STEVEN SPIELBERG PLAYED ON THE JAWS SCORE

Famously, Steven Spielberg wasn’t nominated in the category of Best Director at the 1976 Academy Awards. However, he could lay claim to help Jaws win Best Original Score as he played on the score.

No, really. As well as directing the then highest grossing film of all time, a record it would hold until the release of Star Wars in 1977, Spielberg also got to briefly play on its score, composed by John Williams.

Spielberg had played clarinet in high school and had even taken the instrument to Martha’s Vineyard – perhaps helping him destress after a torturous day of limited filming die to the tides, townsfolk or Bruce the mechanical shark not working.

Being a bit rusty, Spielberg was enlisted to play to type and helped record elements of the off-key street parade band as Deputy Hendricks (Jeffrey Kramer) is telling Mayor Vaughn (Murray Hamilton) about the shark attack on Chrissie Watkins that opens the film. 

John Williams at the recording session of the score to "Jaws". This score won him the 1975 Best Score Academy Award.

John Williams proclaimed that he was perfect for the musical cameo. He said: “He added just the right amateur quality to the piece. A few measures still survive in the movie.”

Perhaps Spielberg playing clarinet in high school also explains the deleted scene of Quint (Robert Shaw) in the music store collecting piano wire putting the child off his clarinet playing. 

Steven Spielberg felt it ultimately didn’t add anything to the story, but did wind up in the extended version sometimes shown on TV in the US. It can also be seen in the delated scenes on the DVD and Blu-ray releases of the film.

Words by Dean Newman

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