Jennifer Touchton

Nathan James Erlandson

"Relentless terror." —The Philadelphia InquirerThe classic, blockbuster thriller of man-eating terror that inspired the Steven Spielberg movie and made millions of beachgoers afraid to go into the water. Experience the thrill of helpless horror again—or for the first time!

Kirstin O'Brien

Brett Leach

David Gloer

P. Edwin Nibbles

Ash MB

Karen

Rich Regalado

Jim Woehr

André Dadi

Sully

Ambi Schmidt

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Jaws

”Duuun dun  duuun dun  dun dun dun dun dun dun BOM BOM  dun dun dun dun dun dun  doo dedoo doo dedoo dede doo dede doo dededoo.”          Has there ever been theme music used in a film more effectively than for the 1975 blockbuster movie  Jaws ? A movie so powerful that there are legions of people that have refused to go into the water  EVER AGAIN  after seeing that movie. I’m not a water person. Growing up in the landlocked Midwest I prefer to be able to see the bottom of whatever body of water I happen to be in whether it be the lakebed, seabed, ocean floor, or bathtub floor. Let's just say the chances of me ever being eaten by a shark is almost statistically impossible. I like it that way.   The town of Amity is a summer town, most of the residents have to make enough money off the tourist trade in those few short months of “fun in the sun” to survive the winters. In particular the 4th of July weekend is critical, a time when the town goes from 1000 people to 10,000 people practically overnight. But unfortunately something deadly, something very hungry is...well...         Matt Verges's version of the Jaws Poster art.    ”At first, the woman thought she had snagged her leg on a rock or a piece of floating wood. There was no initial pain, only one violent tug on her right leg. She reached down to touch her foot, treading water with her left leg to keep her head up, feeling in the blackness with her left hand. She could not find her foot. She reached higher on her leg, and then she was overcome by a rush of nausea and dizziness. Her groping fingers had found a nub of bone and tattered flesh. She knew that the warm, pulsing flow over her fingers in the chill water was her own blood. Pain and panic struck together. The woman threw her head back and screamed a guttural cry of terror.”   Peter Benchley goes on to describe in graphic detail what the fish does on the next pass. It actually made my blood run cold and has forever confirmed me in the validity of my own personal water rules.   I was surprised to discover that Peter Benchley has a literary heritage. He is the grandson of Algonquin Round Table founder Robert Benchley. They were a group of New York City writers that I’ve already marked down for further research.         (l-r) Art Samuels, Charles MacArthur, Harpo Marx, Dorothy Parker and Alexander Woollcott    ”He developed the idea of a man-eating shark terrorizing a community after reading of a fisherman catching a 4,550 pound great white shark off the coast of Long Island in 1964. He also drew some material from the tragic Jersey Shore shark attacks of 1916.”  The book stayed on the bestseller list for 44 weeks and inspired the highest grossing film of all time up to that point.          Peter Benchley and OMG it..its...him.   Politics are at issue and the struggle between Sheriff Martin Brody and the town counsel becomes a tricky balance between commerce and public safety. If the beaches close the town dies. If the beaches are open and someone else dies...well...that is a chance they feel they have to take. In the book Benchley has several subplots that further explain the special interests that are controlling the decisions made by the town counsel. These subplots were not needed in the movie version.   Brody’s wife Ellen also has a bigger role in the book. She is dissatisfied with her life. She married beneath her social set when she decided to tie herself to a police officer. She is from the country club, tennis, sailing, and spending money on frivolous bobbles class, but she misses more than the money and the clubs. She misses her people. When Matt Hooper comes to town, tall, handsome, dressed in an Izod shirt, and fashionable bell bottoms (they went a slightly different direction in the movie.) she instantly feels comfortable with him.  ”The past--like a bird long locked in a cage and suddenly released--was flying at her, swirling around her head, showering her with longing.”   It turns out Ellen even dated Matt’s much older brother David and the memories of that time of her life flood her with thoughts she’s never had before. Her infatuation with Matt creates tension between her husband and the ichthyologist. Brody suspects the worst, and with the shark in the water and the piranhas on the town counsel he doesn’t need another distraction.        https://www.facebook.com/JeffreyKeeten

1974 novel by American writer Peter Benchley

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