How JAWS became (possibly) my favorite birthday present ever!
You can catch The Shark Is Broken from 25th July 2023 at the Golden Theater, New York, NYC.
Hello, Islanders!
I turned 15 on September 16, 1975. My dad asked if I wanted to do anything special and I told him that I had seen television commercials for a new movie that looked really good and I would like to see it. That movie was Dog Day Afternoon.
Some background. We had moved to Florida shortly after my first year of high school. While waiting for my father to finalize the move I stayed with my grandfather, who lived in St. Petersburg, about a 15-minute bicycle ride to the beach. I had a great time that summer, dividing my time between swimming, fishing, and playing a lot of miniature golf. Occasionally when I swam out a little far someone would say to me, “watch out kid, or Jaws will get you,” followed by a hearty laugh. Having no idea what he was talking about, I would smile politely and swim away.
Sunday, September 21st. Having no interest in seeing Dog Day Afternoon (my father was more of a Clint Eastwood/Steve McQueen/John Wayne kind of guy. Oh, and he loved the Bond films), my dad dropped me off at the University Mall in Tampa, with the plan for us to go to dinner after the movie. Clutching a $5.00 bill ($2.00 for the ticket, $2.00 for snacks and money left over.) I approached the box office and met the gaze of the young woman standing behind the glass. “One for Dog Day Afternoon please.” The woman leaned into the microphone in front of her and said, “Dog Day Afternoon is rated “R,” you need to have an adult with you.”
As my father had already driven off, and as cell phones were still eight years away, I stood there with what I can only assume was a sad look on my face. Sensing this, the woman uttered the five words that would change my life forever - ”Have you seen JAWS yet?”
One hundred and twenty-four minutes later, I was, excuse the pun, hooked. Up until then the majority of my moviegoing experience was with my parents, normally sitting in the backseat of the car at the drive-in, falling asleep before the second feature began. Apart from school trips, where I saw 1776 and, oddly, Mary Poppins, I had seen a total of three movies without parental accompaniment in a theatre: Jesus Christ Superstar, Tales from the Crypt and Billy Jack, the latter an underground hit that had everyone at school trying to use their right foot to wop each other on the left side of their faces. It sounds much easier than it is.
I sat in the dark as the lights dimmed. Then, an ominous sound, growing faster and louder. I scooted up in my chair. I would spend the rest of the film literally sitting on the edge of my seat, hardly moving. Except for when Ben Gardner’s head popped out. I’m pretty sure I showered people five rows back with my popcorn. I remember leaning forward during the shark’s last charge and joining the audience in thundering applause as Brody dispatched the shark to an explosive, watery grave.
When my dad picked me up, he asked me how the movie was. I began what has been a 48-year dissertation on the greatest film that has ever been made. I was obsessed. I rushed out and bought the soundtrack album, even though we didn’t have a record player (I borrowed a neighbor’s portable). I was a boy on a mission, asking everyone one I met the same question the girl in the box office had asked me – “Have you seen JAWS yet?” As the years progressed, so did the melding of JAWS with my life. From collecting memorabilia to running fan clubs, from writing books to co-hosting JAWS themed events. Heck, I’m writing this on a website that has the word JAWS in its name. The film has become an integral part of my life and I hope, in some small way, I have become a small part of the film’s enduring legacy. I can’t think of any higher honor.
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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