Jaws at 50

It had all the makings of a disaster: over budget, over time, a young and inexperienced filmmaker, and a script that was constantly changing. Because Steven Spielberg insisted on shooting on the ocean (at Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts), the actors often suffered from seasickness. When composer John Williams first played the film’s iconic two-note theme, Spielberg laughed because he assumed Williams was joking. Robert Shaw, who played steely shark hunter Quint, couldn’t stop drinking (or fighting with his co-star, Richard Dreyfuss). And to top it all off, the pneumatically powered mechanical sharks, nicknamed Bruce after the director’s lawyer, were constantly malfunctioning. The crew nicknamed the movie “Flaws”. Spielberg thought he’d never make another movie.

Any one of these things could’ve derailed the film, but the end result is pure movie magic and the prototype for both the monster movie and the modern summer blockbuster. Jaws was initially slated for a Christmas 1974 release, but the planned shooting time of 55 days ballooned into 159 days, and the release was pushed to summer 1975. By the time Jaws opened on June 20, 1975, Universal Pictures had spent an unheard-of $700,000 on national television advertising, the early reviews were rapturous, and movie audiences were breathless with anticipation. By the end of 1975, Jaws was the highest-grossing film in U.S. history. It is a personal favorite of mine; watching it on the 4th of July is a yearly ritual.

Development on Jaws the movie began before Jaws the novel was even published. David Brown, a producer at Universal, read a piece about it in Cosmopolitan magazine, which was then edited by his wife Helen Gurley Brown. The write-up concluded that Jaws “might make a good movie”. Once Spielberg was hired as director, his first job was to excise much of the novel’s first two-thirds, eliminating several subplots, and focusing on the hunt for the shark.

The Jaws screenplay is credited to two writers, Peter Benchley and Carl Gottlieb, both of whom appear in the movie. Benchley, whose source novel contained several subplots which were (thankfully) chucked for the adaptation, plays a reporter, and Gottlieb, who injected some much-needed humor and character development, portrays newspaper editor Harry Meadows.

FUN FACT: Among the novel’s subplots that didn’t make it into the film were an affair between Ellen Brody and Matt Hooper, and Mayor Vaughn being forced by the Mafia to keep the beaches open.

There are two monsters in Jaws: the great white shark and Mayor Larry Vaughn (Murray Hamilton). You see, Amity Island is about to open for the summer, and we can’t let a pesky little shark stand in the way of tourist season. Hamilton, hired in part for his resemblance to Richard Nixon (who departed the White House in disgrace while Jaws was filming), was one of the first two actors hired for Jaws. The other was Lorraine Gary (Ellen Brody), who just happened to be the spouse of Universal president Sid Sheinberg.

Susan Backlinie, who plays the ill-fated Chrissie, was a stuntwoman by trade; to simulate the shark attack, Backlinie was harnessed to two ropes that dragged her back and forth in the water.

Many minor roles were played by Martha’s Vineyard residents, including future television producer Jeffrey Kramer (Deputy Hendricks) and Lee Fierro (Mrs. Kintner, the oldest mother of an eight-year-old in cinema history).

Even for the three primary roles – Chief Brody, Quint, and Matt Hooper – Spielberg preferred lesser-known actors over movie stars. Charlton Heston expressed interest in playing Brody, but Spielberg felt Heston’s star power was too great to play an everyman police chief. Roy Scheider ultimately landed the role. Robert Shaw, who had recently appeared in Universal’s The Sting, was recommended by producers Richard Zanuck and David Brown for the role of Quint. Jon Voight, Timothy Bottoms, Jan-Michael Vincent, Joel Grey, and Jeff Bridges were all considered for the part of scientist Matt Hooper, but Spielberg’s friend George Lucas recommended Richard Dreyfuss, whom Lucas had recently directed in American Graffiti. In subsequent drafts of the screenplay, Hooper was rewritten to suit Dreyfuss’s personality.

FUN FACT: Spielberg came to view Dreyfuss as his alter ego and the pair reunited two years later for Close Encounters of the Third Kind.

The producers initially wanted to train a great white shark but quickly discovered that wasn’t possible. Because the mechanical sharks rarely functioned as intended, the crew was forced to improvise. That meant giving the shark less screen time (about four minutes total), a happy accident that made for a much more suspenseful movie. Spielberg later said, “The film went from a Japanese Saturday matinee horror flick to more of a Hitchcock, the less-you-see-the-more-you-get thriller.”

After test screening Jaws in March 1975, Spielberg decided the film needed one more good scare and created one of the greatest jump scares in cinematic history. I won’t show poor Ben Gardner’s gnarly head, but here’s the shot of Hooper’s reaction to it.

FUN FACT: This scene was shot in editor Verna Fields’ swimming pool after Universal refused to authorize any reshoots.

And yes, one of the most iconic lines in movie history was ad-libbed by Roy Scheider.

Jaws was the first movie to open on more than 400 screens in North America. It was the first to earn $100 million. It was the highest-grossing movie ever in the U.S. until the release of Star Wars two years later. It was one of the most critically acclaimed films of the year, garnering nominations for four Academy Awards, seven BAFTAs, four Golden Globes, and a Grammy. It won the Oscars for Best Original Score, Best Film Editing, and Best Sound. For his brilliant score, John Williams also won the BAFTA, Golden Globe, and Grammy Awards. Jaws is, quite simply, one of the most iconic motion pictures of the modern era and a must-see for any film buff.

FUN FACT: Tuba player Tommy Johnson is responsible for the two most memorable notes in movie music history.

Happy 50th, Jaws!!