Son of JAWS star reveals secret Quint baseball bat theory

Shark creature feature JAWS may be getting long in the tooth, or should that be rows of teeth, after it turning 50, but five decades after it swam onto cinema screens, the Steven Spielberg directed film still has a few surprises and new theories surfacing.

This one comes courtesy of Ian Shaw, son of Quint actor Robert Shaw, and was revealed to Ross Williams from the world's number one JAWS fansite The Daily Jaws, as part of his epic 50-part interview series with famous fans and super fans of the film.

In JAWS Quint smashing the Orca’s radio with a baseball bat is one of the most unhinged - and iconic - moments in the film. But what if that bat wasn’t just a bat?

Ian - interviewed on the replica set of the Orca during the UK tour of The Shark Is Broken where he stars as his dad and was on co-writing duties with Ian Nixon - has a chilling theory that adds a surprising layer to the beloved classic of cinema: the bat might have belonged to Herbie Robinson - the doomed sailor Quint mentions in his unforgettable USS Indianapolis speech.

In the mesmerising speech, which gives us one of the most chilling moments in the movie, Quint is sat aboard the Orca with Hooper (Richard Dreyfuss) and Chief Brody (Roy Scheider) telling them about the events of the sinking of the ship, which had been torpedoed by a Japanese submarine on its return journey from delivering the bomb that would be dropped on Hiroshima.

In the scene, arguably one of the best monologues in film history which should have secured Shaw an Oscar-nomination alone, Quint talks about coming across “Herbie Robinson from Cleveland. Baseball player. Bosun’s mate” finding him lifeless, bobbing in the water, bitten in half. Ian wonders if that detail - Robinson being a ballplayer - ties into the bat we see later.

If that theory is correct, then the bat - never explained in the film - suddenly becomes more than a prop. It becomes a relic. A reminder. A ghost.

In the infamous radio-smashing scene, Quint's actions seem irrational, driven by obsession. But if the bat belonged to Herbie, it reframes everything. It becomes symbolic: a personal tether to trauma and guilt, now wielded in a desperate bid to face the shark alone - on his own terms.

No evidence supports the theory in the screenplay, or to our knowledge in anything else written about JAWS, but Ian Shaw’s insight opens a door into the emotional depth of his father’s iconic role. Whether intended or not, it adds poignancy to a story already steeped in loss.

There’s no confirmation in the script - and remember there was no USS Indianapolis speech feature in the book by Peter Benchley - but knowing how personal Robert Shaw made the role, and how much weight he gave that monologue, it fits. Ian’s theory doesn’t just add backstory, 50 years after the release of the film and 80 years after the sinking of the USS Indianapolis.

Maybe the shark wasn’t the only ghost haunting him on the Orca?

You can watch Ian’s full exclusive interview with Ross, here.

Also available to listen to on Spotify and Apple Podcasts

Words by Dean Newman

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