Peter Frampton Was Tricked Into Being in the ‘Sgt. Pepper’s’ Film

Peter Frampton says he was tricked into appearing in the much-maligned 1978 jukebox musical film, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.

During a recent appearance on The Bob Lefsetz Podcast, Frampton revealed how he was lured into joining the Beatles-inspired project.

“I was told by (producer) Robert Stigwood that Paul McCartney was going to be the savior of the Heartland,” Frampton explained. “When Stigwood said, ‘Paul is going to be in the movie,’ I said, ‘Really! Well, if a Beatle’s going to be in the movie, he’s sanctioned it, then it can’t be bad.”

READ MORE: Why Paul McCartney Knew ‘Sgt. Pepper’ Movie Would Never Work

I didn’t take long for the reality of the situation to sink in.

“I fly out to Los Angeles, I go to the first meeting out there, no Paul McCartney. So I was lied to,” Frampton explained. “Then I realized from the first day of shooting, oh this was a disaster. I didn’t walk because I would have been sued to high hell. But we all hated being in that movie.”

‘There Was No Script’

Stigwood had industry clout thanks to his work with Cream and the Bee Gees, as well as the films Saturday Night Fever and Jesus Christ Superstar. These successes helped him recruit stars for the Sgt. Pepper’s movie. In addition to Frampton, the ensemble cast featured the Bee Gees, Steve Martin, Aerosmith and Alice Cooper. Despite such heavy hitters, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band was a critical and commercial flop.

READ MORE: Top 10 Peter Frampton Songs

“Everyone thought we couldn’t fail and it would have been good,” Frampton admitted. “The only thing I’ll say about it is there was no script and, rest in peace, George Martin should not have been the guy to do the music. Because imagine doing that — with Jeff Emerick — the Beatles, but you don’t have the Beatles. I would imagine they were not enjoying it.”