JAWSFest: Fan explains why past events lacked proper bite and what JAWS 50 needs to do better

Hello, Islanders!

With JAWS 50 hopefully looming on the horizon, I thought I’d look back at the two previous official JAWS celebrations held on Martha’s Vineyard. I use the word official because every year, groups of fans, small and large, often meet up on the JAWS Mecca to take in the beauty that is Amity.

JAWSFest June 3-5, 2005

To celebrate the 30th Anniversary of JAWS, Universal and the Martha’s Vineyard Chamber of Commerce co-sponsored an event unlike any other ever held on the Island, the aptly named JAWSFest. A three day celebration featuring everything from informative panels with the cast and crew to an Amity Ball and clambake, there were plenty of opportunities for fans from all over the world to get together and say hello.

I was very fortunate to share the same log cabin that Steven Spielberg lived in during the production of Jaws in 1974. Our group consisted of fans from not only various parts of the United States but the United Kingdom and Australia. I was assigned the loft of the cabin, a spacious area which also had it’s own toilet. The loft is where Rick Fields, the son of film editor Verna Fields, stayed. While taking a tour of the cabin, Carl Gottlieb called Rick Fields and exclaimed, “Ricky, guess where I am?” Carl also pointed out a small writing desk in the living room. He declared that it was the same desk on which his typewriter had sat while he worked nightly on the script. For the rest of the weekend, those of us staying in the cabin tried to devise a way to smuggle the desk home! Once word spread that we had rented the “Spielberg Cabin,” our little house became the place to be, with countless fans stopping by to take a tour and a couple of photos. I can tell you it was pretty cool to get up every morning and take a shower, knowing that 31 years earlier Steven Spielberg was standing in the same place.

JAWSFest boasted some amazing guests, including author Peter Benchley, Carl Gottlieb, Joe Alves, Jeff Kramer, Susan Backlinie, Jay Mello, and locals Jeffrey Voorhees, Lee Fiero and Belle McDonald. Even Marc Gilpin, who played Sean Brody in Jaws 2, was there. Roy Scheider was planning to attend but took ill shortly before the event. Fans turned out in droves to attend both Joe Alves panel at the Old Whaling Church in Edgartown as well as to hear Peter Benchley speak at the Tabernacle in Oak Bluffs. Benchley was genuinely amazed at the phenomenon he had created, telling the audience that he was “surprised (Jaws) still has any resonance at all.” Some of his surprise may have come from seeing the multitude of fans on the Island. My understanding is that the Chamber expected 500 fans and was shocked when over 3,000 showed up. This would be one of the last times Benchley addressed JAWS fans, sadly passing away in February 2006.

Friday evening was capped off with an outdoor screening of the film for more than a thousand people at Owen Park in Vineyard Haven. Those who arrived early not only were greeted by guitarist Michael Haydn’s strumming but also received a special beach towel, provided by Universal. Celebrity guests were introduced to the crowd and the film opened with a special greeting from Steven Spielberg. Again, on a personal note, it was at this screening that I first met Lou Pisano, who would later work with me on the book “Jaws 2: the Making of the Hollywood Sequel.”

Saturday was a day spent finally meeting and greeting friends that had been made on-line. It was also a day to explore the various film sites and get autographs from the celebrity guests. Autographs were free, which was a nice plus. That morning, while eating breakfast at the Edgartown Diner, my best friend Matt and I spotted Jeff Kramer walk in with a friend and sit down. We promptly told our server to make sure we got his check. That night, after the Amity Ball, the cabin was packed with new friends who stopped by to get a gander at the now infamous cabin! At 2:00 a.m. Greg Nicotero shared a DVD featuring his make up effects for the upcoming film “Land of the Dead.”

Sunday morning came early as many scurried off to view the display of props before the afternoon clambake. Then most said their goodbyes and headed for the ferry and then home.

What had occurred over the weekend was nothing short of amazing. Lifelong friendships were made and ideas shared. It was at the log cabin on Saturday night that Jim Beller first shared with me his book idea; an idea that would become, in 2011, the amazing coffee table book “JAWS: Memories from Martha’s Vineyard.” It was also where I was pulled into action to assist with interviews for the great documentary The Shark is Still Working. I finally got to meet author Edith Blake in person at the cabin. And, finally, it was over the weekend that I met Mike Gencarelli, who has been my partner in the Entertainment Web Site Media Mikes.com, which we launched in February 2010.

JAWSFest: The Tribute August 9-11, 2012

It sounded so good on paper.

However, what was promised and what was delivered were two different things when fans descended on Martha’s Vineyard in August 2012. If it seems odd to celebrate a film’s 37th Anniversary, you have to know that 2012 was the 100th Anniversary of Universal Pictures. They were highlighting several of their classic films, with JAWS being one of them. Partnering again with the Martha’s Vineyard Chamber of Commerce, Universal again sponsored several events over the weekend.

To be fair, I’m going to list both what I liked about the event and what I didn’t. Also, to give full transparency, I will note here that I was at the event as both a VIP and a member of the media. I did not have to pay for any of the events I attended. Let’s begin.

PROS

As with the 2005 event, it was great coming face to face with people you had known for years thanks to the World Wide Web. It was wonderful rekindling friendships made in 2005 as well as striking up new ones.

