Countdown to JAWSfest

I'm counting the days until JAWSfest in Martha's Vineyard. (I'll be there to co-host a Shark Movie Geek Out at Flatbread Pizza on Friday Night's Shark After Dark.)

To get ready I've been re-watching the JAWS movies and reading Patrick Jankiewicz's excellent book JUST WHEN YOU THOUGHT IT WAS SAFE: A JAWS COMPANION.

Here are some "fun facts" that demand to be shared:

Universal had wanted Charlton Heston to play Quint.

In Peter Benchley's novel, Hooper is having an affair with Ellen Brody and he is eaten by the shark.

Mrs. Kitner's poster notes that her son Alex was killed by the shark on June 29th -- the same day Quint says the Indianapolis sank.

"You're gonna need a bigger boat" was ad-libbed by Roy Scheider.

Director Jeannot Schwarc was hired to direct JAWS 2 based on the strength of the earthquake scenes he directed in William Castle's BUG

An early draft of JAWS 3-D revealed that the shark was the same burnt-faced shark from JAWS 2. 

Actor Mark Gilpin (Sean Brody in JAWS 2) remembers his co-star Donna Wilkes: "Donna had a lot of pressure, because she's the one who had to freak out so much in the film. Donna kept to herself on JAWS 2, because she had to constantly psych herself up."

Happy Shark Week!

To celebrate SHARK WEEK, I'm sharing this link to the very special JAWS 2 graphic novelization (with an emphasis on graphic!) It's presented in full "MARVEL-COLOR"; the magazine boasts that each page was an oil-painting.  It's a real labor of love.  





Marvel's book is certainly more impressive (and more violent) than this children's JAWS 2 COLORING BOOK, which I mentioned in a previous post. 




For a lengthy exploration of all 20th century shark-media, you can check out this extensive recap of the obsessive theme-night KEVIN AND MATT GEEK OUT ABOUT SHARKS. 


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