JAWS: A reflection of the Watergate scandal
Hello, Islanders!
On June 17, 1972, a group of men broke into the offices of the Democratic National Committee at the Watergate Hotel in Washington D.C. 360-miles away, in Stonington, Connecticut, author Peter Benchley is six months away from turning in the manuscript to his latest novel, “Jaws.” While these two events seem quite different, they have more in common then you may realize.
“Gate” has become a word unto itself. Freddie Mercury sang about it. Any time something is judged to have been a bad thing, the word “gate” is attached to it to make that point even clear. When the New England Patriots were investigated for videotaping their opponents practices, the resulting scandal was called “Spygate.” When the same team was suspected of lowering the air pressure in the footballs, making them easier for their team to grasp, the investigation was called “Deflategate.” To prove that I’m not just picking on those cheating Patriots, in 2018 British TV host Piers Morgan retweeted a photo of actor Daniel Craig holding his daughter in a papoose, mocking the Bond film star. The backlash aimed at Morgan was called “Papoosegate.”
Here are some similarities between Watergate and “Jaws:”
The players
Watergate: President Richard Nixon conspires with members of his inner circle to keep the truth of his involvement from the public. “Jaws:” Mayor Larry Vaughn conspires with a group of selectmen to keep the truth about the shark from the public.
The narrative
While the facts of the Watergate break-in seemed to change on an almost day-to-day basis, the script for the film was constantly being written, changing on a day-to-day basis.
The money
According to John Dean, President Nixon’s White House Counsel, one of the Watergate burglars demanded $120,000 for his silence. In JAWS, Quint demands $10,000 to silence the shark.
The press
Two Washington “Post” reporters, Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, broke the story, eventually publishing the book “All the President’s Men.” In the novel “Jaws,” it is local newspaper editor Harry Meadows who is supportive of Chief Brody and his efforts to alert the town about the shark.
More then these facts, both stories address how far someone will go to not only hide the truth but continue to keep their job. Nixon gave a speech, saying that the American people needed to know that he “was not a crook.” In the film, dealing with a public relations nightmare after the estuary attack, we see Mayor Vaughn muttering to himself, “I was acting in the town’s best interest,” as if he is practicing for a speech he knows he may have to give.
The movie
Almost two years to the day of the break-in, on June 15, 1974, the book “All the President’s Men” was published. The film rights are quickly purchased by actor/producer Robert Redford. Richard Dreyfuss has told the story that, one night while eating dinner on Martha’s Vineyard, Steven Spielberg received a phone call from Redford, asking him if he’d be interested in directing the film adaptation of “All the President’s Men.” Spielberg had been so wrapped up in the pre-production and now filming of JAWS that the first question he asked Redford was “what is it about?”
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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