JAWS: Memories from Martha's Vineyard

by Matt Taylor, Jim Beller (Photograph Compiler), Steven Spielberg (Foreword)

Benjamin Franklin Award Finalist for Interior Design (3 or More Color) Bill Fischer Award Finalist for Best First Book (Nonfiction) The filming of the blockbuster film Jaws is regarded as a landmark event in both the history of motion pictures and the quaint New England island of Martha’s Vineyard, where the geographic isolation necessitated the hiring of hundreds of locals to work as actors and laborers. Among this virtual army of hometown participants were numerous professional and amateur photographers, each with full access to the production’s inner workings—for the first time ever this compiles their behind-the-scenes photographs and stories into a treasure trove of Jaws rarities. Included are a foreword by director Steven Spielberg, interviews with production designer Joe Alves, screenwriter Carl Gottlieb, location casting director Shari Rhodes, and more, providing an unprecedented all-access pass to the creation of some of the most memorable and terrifying scenes in film history. This unique compendium is the first to focus on the production’s local participants, telling their stories at last.

Genres: Film, Nonfiction, Media Tie In, Art

296 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 2011

About the author

Matt Taylor is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts, where he studied early American History. JAWS: Memories from Martha’s Vineyard , his first publication, is the culmination of a lifelong passion for art, film, and New England history. He is a fifteenth-generation resident of Martha’s Vineyard, where he lives with his wife and children.

Reviews

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

"[Second assistant director] Barbara Bass told me one day that there are three things you try and steer clear of if you want to make a successful motion picture: kids, animals, and water. 'Jaws' had all three." -- special effects 'Jill-of-all-trades' crew member (and local resident) Susan Murphy, on page 242

Celebrating its 50th (!) anniversary this summer, director Steven Spielberg's inaugural blockbuster Jaws has long been known to have been a troubled and difficult production. However, this was not specifically in regard to performers' egos or any such nonsense, but to continual problems with the technical and location aspects. (To put it bluntly, the ****ing mechanical sharks always seemed to break down.) Slated for filming from early May until early July 1974 - to then get hell out of Dodge before the actual summer tourist season began on Independence Day - on Martha's Vineyard in Massachusetts, the filming went very much over budget AND lasted until early October 1974. Since nearly the entire film was shot on location in the coastal New England area - Universal and MGM movie studio water tanks / lakes in Hollywood were utilized for scant minutes of footage - it was well-documented by locals with their still cameras, plus a number of them ended up being often crucially involved in both supporting acting roles or the behind-the-scenes production crew. Taylor's Jaws: Memories from Martha's Vineyard is top-heavily dependent on amateur full-color photographs and recollections from said locals, although the professional film folks - such as production designer Joe Alves, who later helmed the much-maligned sequel Jaws 3 in 3-D - are also included. However, sadly absent was input from director Spielberg, composer John Williams, novelist Peter Benchley, and primary actors Roy Schneider, Richard Dreyfuss, and/or Lorraine Gary. (Co-star Robert Shaw - indelible in the role of shark hunter Quint - had passed away in 1978.) So, oddly, while this book felt like it was almost too much at times in its presentation it was also missing a certain something.

[Bill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jaws has long been one of my favourite films. Way back in the 1970s I read a book about the making of the film called The Jaws Log, which was excellent.
Jaws: Memories from Martha's Vineyard is a brillianly detailed account of how Spielberg's superb film was made. It is told in words & a wealth of rare photographs, from the viewpoint of the residents of Martha's Vineyard where almost the entire film was shot on location.
The text is highly informative & the photographs are absolutely outstanding. I loved the opening of this huge book where I read the words: You're gonna need a bigger coffee table.
Now it only remains for me to watch & enjoy the film yet again in the year of its 50th anniversary.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a lifelong Jaws fan, I’ve already read pretty extensively about the making of the film, as well as devouring any number of DVD extras and specials that I’ve ever come across. As such, it’s sometimes hard to come across new information, so I was immensely pleased to find this wrapped up for me underneath the Christmas tree.

