JAWS: The top 5 social media discussions
You can catch The Shark Is Broken from 25th July 2023 at the Golden Theater, New York, NYC.
Hello, Islanders!
I first became a user of the World Wide Web in 1996. It was a time when AOL charged $20 an hour to surf the burgeoning web. Because I had a friend who worked for Real Sports who knew of my love of baseball (the “Os” in my screen name stands for my beloved Baltimore Orioles) I was asked to host a baseball chat room for two-hours every Wednesday night. For my time, I would receive unlimited time via AOL. I jumped at the chance.
I mention this because the discussions often got heated. Did Pete Rose bet on the game? (Yes). Is Barry Bonds a cheater? (I don’t refer to him as BarROID for nothing). As time went on I found my way to Jawsmovie.com, an internet site that introduced me to fans, and opinions, from all over the world. It was a pretty civil group, but occasionally someone would post a thought or comment that sent people into a tizzy. This has continued to grow with the introduction of Facebook and Twitter (I think they want us to call it “X” these days).
Here are the top five topics that seem to stir up the most arguments, including one that is a personal pet peeve of mine:
Coffee? Ice cream? Or coffee ice cream?
Shortly after the estuary attack, and right before Brody persuades Mayor Vaughn to hire Quint, an orderly – staring directly into the camera – wheels Michael Brody down the hall while the young boy chats with his mother. After asking his mother to brin some toy cars from home, she asks if he would like some ice cream. He replies, “coffee” to which she exclaims “COFFEE!”
I can’t begin to tell you how many people comment that they can’t believe that Ellen is going to bring her sick son a cup of coffee. He’s 10 years old!! When he asked for his cars did you think she was going to drive the family station wagon up to the hospital for Michael to play with?? He wants coffee flavored ice cream. Case closed.
The shooting stars
Next to the “should there be a remake” question (see below), this subject seems to be the one that really rubs some fans the wrong way. I have seen people just seeing the film for the first time innocently ask about the shooting stars and just be eviscerated by people.
The scene in question comes just after the shark has attacked the ORCA at night as our three heroes finish a rousing chorus of “Show Me the Way to Go Home.” As Brody checks his revolver, a streak of light crosses the screen. A few seconds later, another one goes by. The subject of the debate? Are they real?
In Laurent Bouzereau’s brilliant “The Making of JAWS” documentary, originally created for the boxed laser disc set of the film but currently available on home video, the impression is given that the stars are real. I will refer to a question that Richard Dreyfuss was once asked by a young fan who wondered if he (Dreyfuss) saw the shooting stars during the filming. Dreyfuss replied that he hadn’t seen any because, even though the scene on film takes place at night, it was shot during the day. So, my conclusion? If Steven Spielberg says they’re real, who am I to definitely say otherwise?
Did you hear? They’re remaking JAWS!
Classic films are always the subject of talks about remaking them for a new audience. This usually goes terribly wrong. In 2010, actor/comedian Tracy Morgan said, in an interview, that he would love to be in a JAWS movie. The press took that as meaning Universal was going to remake JAWS with the main characters played by African American actors, with Morgan presumably playing Hooper. No other names were given but I would think they’d want Denzel Washington to play Brody and Morgan Freeman to play Quint. But that will never happen, for one simple reason. Steven Spielberg. He is very productive of JAWSand, though he doesn’t own the rights, I think he has enough clout in Hollywood o keep people from remaking one of his films, even after he’s gone. Having said that, I always thought that, if they had to remake the film, that “Deadwood” era Ian McShane would have made a great Quint.
Why didn’t they take Hooper’s boat?
Another frequent question is why they went looking for the shark on the ORCA instead of in Hooper’s modern vessel. The short answer is that, if they did, there would be no reason for Quint to be in the film. While Hooper’s boat was pretty cool, equipped with modern tools like sonar and cameras, it wasn’t very big. You saw all of the stuff Hooper brought along on the ORCA, including the anti-shark cage. He had to have it delivered because he didn’t/couldn’t fit it on his boat. Also, do you think Quint would have stepped foot on Hooper’s boat?? In my mind the ORCA is as much an important character in the film as the three leads. It deserves it’s moments in the sun!
Honorable mentions
Before I list my personal peeve, I thought I’d mention a couple of topics that, though not as prevalent as the rest of this list, do generate the occasional debate.
If Quint is such a good hunter, why didn’t he catch the Tiger shark?
A good question. We do see Quint (on the ORCA) cruise through the harbor but my thought is that he knew the size and type of the shark being hunted and knew he couldn’t capture it alone. Besides, he values his life a lot more than three thousand bucks!
Wasn’t Mrs Kintner too old to have a 12 year old son?
Lee Fiero was 45-years old when she was hired to play Mrs. Kintner, mother of shark victim Alex. Jeff Voorhees, the young man who played Alex, was 12. Simple math tells us that “Mrs. Kintner” would have had Alex at age 33. Nothing unusual there. Another reason for the confusion is the older man who accompanies Mrs. Kintner to the dock, where she confronts Brody, slaps him and blames him for her son’s death. Many moviegoers assume the old man is Alex’s father. He isn’t. In a deleted scene, as they approach Brody, Mrs. Kintner can clearly be heard calling him “daddy.”
And now, my biggest peeve…
Calling the shark ‘JAWS’
Carl Gottlieb once told me a story about how he was outside a theatre showing JAWS 2and overheard one viewer telling another “oh man, Jaws ate a helicopter!” If I was there I would have asked “who the hell is Jaws?”
True fans, and most film buffs, know that the mechanical shark in JAWS was given the name “Bruce” by director Steven Spielberg, in honor of his attorney, Bruce Ramer. Fans often refer to the JAWS 2 shark as “Brucette,” as the shark was conceived by Dorothy Tristan as female. I’ve seen the JAWS 3D shark referred to as Brucetta on some fan sites, while the JAWS THE REVENGE shark is called Vengeance. I just call them “shark,” as in “How in the hell does the SHARK in JAWS THE REVENGE fly and roar?” Bruce. Shark. Not Jaws.
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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