There was an amazing display of art and memorabilia set up at the Fisher House. From Roy Scheider’s script notebook to amazing sculptures, including a brilliant diorama featuring the three stars at the back of the ORCA created by Greg Nicotero. Nicotero had previously created the replica shark head featured at the 2005 event but that creation paled in comparison to this masterpiece.

More great panels, including “The Women of JAWS,” which put a spotlight on the impact of the female members of the cast and crew.

Autographs. If you love collecting autographs (and who doesn’t?) there were plenty of opportunities to meet and greet with your favorite members of the cast and crew from the film. This time around there was an autograph fee. I never have an issue with paying a fee. For some, it is a major part of the income. I’ve watched Richard Dreyfuss, and others, sign autographs for hours on end and believe me, it’s not easy.

Shark Preservation. All over the Island you could find ways to donate to causes that help preserve the shark population in the world.

Back Door Doughnuts. Not part of the event, per se, but oh so good. Especially late at night when they come out of the oven.

CONS

The event was held in August, normally the most expensive time on the Island. Like the fictional Amity, Martha’s Vineyard needs summer dollars. As spring turns into summer, the price of everything, especially rental properties (hotels and houses) goes up. After the 4th of July, the prices remain at their highest until Labor Day. Also, it didn’t feel like “Amity.” In 2005, businesses that had been on the Island during filming proudly displayed their signs – “Band of Amity,” “Amity Hardware.” Also, the Amity Town Hall sign hung outside the town hall in 2005. Not in 2012.

Organizationally, there didn’t seem to be a lot of planning for the small things. There was a scheduled outdoor event on Saturday, but no one was tasked with setting up seating the night before. At 11:00 pm Friday night, I received a phone call from the promoter asking me if I could round up a few fans to show up early the next morning to set up seats. I tracked down a few volunteers but the threat of rain the next morning moved the event to the Whaling Church in Edgartown. On Friday afternoon my wife and I were shopping and walked into a shop where both Jeff Kramer and Susan Backlinie were signing autographs. When their allotted time ended, they were dismayed to learn that not only had no one been dispatched to bring them back to Edgartown but that there was no one available. We quickly offered them a lift back, stopping at a little food shack in Menemsha for lunch. Yes, once again, I bought Jeff Kramer a meal! What made the lunch memorable, besides the conversation, was that the food place was right next to where Quint’s shack had been built.

There were also some things promoted for the event that never happened, including the following events from the press release:

JAWS© TRIBUTE: A multimedia tribute to Peter Benchley, Roy Scheider, Robert Shaw and members of cast and crew who have passed.

This was to take place before the outdoor Sunday evening screening of the film. It did not. From an article I wrote for Media Mikes after the event:

Again, from a fan, “there were two guys playing some weird instruments and a poet laureate from the Island read a poem about sharks and Wendy Benchley spoke for two minutes. No “tribute” whatsoever.”

Fans had been told that Robert Shaw’s widow and his children, as well as Roy Scheider’s widow, would be in attendance for the weekend. In the end, the only family member that attended was Shaw’s sister, Joanna.

SHARK IN THE PARK: An all-American afternoon of fun and surprises in collaboration with the MV Sharks baseball team.

This was something that I was involved with. Roy Scheider loved playing softball and I had set up a charity softball game between fans and the Martha’s Vineyard Sharks baseball team, with all donations going to the American Cancer Society. Fans from literally all over the world who asked if they could play brought their mitts with them to the Island. Sadly, the game was never played.

To me, this was a culmination of everything that could go wrong doing so. The event had sold various wristbands to fans, covering everything from attendance to an event for $20 to a $295 VIP gold band that included several perks, including preferred seating at the outdoor screening. However, as people began showing up, those with the gold wristbands realized that many of the people around them had not purchased the VIP package. The following is another except from my Media Mikes article about the event:

“I feel so bad for people who paid for the gold bracelets,” said one fan. “People with red bracelets got into things meant for gold bracelets, people with no bracelets got into things meant for people with bracelets period. Things were sold at outrageous prices and then just handed out for free on the same day. I’m pretty sure my $50 red bracelet wasn’t worth the free keychain (that wasn’t even like…given to us… we had to go find them) and the foam fin hat that Discovery channel pushed at us.” Said another, “gold bracelets basically got nothing for their money. I had an absolutely amazing time, but it had nothing to do with “JawsFest.” If anything, it was in spite of it. The screening was a disasterJust seems like everything was very disorganized and very poorly laid out. You want to say, ‘Well it was a labor of love, they did what they could.’ Then you realize people were dropping hundreds of dollars on bracelets and then the sympathy goes out the window. It’s not hard. Clearly define what you get for the bracelets and then make sure people get it. One worker said gold (bracelets) got free bags. Another worker said they didn’t but got a special bag. A third worker said the special bags were for special bracelets above gold. No one had a clue what you got, and the answer was really nothing. Red bracelets got a free key chain bottle opener that can’t open bottles. That’s it. $50 for a $1 key chain? You could say they got to see the movie in the park, but IT WAS IN THE PARK and I was sitting next to people without bracelets.”

Other fans reported that, eventually, a worker went through the crowd and tossed gold bracelets into the crowd, apparently thinking this would appease those that complained.

Let me finish by saying that, even though I am criticizing some of the events that took place in 2012, overall, I had a great time with some great friends. And we all know that Amity means friendship! My hope is that, should JAWS 50 come to be, an attempt is made to under promise and over deliver. And maybe talk to the fans.

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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