Let Polly do the printing! Remembering JAWS actress Peggy Scott

Hello, Islanders,

Happy New Year!

Sometimes it just takes a few roles to make an actor immortal in the eyes of their fans.  James Dean did three films and, nearly seven decades after his death, is still a pop culture icon.  JAWS fans have their own icon, best known for her outstanding penmanship – Peggy Scott, who played Polly, Chief Brody’ secretary.  January 21st will mark Ms. Scott’s 118th Birthday.  

A resident on Martha’s Vineyard, Ms. Scott was discovered by casting director Shari Rhodes, who was looking for just the right person to play the small but memorable role of Polly.  I say memorable because she only appears in one scene in the film.  Yet if you say “Let Polly do the printing” at a party at least one person will know what you’re talking about.

Ms. Scott was 69 years old when she filmed JAWS and lived to the age of 89, passing away in June 1994.  Presumably, like Roy Scheider and Jeff Kramer, she wisely declined to reprise the role in JAWS the Revenge.

Whether by direction or instinct, Ms. Scott’s portrayal of Polly was genuine.  He take charge attitude – from commenting on Chief Brody’s attire to filling him in on the hooligans karate chopping picket fences to dispatching Hendricks to tell Brody about the scouts trying to earn their swimming badges, her demeanor practically made her a second deputy.  It is also this assertiveness that, presumably, informs Brody to “Let Polly do the printing!”

Words by Michael A Smith. Michael is co-author of Jaws 2: The Making Of The Hollywood Sequel. You can order the book by contacting Michael at OsFanMike@aol.com.

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