How One Fan's Jaws Dream Came True

When I was a boy, I fell in love with Jaws just like every other person on the planet. I was not alive when it was released, so I remember sneaking a peek at it when I was little. Seeing the big shark on a small black and white tv scarred me for life. Fast forward a couple years and I recall hearing on a radio at a department store that the Jaws shark would be on display at the museum of Science and industry in Chicago. I lived in a small lake-shore town called Sheboygan Wisconsin.

The closest I came to Amity was walking out to the lighthouse pretending to see dark shapes in the water, getting scared and going home. I begged my father to take me and my sister and he agreed. We hopped on a train and headed to Chicago. I remember the anticipation was high. I would fantasize about how he would look. Would they have lights in water to simulate the underwater? Would I be able to touch it? Sadly, none of this would happen because when we arrived, the exhibit was not set to open for a couple days. I was devastated. I was beside myself, how could I have screwed up so badly?

Fast forward many years and I was given a Christmas present. It was a laserdisc box set of Jaws. My friend Troy got it because he worked at a used CD shop. This came in and he knew I would love it. I opened the box and it had a mint copy of the book and sealed CD. It also had folded insert. I opened it and a slip of paper fell out. I focused my eyes and I gasped. I didn’t speak for a minute or two. Troy asked me what was wrong. The paper was a clipping from a newspaper showing the now-faded memory of the Jaws (the Revenge) shark.

This was THE shark that I was supposed to see when I was a little boy. How?! This clipping made its way from Chicago, to Kansas and into a used CD shop and into my hands. I could not believe it. I took my story to Facebook. Most people clicked like but they didn’t know the impact this had on me. I was already planning to go to Martha’s Vineyard to visit some friends and they offered to show me the island. As luck would have it, I was also contacted by a stranger named Jim Bellar. I didn’t know the man or his Jaws connections. He told me who he was and offered to show me the island, and let me meet some cast and crew. I was beside myself. An unfulfilled dream of a child was now manifesting into a full blown fever dream.

I went on that trip and it was better than I ever imagined. I got to meet Alex Kintner, chatted with the author of the making-of and had lunch with the Greg Nicotero Bruce head at Sharkies. I got to hold a real Jaws tooth, got to meet the Murphy’s and hold a giant piece of the Orca hull. I will have these memories forever. Don’t ever give up on your dreams, as ludicrous as they may seem.

By Jason Deehr

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