Yankee Celebrates the 50th Anniversary of Jaws with Rare Behind-the-Scenes Photos
Robert Shaw as the shark hunter Quint on the bow pulpit of the Orca. His portrayal of the cantankerous old salt was partly inspired by Vineyard local Craig Kingsbury, who also had a small role in the film.
Photo Credit : Peter Vandermark
DUBLIN, NH (June 2, 2025) – With movie lovers around the country preparing to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the original summer blockbuster, Jaws, NewEngland.com is offering an exciting advance preview of rare behind-the-scenes photographs from Jaws that will be featured in Yankee’s July/August issue.
The images were taken July 19, 1974, by photojournalist Peter Vandermark while working for the weekly Cape Cod News. On the day Vandermark visited the Jaws production, director Steven Spielberg was filming what would become one of the movie’s most iconic sequences: The Orca is pursuing the harpooned but still fleeing shark, with shark hunter Quint on the bow with harpoon in hand.
Vandermark’s arresting black-and-white images capture not only film history in the making, but also candid moments with Spielberg and actors Richard Dreyfuss, Roy Scheider, and Robert Shaw. The photos have not been published since appearing in the Cape Cod News in 1974.
"Publishing these incredibly rare behind-the-scenes photographs from the 1974 Jaws set is a remarkable moment for Yankee,” says executive editor Ian Aldrich. “These images offer an intimate and candid look into the making of a cinematic legend, a true treasure trove for film enthusiasts, and a testament to the enduring power of this blockbuster. We are thrilled to share this piece of Jaws history with our readers."
Steven Spielberg, far left, and the Jaws crew aboard the tugboat Whitefoot, which served as the staging area for filming off the coast of Martha’s Vineyard. As the director later told Vanity Fair, “The audience would not have connected with the movie unless it looked real, and that’s why I insisted on shooting the picture on open sea in the Atlantic Ocean.”
Photo Credit: Peter Vandermark
Richard Dreyfuss and Roy Scheider singing during lunch break on the Whitefoot.
Photo Credit : Peter Vandermark
In addition to publishing the Vandermark photos, NewEngland.com is celebrating the 50th anniversary of Jaws with a collection of special content that includes:
• Favorite shark stories from Yankee’s archives, including C.J. Chivers’s 2000 classic “Shark Teeth, Pearly White” and Ian Aldrich’s 2020 profile of Dr. Greg Skomal, “The Shark Detective”
• A segment from Yankee’s public television show, Weekends with Yankee, featuring Skomal’s shark research off Cape Cod
• A look at the Jaws anniversary events and celebrations being held this month on Martha’s Vineyard, the island where it was filmed
About Yankee
Based in New Hampshire, Yankee is a multiplatform media brand that incorporates print, digital, national television, and live events to inspire a deep appreciation for New England’s unique culture, fostering a sense of pride and belonging for all who love the region's diverse communities, rich heritage, and promising future. Wherever you are, Yankee brings New England to you. With a total readership of 1.8 million, the magazine is published by Yankee Publishing Inc. (YPI), an employee-owned company. Yankee partners with GBH to produce Weekends with Yankee, a 13-episode documentary series on public television that taps into Yankee’s extensive behind-the-scenes access to the region’s six states. YPI also owns the nation’s oldest continuously produced periodical, The Old Farmer’s Almanac; Family Tree; New Hampshire Magazine; New Hampshire Home; and NH Business Review. More information about Yankee is available at newengland.com/press-contact.