Jaws: 17 Facts That’ll Leave You Needing A Bigger Boat
Spielberg created a masterpiece in his 1975 thriller Jaws. It was riddled with problems on set, took three times longer to film than planned, and cost over twice its budget, but stands as one of the best films ever made. When an enormous great white shark starts haunting the waters of a popular seaside resort, the police chief, a marine biologist and an old seafarer must head out to sea to hunt the beast.
Here are 17 facts about the film…
1) The most famous line was ad-libbed
The iconic line, ‘you’re gonna need a bigger boat,’ is one of the most famous lines in the history of cinema. However, according to the writer of the screenplay, it didn’t appear in the script. It was actually ad-libbed by Roy Scheider, who played Chief Brody.
2) The tension between Quint and Hooper was real
Actors Richard Dreyfuss and Robert Shaw couldn’t bear to be around each other on set. Whenever the cameras weren’t rolling, they argued like cat and dog. This actually worked out perfectly for the film, as the friction really showed between the two characters.
3) George Lucas got his head stuck in the shark’s mouth
There were three huge mechanically puppets made of the shark (which Steven Spielberg decided to name Bruce, after his lawyer). Each puppet cost $250,000. Whilst visiting the set one day, Spielberg took George Lucas and two other friends into the effects shop. As a joke, George Lucas put his head into the mouth of one of the puppets. However, the puppet’s mouth clamped shut, trapping him briefly.
4) Spielberg laughed at Williams’ score for Jaws
The first time Williams let Spielberg hear the score he’d written for Jaws, Spielberg laughed at it and said, ‘That’s funny, but what did you really have in mind?’ Spielberg kept the score, though, and now attributes it for being a major part of the film’s success.
5) John Williams was composing the orchestra at the Oscars when he won his award
John Williams’ iconic score won the Oscar for Best Score at the 1976 Academy Awards. John Williams was actually working at the event. He was composing the orchestra. When it was announced he’d won the Oscar, he had to quickly get to the stage to accept it, and then resume his position conducting the orchestra.
6) Alex Kinter sandwich
Alex Kinter was the small boy who was attacked by the shark in the film; the shark’s second victim. Lee Fierro, who played the boy’s mother, walked into a seafood restaurant decades after starring in the film. On the menu, she saw ‘Alex Kinter sandwich,’ and ordered it; telling the waiter she had played the boy’s mother in the film. Moments later, the owner of the restaurant ran out to greet her. It was none other than Jeffrey Voorhees, who had played Alex Kinter.
7) Spielberg ‘got greedy’ with the scares in Jaws
Whilst Spielberg was watching a test audience of the movie, he loved their reaction to the scene where Brody has his back turned to the water, and the enormous shark emerges behind him. He decided he wanted to put one more scare in the film, and added in the scene where a corpse’s head pops up whilst Hopper and Brody are diving. ‘I got greedy,’ he later said.
8) Robert Shaw was too drunk to deliver his monologue
Robert Shaw would drink between each take, and during the scene where the men are all drinking and sharing their stories, Shaw delivered a monologue about the USS Indianapolis that was unusable. He called Spielberg that night, apologised to him, and asked if he could try again the following day. The next day, Shaw delivered a beautiful and electrifying monologue that ended up in the final cut, and is one of the most memorable parts of the film.
9) Jaws’ production was riddled with problems and delays
The shoot was originally scheduled to last 55 days, but ended up lasting 159. The film had a budget of $4,000,000, but ended up costing $9,000,000 – over double! There were daily issues with the mechanical sharks. The crew working on the film started to nickname it, ‘Flaws.’
10) Spielberg Nearly Had a Panic Attack During Filming
The chaotic production of Jaws took a heavy toll on young Steven Spielberg. Constant delays, malfunctioning mechanical sharks, and the pressure of filming on open water pushed him to his breaking point. At one point, he genuinely thought he was having a heart attack because of the stress. Later, he admitted that he suffered nightmares about the shark for years after filming wrapped.
11) Jaws Pioneered the Summer Blockbuster Release Model
Before Jaws, summer was considered a slow season for releasing major films. But Universal decided to release it wide in the summer of 1975, paired with an aggressive television advertising campaign. The result was a cultural phenomenon that changed Hollywood forever. The film essentially created the concept of the “summer blockbuster,” which studios still rely on today.
12) The Mechanical Shark Was Corroded by Salt Water
The three animatronic sharks built for the film were designed to operate in fresh water. But Spielberg insisted on filming in the ocean, where salt water wreaked havoc on the delicate machinery. Constant breakdowns meant days of shooting were wasted waiting for repairs. These issues forced Spielberg to shoot creatively, often suggesting the shark instead of showing it.
13) Quint’s Indianapolis Speech Is Spielberg’s Favorite Scene
Robert Shaw’s haunting monologue about the sinking of the USS Indianapolis is regarded as one of the greatest speeches in cinema. The delivery is chilling, recounting the real-life shark attacks that killed hundreds of sailors. Spielberg has often said that it’s his favorite moment in the film because it elevated Jaws beyond being just a monster movie. The scene added depth, history, and a sense of tragedy to Quint’s character.
14) The Shark’s Failures Created Suspense by Accident
The broken mechanical sharks were a nightmare for the crew, but a blessing in disguise for the film. Spielberg was forced to rely on implication, camera tricks, and John Williams’ score to suggest the shark’s presence. This “less is more” approach terrified audiences by letting their imaginations do the work. In hindsight, Spielberg said the malfunctions actually saved the film and made it scarier.
15) The Shark Is Broken Play Revisited the Chaos
Robert Shaw’s son, Ian Shaw, co-wrote and starred in a stage play called The Shark Is Broken. The play dramatized the constant bickering between Richard Dreyfuss and Robert Shaw, as well as the production nightmares Spielberg faced. It offered a behind-the-scenes look at how Jaws was made under impossible conditions. Audiences loved it because it showed the human drama behind one of cinema’s greatest thrillers.
16) Jaws Sparked Fear of Sharks and Conservation Efforts
The release of Jaws caused an explosion of shark fear, even leading to declines in shark populations as people hunted them. Peter Benchley, who wrote the novel the film was based on, later regretted the panic it caused. He became a passionate advocate for marine conservation, working to educate people on the importance of sharks in the ecosystem. Ironically, a film that made audiences fear sharks also inspired efforts to save them.
17) Jaws Is Preserved in the National Film Registry
Recognizing its huge cultural impact, the Library of Congress added Jaws to the National Film Registry. This honor is reserved for movies that are considered historically, culturally, or aesthetically significant. Spielberg’s film not only terrified audiences but also reshaped the movie industry itself. Today, it remains a cornerstone of American cinema history.
There you have it – 17 pieces of Jaws trivia!
