Forty years ago this summer I graduated from high school, I was working at the candy and nut counter at Sears at the local mall, and I spent my summer anticipating just what life at the University of Illinois would be like. I also met my newborn nephew for the first time, and changed my first diaper.
I’d never so much as dipped a toe in the ocean, and Lake Michigan was the biggest body of water I’d ever seen or swam in. But, like a gazillion other people that summer, I was terrified and mesmerized by a Great White Shark.
Ahh, the summer of 1975.
I saw Jaws at a movie theater in downtown Chicago with my high school girlfriend. It was quite the exotic date for us back then. I can still hear the collective gasp and see the simultaneous physical recoil of the entire audience when the disfigured head of an ill-fated fisherman floated down right in front of Richard Dreyfus’ character.
And I pretty much have never tired of it. It’s a running joke in our household: “Jaws is on!” I’ll say. Beth will then say “I’ll see you later.”
I cannot get enough of that movie. And I’ve been fascinated by sharks ever since seeing Jaws in 1975. Gus, Beth and I lived on the oceanfront in North Carolina in the 1990s and though I spent hours gazing at the sea, I never saw a shark. I knew they were out there, though. My fear didn’t keep me from swimming in the ocean and body surfing, though I would get a shudder from time to time thinking about a big one maybe swimming around out there.
My other lifetime fascination and terror — since childhood — has been tornadoes. I’ve had a recurring nightmare where I’m
being chased by a tornado that I just can’t shake. As with sharks, I have this deep fear but also this perverse desire to see one, for real. (I promise, though, I had nothing to do with Sharknado.)
Back to Jaws. I was thrilled to read this the other day. On the 40th anniversary of its release, Jaws is going to be shown in movie theaters across the country, including here in Chicago.
And I’m going to party like its 1975.
We’re gonna need a bigger blog!!
I think they show it regularly in Cape Cod, at least in summer. I also love the story of how the mechanical shark’s demise made the movie!
Yeah I remember reading all about the mechanical shark–I think it was named Bruce?
dunn…dunn…ho…hum. I can only be grateful you didn’t call it the greatest movie ever made.
Well, Brad, it goes without saying:)
Mike, you will be ashamed of me when you discover that I have never seen the movie “Jaws” in its entirety. The craze completely passed my by, except for an essay I wrote about the novel in a young adult literature class I took at U of I. I remember my take on the novel was something along the lines of the fact that all the people killed by the Great White had been doing something wrong or just being bratty, like the kid in the surf. Anyway, maybe I will have to see it this summer properly, in a movie theater. I admit I’m frightened by the thought!
More about Bruce and how Jaws was the first summer blockbuster.
http://mentalfloss.com/article/31105/how-steven-spielbergs-malfunctioning-sharks-transformed-movie-business
Jaws was AWESOME. Sharknado was so dumb, it was AWESOME. I remember how much you love the word AWESOME, so I thought I’d let you know….I have both movies if you ever want to borrow them.
Awesome! 😉
SB loves that movie too, maybe you guys need to have a date. I clearly remember being totally mesmerized as well, one of the things I remember is me and my friends screaming every time one of those yellow tubs popped up out of the water…..
Also clearly remember going to a movie studio ride in California at about age 18 and when the shark (Bruce) comes up out of the water on the ride the grown man next to me grabbed me and screamed bloody murder.
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