Is "Daisy" JAWS shark scientist Matt Hooper's secret nickname?

Hello, Islanders!

I was in the middle of finishing my piece on the Fascinating Rhythm when a light bulb went off in my head.  I was tempted to go “squirrel” and just start rattling off things in the middle of that piece but then I decided to just do a little more research first.

In the film JAWS, prior to the Fourth of July beach panic caused by the Searles brothers and their fake fin, Brody is seen speaking into his walkie talkie - “Brody to Daisy, do you read me?  Fascinating Rhythm, do you read me?”  Hooper responds.  Later, Deputy Hendricks calls “Daisy, this is Hendricks, anything?  Thought I saw a shadow.”  Over the crackling airwaves we hear, “Hendricks, this is Daisy.  I don’t see anything here.”  The voice is garbled but it doesn’t sound like Hooper.  But is it?  Why would Brody call to Daisy but not wait for their reply before asking Hooper what he saw?   I know you’re all wondering where this theory comes from.  Wonder no more.

In the novel “Jaws,” Matt Hooper is set up on a date with a local girl named Daisy Wicker. Nothing comes of it but, when Brody is suspicious of Hooper and his wife, he questions Hooper about an afternoon when neither he nor Ellen could be reached.  Hooper replies that he was spending time with Daisy Wicker, to which Brody erupts, informing Hooper that Daisy Wicker is a lesbian.  Later that day, in the novel, Hooper is killed and when the ORCA returns to the dock, Brody is tempted to call Daisy Wicker to check out Hooper’s story but decides against it.

My thought is that, despite removing the affair between Hooper and Ellen Brody, perhaps the filmmakers thought it might be fun to have the locals set Hooper up on a date with Daisy Wicker, knowing she was a lesbian, just to see how Hooper reacts.  Maybe Hooper embellishes how the evening goes and is embarrassed when the truth is revealed.  I could see the guys closest to the situation needling Hooper by calling him “Daisy” as an inside joke.  Thoughts?

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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