Jaws: Memories from Martha’s Vineyard is just that – a look at the production of Jaws through the eyes of the islanders of Martha’s Vineyard, whether they be the local kids and people recruited to be on film, one of the many who were hired as carpenters and handymen, the local sailors who wrangled the many boats needed both on film and off, or the local colour who found aspects of their personality immortalised on film in the character of Quint.

Comprising big, beautifully presented photographs from the islander’s home collections, representations of memorabilia or articles from the local newspaper, and tons of interviews with the locals, there’s all sorts of information and anecdotes within that I’d never come across before, which all built a picture of the huge community effort that went in to making the film. The experiences of people like Lynn Murphy, the local responsible for a lot of the towing of Bruce (the shark) that made it on to film and the kids (particularly Jay Mello) add fresh eyes to the making of the film, and their enthusiasm for what was going on around them was particularly infectious.

There are also lots of anecdotes which don’t reflect too well on the locals, such as those who went to great lengths to gouge as much money as they could out of the movie company – especially once the production was underway and they had the filmmakers over a barrel – if I was ever thinking of holidaying there, these people would most definitely put me off.

I must admit I was surprised at just how much detail the local newspaper was allowed to print during filming, with each article detailing each scene shot in minute detail, down to the dialogue. And while it was a good thing that local reporter Edith Blake was constantly hanging, due to the amount of behind the scenes photographs collected from her for this book, I have to say that I don’t think much of her film criticism skills, what with her assessment that the final film just wasn’t very good.

Thankfully, this book is much better than Edith’s opinion of Jaws, and is a beautiful and extremely worthwhile addition to my collection.

**Also posted at Cannonball Read 11**

[Sarai · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a pretty awesome book, if you're into the making of movies or enjoyed Jaws. There are tons of cool photographs and lots of detail about the making of the film. The only thing that stopped me from giving it a full 5 stars was there was not much from the perspective of the main players - Steven Spielberg, Roy Scheider, Richard Dreyfuss. Which is probably okay as their views have been recorded in other work. This book belongs to the bit-players and behind-the-scenes folks, most dwellers of Martha's Vineyard. It's a pretty fascinating read.


Description:
The filming of the blockbuster film Jaws is regarded as a landmark event in both the history of motion pictures and the quaint New England island of Martha's Vineyard, where the geographic isolation necessitated the hiring of hundreds of locals to work as actors and laborers.

Among this virtual army of hometown participants were numerous professional and amateur photographers, each with full access to the production's inner workings--for the first time ever this compiles their behind-the-scenes photographs and stories into a treasure trove of Jaws rarities.

Included are a foreword by director Steven Spielberg, interviews with production designer Joe Alves, screenwriter Carl Gottlieb, location casting director Shari Rhodes, and more, providing an unprecedented all-access pass to the creation of some of the most memorable and terrifying scenes in film history. This unique compendium is the first to focus on the production's local participants, telling their stories at last.

[Chadwick Saxelid · Rating 5 out of 5]

This review appeared in the March 2013 issue of the Concordian.

Hard as it is to believe today, Jaws did not start off as a box office record-smashing juggernaut. No, for Universal Studios the project was treated as just another cheap B-picture production. A monster movie that, like most other monster movies, would be shot quickly and cheaply, screen at a fistful of smaller end theaters and drive-ins, and then fade away and be forgotten.

Matt Taylor’s excellent book, Jaws: Memories from Martha's Vineyard, tells how and why that did not happen. But, unlike so many other books about the making of Jaws, Taylor’s is almost entirely from the viewpoint of the many islanders that had been hired to work in front of and behind the cameras.

Because producers David Brown and Richard Zanuck, and then unknown director Steven Spielberg, wanted their fantastic film to have a very realistic look and feel to it. They picked an actual New England island to play the part of the fictional New England island of Amity. Spielberg also wanted plenty of local color in the film, so a great many locals were cast in key supporting roles.

It was also believed that the action filled shark hunt that takes place during the film’s second half would have a far more impressive visual scope to it if it were shot at sea, and not in some phony looking studio back lot water tank.

