9. “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” (Book)
Written by Henry Edwards and released in 1978. This book contains 24 black and white pictures from the movie. In the book everyone talks. Which I think gives us a better understanding of the characters.
Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band - They played during World War I at the Battle of Pomme de la Pomme in France. After 21 long days of fighting with no end in sight. The band arrives playing their music, which brings all the soldiers marching together in total happiness. The band plays through the Roaring Twenties, the Great Depression and World War II.
Sgt. Phineas Patrick Paul Pepper - The leader of the bad. A young farming lad from the small town of Heartland, USA. Is married to Abigail and has a daughter, Saralinda. On August 19, 1956, Heartland erects a Sgt. Pepper weathervane, which will always point the way to happiness on top of the town hall. As Sgt. Pepper begins to play, he clutches his heart and falls to the ground.
Saralinda - Marries Ernest Shears (who has been married before and has a son)
Dougie Shears - Ernest’s son from his first marriage. Dougie hates everybody and everything, except money.
Billy Shears - Saralinda and Ernest’s son. Kind and loving. He has three best friends, Mark, Dave and Bob Henderson.
In Sgt. Pepper’s will he leaves the town his musical instruments (which have the power to make dreams come true). To his daughter and her husband he left his house, barn and fields. And to his grandson Billy, his cherished purple staff. And the wish to form a new Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band with his three friends.
Mr. Kite - The mayor of Heartland since the end of World War I. After Sgt. Peppers death he guards the magical instruments that were left to the town. A proud and loving man. He weeps when the instruments are stolen.
The boyds grow up and form the new Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. With Dougie as their manager.
Strawberry Fields - Billy’s girlfriend. Her parents run the Home For Our Beloved Aged. Where she is a student nurse. And the family live in a small apartment on the second floor.
The group perform at Hearland’s Fair Day. As the boys play Messenger Charlie appears on his bicycle. Charlie is the world’s oldest Western Union Messenger (his false teeth fall out when he delivers the second telegram). He has a telegram from B.D Brockhurst - presiden of Big Deal Records. (who wants a tape of the groups music) He started out as a vacuum-cleaner slaesman from Peoria. And through cheating, bribing and sweet-talking he now rules an empire.
Lucy - B.D’s leading recording artist and leas a trashy girl group called Lucy and the Diamonds with Nan, Suki and Debra. Lucy met D.B when he was selling vacuums and she was a teenager.
Irvin Blomber - D.D’s first deputy assistant. Nicknamed the “Evil Gladiola”. He is a skilled thief.
While the group are making the tape in the Shear’s barn. Mr. Mustard arrives in his Mustard colored van. A loser real estate agent. He has three computerettes. Irma, not bright and has a crush on Mr. Mustard. Martha, who treats him like a mother. And Barbra, a schemer who wants to be Mrs. Mustard. He also has a driver Brute - an eight foot giant. He is an ex-boxer, who was a sucker for romantic music.
Mr. Mustard falls in love with Strawberry Fields the minute he spots her through his periscope. He has been sent by FVB to Heartland to steal the instruments.
After hearing the tape B.D sends another telegram. He wants them in L.A! The boys head to L.A in the Heartland Hot Air Balloon. Before they leave Billy and Strawberry spend their last night together. Billy asks Strawberry, “Are you with me?” She answers, “All the way!”
As the boys are overwhelmed with the rush, smog, dirt and drugs in L.A. B.D gets them to sign a contract where he gets everything and they get nothing. Overnight they are superstars!
Meanwhile Mr. Mustard steals the instruments and takes over Heartland. Leaving slot machines, riff-raff, broken windows and people being mugged.
Strawberry boards a bus for L.A to get the boys to help Heartland. Mr. Mustard follows her. After a fight with Mr. Mustard and Brute, Strawberry and the boys take over the van. With the help of the computerettes, they head off in search of the instruments.
Dr. Maxwell Edison has the saxophone. He is a loser. A lowly doctor who preferred to kill than heal. “Let’em die. After all, there are so many to replace them with!” When FVB sent him the magical saxophone he became the leader of the Maxwell Institute of Youth. Where he has become rich with a silver hammer that turns old people young again.
Father Sun - The leader of The Temple of Electronic Cosmology. He was a loser. Greedy, but without smarts or charisma. He had a Temple without any followers. FVB sent him the cornet and the temple was packed with the corrupt people hammered into youthfulness by Dr. Maxwell. “You are my slaves! I am your father - Father Sun!” The boys find the brass drum in Mr. Mustard’s van. Then the computerettes self destruct. Leaving the boys no way to find the last instrument.
They return to B.D’s office. Where they are told a concert is planned to raise money to search for the last instrument. During the benefit Dougie and Lucy steal the money. Mr. Mustard returns to Heartland. Brute grabs Strawberry and ties her to a dollar sign pole. A message come from FVB - bring all the instruments to FVB immediately!
The van takes off with Billy, Mark, Dave and Bob following in the Hot Air Balloon. They arrive at the lair of FVB.
The Future Villain Band - The most unknown, disliked band in the entire world. Meaner, more tuneless and more arrogent than any other band. Sal Futurevillain - the lead singer. Smart with a major in psychology and computer technology who graduated with honors. But all he wanted was rock’n'roll. The one thing he could not have, which made him crazy. Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band and The Future Villain Band begin to fight. And Strawberry is thrown off a pyramid of money to her death.
After Strawberry’s funeral Billy, in his grief, arrives in Strawberry’s second floor bedroom. He walks to the window and says, “I am with you now - All the way!” As he jumps the weathervane comes to life. Sgt. Pepper begins to sing and Billy flies back into the window.
“Happy endings, Billy! I’m a firm believer in happy endings!” says Sgt. Pepper. He brings Heartland back to the way it was - clean and crisp. Turns Mr. Mustard into an altar boy, Lucy into nun, Dougie into a priest. And B.D back into a young, unemployed vacumm-cleaner salesman. “I’m giving you a chance to become a mogul once again, but this time, do it right!” Then he points to the cemetery and Strawberry comes back to life!
As Sgt. Pepper says “Be the stars of your dreams”. In their imaginations all the Heartlanders become the stars of their dreams. Like…The Eagles, Neil Diamond, The Who, Stevie Wonder, Bobby Sherman, The Bay City Rollers, Dolly Parton, Andy Gibb, Paul William, The Bee Gees, Peter Frampton, George Burns, Paul Nicholas, Aerosmith, Alice Cooper, Steve Martin, Billy Preston, Earth Wind and Fire, The Beatles and many more….
They all sing “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band”. The words to the songs sung by the characters are included in the book.
