The birth of 'Jaws 2: The Making Of The Hollywood Sequel'
Hello, Islanders!
Since I concentrated on Jaws 2 in previous articles, I thought I would share the, at least to me anyway, the story of how the book “Jaws 2: The Making of the Hollywood Sequel.”
July 1, 2011. I have journeyed to Martha’s Vineyard to attend the star-studded release party for Matt Taylor’s amazing book “JAWS: Memories from Martha’s Vineyard.” It was my first time on the Island since the 2005-2007 Trifecta of JAWSFest, NoFest and RestFest. As the weekend progressed I was able to say hello to many fans whose name I knew but had never met.
Michael Smith with is extnsive JAWS collection (via Michael A Smith on Facebook)
I had first met Matt Taylor at the original JawsFest, which is where the legendary Jim Beller – JimmyJaws – had mentioned to me an idea he had about a “making of” book told from the viewpoints of the residents of the Island. I was honored to be the first journalist to review the book – I loved it, naturally – and now I found myself chatting with Matt, Jim, Tom Dunlop and Lou Pisano, who I had also first met at JawsFest. A huge Jaws 2 fan, Lou asked Matt if he was going to do a similar book on Jaws 2. Matt stated that he had devoted years to the new book and had no intention of doing another. Jim Beller said, “Mike, you and Lou write. You guys should to a Jaws 2 book.” I thought he was joking. So did Tom Dunlop. For those who don’t recognize the name, Tom played Timmy in Jaws 2 and is a very accomplished author. “No one, “ Tom said, “would be interested in a book about Jaws 2. But the wheels were already in motion.
I pointed out to Tom that a lot of fans were first introduced to the film series through Jaws 2. “We could do this,” I said. Lou agreed. Tom replied, “I guess if you did like an e-book.” “No,” I said, “a real book.” Seeing that Lou and I were dead serious Tom told us that if we could show him that we were serious he would help us as much as he could.
'Jaws 2: The Making Of The Hollywood Sequel co-author Lou Pisano
The next 48 months were a blur. While Lou concentrated on researching the files of the vineyard Gazette, I tracked down as many of the cast and crew members that I could find. I even tracked down all of the original teenage actors who had been hired by original director John Hancock and then replaced when Jeannot Szwarc took over the film. As I did my research I couldn’t help but wonder how in the hell people researched anything before the invention of the Internet.
I traveled to Florida to visit some of the locations. The local Destin paper did a story on the book and soon I was inundated with emails from people that had not only worked on the film but had photos of their experience. I’d learned from one resident that the projectionist from the local movie theatre had worked on the film. When he passed, his family found a photo album, packed with behind the scenes photos. He got me permission to use the photos. The daughter of a gentleman who worked on the set also contacted me. She very graciously offered to send me copies of all of the photos her father had taken on set with him Instamatic camera. As I went through the stack of photos I froze. Am I seeing what I think I’m seeing? I was. Her father had taken photos during the filming of the unused “Bob’s Death” scene.
In Los Angeles I visited the Special Works Library at UCLA. I had learned that the library had a copy of Howard Sackler’s original script. Do you remember the opening of the television show “Get Smart?” Remember how Maxwell Smart used to walk down long corridors while doors opened and closed behind him? That’s exactly what it was like as I made my way to the library. I was only permitted to bring in a pencil and pad of paper for notes. I was also allowed to use my iPad to take a few photos of various scenes in the script. I still have them.
The book occupied most of my waking hours. Either I was talking to someone or I was transcribing what they had told me. But it was, as I often say, a labor of love. I was getting to talk with people whose work I’d admire and they all seemed genuinely pleased that I would take the time to speak with them. And, on the rare occasion when I ran into a roadblock, or had a question, Tom Dunlop was true to his word. He put me in touch with people who had been hesitant to talk. I still have emails from cast and crew who tell me “Tom Dunlop asked me to speak with you.”
I journeyed to Indiana, where I was able to meet with John Hancock and his wife, Dorothy Tristan, who had co-written the original script with Sackker, It was right around Thanksgiving 2012 and they invited me to their farm. I still cherish the few hours we spent together I was stunned at how they greeted me. Here I was, about to talk to them about what surely was one of the worse moments in their professional lives, and they greeted me like an old friend. As we sat around the kitchen table, Dorothy served fresh cookies. Another unbelievable moment.
The book was completed and turned in on June 30, 2015, four years after the idea was planted and released a few months later. It was well received by fans. It was also read by people that had worked on the film who had either declined to talk to me or I couldn’t find. They reached out on social media, intent on telling their story. I’d always known there was more to tell and these people confirmed that. In mid-2016 I reached out to my publisher and told him I wanted to expand the book to include more stories and many more photos. Thankfully he agreed and on June 16, 2018, to celebrate the 40th Anniversary of Jaws 2, a book release party was held in Destin, Florida. Not only had I convinced the publisher to release an expanded version I also convinced him to print an all color edition, which he also agreed to. The expanded edition was nominated for Book of the Year in the annual Rondo Hatton Horror Awards, an honor that was also given to the 2020 expanded reissue of Edith Blake’s “On Location – On Martha’s Vineyard: The Making of the Movie Jaws.”
Read any good books lately? 😊
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.
If you would like to write for The Daily Jaws, please visit our ‘work with us’ page
For all the latest Jaws, shark and shark movie news, follow The Daily Jaws on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.