Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band did not do well at the box office. Maybe it was because everybody was busy going to see Foul Play, Revenge of the Pink Panther, or Animal House to go and see a whimsical Beatles-themed musical tribute. Who recalls the frequent five-minute parking lot debate held before choosing which movie they would see that night? All I truly remember is that I saw Hooper in the theater (also released in Summer of 1978), but it would be a few years later on cable before I saw Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. And if I had to pick between the two of them again, I think Hooper would still win out. (I have a soft spot for Burt Reynolds.) But if the choices were Buckstone County Prison, Vampire Hookers (again, released in Summer of 1978) and Sgt. Pepper’s, I’m pretty sure I would go with Sgt. Pepper’s, even though I have yet to see either of the others. I would watch it half for nostalgia and half for the enjoyment I received the first time around. Look for those scene-stealing moments by Steve Martin and Billy Preston.