While a great idea, and a big reason the movie works as well as it does, no one involved with the production foresaw the costly delays that would result from a combination of bad weather and a mechanical shark that would sink far more often that it would swim. The “quick and cheap” production wound up being shot slowly and expensively.

Shooting began in May and was supposed to end by mid-July, but it wound up dragging all the way into early September. During all this time and chaos, the hired locals watched with amusement, amazement, and, in a few unfortunate cases, anger, as the shooting dragged on and on and on.

Everybody involved with the film, and a great many that were not, also took a great many candid photographs of the production, while they worked. So not only does Taylor’s book offer a fascinating outsiders oral history of the day to day effort to get the film finished, every page is also overflowing with never before scene photographs.

This is a breathtaking must have for any and all Jaws fans.

[Wolfgang Delgado · Rating 5 out of 5]

..the single coolest coffee table book...of ALL time...

[Richard · Rating 3 out of 5]

almost too exhaustive to the point that the film itself starts to come apart with the deluge of information. fascinating but.....just a bit too much

[Carlos · Rating 2 out of 5]

Este es un libro cuyo concepto suena mucho mejor en la teoría que en la práctica.
Salió hace muchos ayeres (en 2011) pero siempre le tuve el ojo encima, pues la película me encanta, todo mundo se deshacía en halagos hacia el autor (desde Vince Gilligan hasta Spielberg mismo) y el enfoque sonaba interesante. En vez de poner el reflector en los pesos pesados detrás del film, se trata de un recuento de las experiencias de los extras, los técnicos y la gente anónima que contribuyó a la creación de la película.
¿Por qué no ocurre eso más seguido? Bueno, este tomo me respondió la duda.
Sin querer sonar clasista, resulta que la "gente común" no tiene mucho que aportar.
La mayor parte del comentario es insulso y repetitivo. Gente que participó porque la paga era buena y el trabajo no muy complicado. Y otros que sin ninguna vergüenza reconocen que hicieron trampas o buscaron formas de exprimir la chequera de Universal.
Se entiende que la intención era dar una voz a tantos involucrados como fuera posible, pero el libro se habría beneficiado de tener 100 páginas menos, enfocándose en los comentarios con más sustancia, tales como los del diseñador Joe Alves y los isleños Lynn Murphy y su esposa Susan, que tuvieron un papel central en la realización del largometraje.
Hay una que otra curiosidad o detalles interesantes que probablemente no se encuentran en otro lugar, así como fotografías que documentan el desarrollo de la película desde el comienzo hasta el final, pero no lo recomendaría a menos que uno sea un fan de hueso colorado de Jaws (o "Tiburón").

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

In spring of 1974, a small film began shooting mostly on location in Martha's Vineyard, an island in the north east of the USA. It was being shot by a young, relatively unknown director called Steven Spielberg, but would become one of the biggest movies, called "Jaws".
As it was shot using the island and the surrounding sea for the location, many of the locals were employed as extras or crew or to help with the effects. This book is the story of the making of the film told mainly from the point of view of the locals involved with it. This gives it a very personal, intimate view, and is constructed in chronological order. It details the filming process, the problems, the schedule overruns, the way the original budget was more than doubled as a result, gives some contrasting viewpoints, and finishes with the final triumph! Hundreds of photos are included, taken by locals and crew, providing a fascinating accompaniment to the text.
This is a wonderful book, one of the best I've ever read on the making of a film.

[Kathleen McGowan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a must for any Jaws fan. I thought I knew most of the behind the scenes shenanigans but, no, there was more! There were a lot of stories that I hadn’t heard before. A lot of the stories I was hearing for the first time were from Martha’s Vineyard locals. I knew that there were some locals in the movie (Lee Fierro who played Mrs. Kintner, Jeffrey Voorhees who played Alex Kintner to name two) but, I had no idea just how many locals were involved with the film both in front of and behind the camera. This book is also packed to the gills (see what I did there 😆) with photos and, like the stories, a ton I had never seen before.
It’s amazing that this movie got off the ground and became as successful as it is considering just how much went wrong ( aside from the malfunctioning sharks 🦈 ) and the fact that the production crew really were flying by the seat of their pants.
A fascinating and enjoyable read about my favorite movie.

