Facts about Jaws
- 10
A 1968 great white shark caught off Long Island measured 20 feet long and weighed 4,500 pounds, providing the size reference that influenced Peter Benchley's vision for the creature in Jaws.
- 09
Actress Lee Fierro, who played Mrs. Kintner in the 1975 film, received hate mail for years from viewers who blamed her character for the beach closures that enabled the shark attacks.
- 08
John Williams composed the two-note shark theme in just 15 minutes, creating one of cinema's most recognizable musical motifs that became synonymous with suspense and danger.
- 07
Benchley's source material was inspired by a 1964 shark attack off the coast of New Jersey that killed a young swimmer named Frederic Peirce.
- 06
Universal Pictures initially offered the film rights to Jaws for $250,000 in 1973, a fraction of the $7 million budget that Spielberg ultimately spent making it.
- 05
Roy Scheider's famous line "You're gonna need a bigger boat" was ad-libbed by the actor during the 1974 production rather than scripted by screenwriter Carl Gottlieb.
- 04
In 1973, Peter Benchley's novel Jaws sold over 5.3 million copies, becoming a publishing phenomenon that preceded the film's release by two years.
- 03
During filming, the constantly malfunctioning mechanical shark forced Spielberg to rely on editing, camera angles, and John Williams's iconic two-note theme to suggest the threat rather than show it directly.
- 02
Steven Spielberg's 1975 directorial debut earned $470 million worldwide, making Jaws the first summer blockbuster and highest-grossing film of its time.
- 01
The mechanical shark used in Jaws weighed 1.2 tons and was nicknamed Bruce by the crew during filming in 1974.