Jose Feliciano, Peter Noone, Helen Reddy, Johnny Rivers, Aerosmith, Del Shannon, Sha-Na-Na and Connie Stevens.

The end product really was B.A.D. Comedy legend Steve Martin was so embarrassed by his cameo that in later interviews he refused to acknowledge it as his feature film debut. As for Aerosmith - their involvement put their career in the doldrums for the next 10 years - perhaps fitting punishment for any band stupid enough to appear in a movie where they get beaten up by Barry Gibb.

WHAT THE FUCK WERE THEY THINKING??!