“Jaws” 50 Years Later: Debunking the Myths

By Matt Neufeld
The Washington Film Institute
June 20, 2025

The movie “Jaws,” based on the 1974 hit book of the same name by Peter Benchley, with a screenplay written by Carl Gottlieb and Benchley, and directed by a 26-year-old Steven Spielberg, is 50 years old today, Friday, June 20, 2025, as the movie was indeed released on June 20, 1975.

So much has been written about “Jaws” during the last half-century—-and the last few weeks, for gawd’s sake—-it’s interesting to note that despite the barrage of prose, there remains an array of myths and semi-myths still associated with the film. So, in honor of “Jaws'” fiftieth anniversary, let’s just debunk a few of those myths.

Oh, and none of this is meant to take anything away from the fact that “Jaws” is, yes indeed, simply a great film on every level, entirely worthy of all the accolades rendered on the film during the last fifty years.

But, those myths and semi-myths…

First, some type of mystical groupthink spell, or hex, has taken over some film writers’ minds causing them to somehow think that “Jaws”—-which was released in 1975—-was the first movie, in general, to make a lot of money at the box office, and that “Jaws”—-which, as a reminder, was released in 1975—-was somehow the first movie to make a huge amount of money during a summer release schedule.

Let’s be clear, absolutely clear, 100 percent clear, factually clear: “Jaws”—-which was released in 1975—-was not the first movie in movie history to make a lot of money at the box office, and “Jaws”—-released in 1975—-was not the first movie in film history to make a lot of money at the box office during a summer release schedule.

Whew. Thank you. That felt good. So you can indeed promptly disregard every inaccurate, misguided fluff article that you’ve read during the last few weeks.

Of course, there have been hundreds, if not thousands, of movies that were hugely-successful at the box office and subsequently became pop culture phenomenons long before “Jaws.” There have been hugely-successful films at the box office since literally the very start of the film industry. “Gone With the Wind” was a huge box office and pop culture phenomenon—and that little movie was released in 1939—-thirty-six years before “Jaws.” And in just the decade before “Jaws” was released—-in 1975—- Robert Wise’s brilliant “The Sound of Music” was a huge box office success and cultural phenomenon in 1965; Francis Ford Coppola’s brilliant “The Godfather” hit the same marks in 1972; and William Friedkin’s brilliant “The Exorcist” also hit the same marks in 1973—-just to name only a few out of hundreds, if not thousands, of hugely-successful winter, spring, fall and summer movies released before 1975.

And, of course, to be clear, there have been hundreds, if not thousands, of movies that just happened to be released in May June, July and August that were financial successes, critical successes and popular culture successes before 1975.

But, really, deep down, in those areas of the brain where true reason, intelligence and common sense reside, admit it: You already knew this, right? Of course you did.

Myth number two has equally been overtaken by certain groupthink inaccuracies, but on a bit of a smaller level. But certain myths still exist in some peoples’ minds regarding this one: The authorship of the famous speech by Quint about Quint’s experience surviving the torpedoing and sinking of the USS Indianapolis during World War II.

There are as many claims about who wrote what and when regarding that one monologue as, well, there are grains of sand, or so it seems. The various stories about this one monologue all overlap, and they all contain several of the same elements, but despite varying tales by varying participants, witnesses and observers, it’s best to rely on the most accurate, subjective and clear-minded account of original screenwriter Carl Gottlieb. And two of the best accounts from Gottlieb come from his book, “The Jaws Log,” and from an in-depth interview that he gave to The Hollywood Reporter in 2022.

In The Hollywood Reporter story, Gottlieb notes that screenwriter and playwright Howard Sackler came up with the basic backstory idea for the USS Indianapolis speech and that Sackler wrote an initial version. Gottlieb says that from that initial submission, Spielberg then asked several people, included Robert Zemeckis, Bob Gale and John Milius, to take a shot at writing, editing, improving and adding to the speech.

Gottlieb says that there were subsequently “10 versions of that speech,” including one by himself. Gottlieb says that actor Robert Shaw, who memorably played Quint and who was also a novelist and playwright, was given the various versions and then wrote his own, final version. Shaw performed his version for Spielberg and other crew members at dinner one night, and Spielberg said, “That’s what we’re shooting,” according to what Gottlieb told the Reporter.

In the end, of course, that incredible moment, scene and few minutes of screen magic ended up being the best scene in the entire film. Look at how naturally, yet emotionally, intensely and powerfully, Shaw as Quint delivers the terrifying story, and look at the terrified, startled and intense emotional responses from actors Richard Dreyfuss as Marine biologist Hooper and Roy Scheider as Amity police chief Brody, respectively, as they listen to the story. Despite everything great that occurs in “Jaws,” the USS Indianapolis monologue stands as the best scene in the movie.

Thirdly, it’s often reported that Roy Scheider “ad-libbed,” or said in the spur of the moment, off-script, solely from himself, the famous line, “You’re gonna need a bigger boat” right after he sees the shark while scooping out chum off the boat. Well, there’s more to that story than simply an improved line.

In a 2016 interview, also with The Hollywood Reporter, which is referenced in a subsequent 2024 article about this line in SlashFilm, a film industry website, Gottlieb notes that Scheider’s line did not just spring out of his mind in a quick-flash moment. As it turns out, that specific line, “You’re gonna need a bigger boat,” was adopted by cast and crew on the set of “Jaws” during filming as a catchphrase for the various problems that plagued the making of the film. So that line had actually been said, repeatedly, on the set of “Jaws” numerous times by numerous people before Scheider said it in that scene.

That’s a bit different than just saying, without the proper background and context, that Scheider ad-libbed the line off the top of his head in the spur of the moment while filming a scene. The truth is, according to Gottlieb, that Scheider had heard the line on the set many times before that one filmed scene.

Finally, there’s the ongoing story that Dreyfuss and Shaw had a “feud” on the set of “Jaws” during filming. In a May, 2024, interview with USA Today, Dreyfuss said this feud never happened.

However, in another, separate video interview, Dreyfus says, on camera, that on the way to the set during filming, Shaw would change, become seemingly possessed , change his personality, and become combative, angry and difficult with Dreyfuss. And in that same video, Gottlieb and Spielberg give details supporting an ongoing feud between Dreyfuss and Shaw on the set. Spielberg says that one time during filming, Shaw was drinking some bourbon and he asked Dreyfuss to help him. Dreyfuss promptly took Shaw’s glass of bourbon outbreak of Shaw’s hand and threw it out the window, Spielberg says. “That was the shot heard ’round the world,” Spielberg says. Dreyfus then says that during another scene, Shaw stood off-camera and sprayed a fire hose directly at Dreyfuss and his face during the actual shooting of the scene.

The verdict? Despite Dreyfuss’s cloudy, conflicting denials and cloudy, conflicting stories and bolstered by stories by Gottlieb and Spielberg and others that there was indeed a feud between Shaw and Dreyfuss on the set, the ruling is—-there was most likely, according to most stories and accounts from on-set participants, witnesses and observers—-including stories by Dreyfuss himself—there was indeed a feud between Robert Shaw and Richard Dreyfuss during the filming of “Jaws.”

So there you go, a little film history journalistic housekeeping on the fiftieth anniversary of the release of “Jaws” fifty years ago.

Have a great summer, and have fun at the beach! Remember, when you go in the water—-keep your eyes and ears open and alert. As these stories show, you just never know what lurks beneath the waves.

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