[Chad · Rating 5 out of 5]

A highly detailed account of making Jaws. The movie was plagued by constantly failing technology. I mean it was new at the time and they hadn't really planned on how different things are on Martha's Vineyard versus California where the oceans are much more sedate. Trying to keep 3 mechanical sharks going in salt water in 1974 was more than a little bit problematic. None of the big names like Spielberg or the 3 main actors are interviewed in this. However, tons of extras and locals working on the film are. It's really interesting and packed with little details and hundreds of behind the scenes photos.

The one thing I will say is that this is a true coffee table book. It's gigantic. And heavy. I ended up reading it at my kitchen table so I could lay it down. But it is really interesting if you're a fan of the movie that started the summer blockbuster.

[Mike · Rating 5 out of 5]

A riveting first-hand account of the shooting of one of the most iconic films ever created. The personal recollections captured bring the reader into the fold while providing a rich insight into the varying perspectives of the summer of ‘74 on the island. From the anecdotes about Pipit the dog to the tales of Robert Shaw’s drunken debauchery, the stories shared by those who were there are a true must read for any fan of Spielberg’s masterpiece. The photos are simply a joy and equally retell the story of filming. The bitterness of the islanders is beautifully sprinkled throughout the book and is an added bonus of masterful storytelling.

[Christopher Hood · Rating 5 out of 5]

For a full review see https://hoodcp.wordpress.com/2022/11/...

[C.J. Bunce · Rating 5 out of 5]

Originally published online at BORG.com.

In time for the 40th anniversary of the movie Jaws, Titan Books issued an updated edition of Jaws: Memories from Martha’s Vineyard, a rare and unusual chronicle of the making of a film. Told via photographs and interviews from the locals who helped literally make the film, from construction crews to performers tapped to play key roles in the movies, Memories offers yet another view of the making of the first modern summer blockbuster.

What differentiates this book from other works on this movie (or any other movie) is the “local” perspective. Instead of giving the standard Hollywood view of the “making of” a movie using interviews with the crew and producers as you’d normally find on the TV and Film shelf, the authors, Jaws memorabilia collectors Matt Taylor and Jim Beller, take a historical research approach. They rely on primary source material, through hundreds of hours of interviews with every islander who would speak with them, newspaper clippings from 1974, scrapbooks and photo albums that have sat on shelves for 35 years, including plenty of information never before seen by the general public. The result is a story told in photos rarely seen for any film or film franchise–something you’d only find from years of books published about Star Wars, Star Trek, and the Indiana Jones movies.

The story is told chronologically, day by day from the selection of the filming locations on Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts to pre-production and on through the wrap-up of filming. The memorabilia and ephemera pictured includes everything from the remnants of the actual boats used in the movie to the more mundane, like checks and contracts for day laborers. Yet every piece is interesting, like candid Polaroids showing Robert Shaw’s first day on set and Spielberg at the cabin he lived at during the shoot. The experience of sifting through all that remains of the production is a bit like spending a weekend at a small town local library researching any historical event from a town’s past.

The lives of the residents mimic the efforts by Peter Benchley to chronicle the people and politics of the fictitious town of Amity in his novel (previously reviewed at borg.com). Only unlike Benchley’s annoying and intransigent residents, the islanders in real life, although private, more often seem to have delved right in to participate in the production efforts.

Most astounding in Jaws: Memories from Martha’s Vineyard is the use of locals for key roles in the film. Who knew that the actress that played the grieving Mrs. Kintner–whose young son becomes the shark’s second victim–was played by local drama teacher Lee Fierro, who had to be convinced to play the role, and only if they re-wrote all her dialogue? And then there is the fellow that works with Quint, who follows him around with his dog in tow. He was a local tapped because of his own unique Northeast look and mannerisms. A foreman in charge of all the props was local, as was the manager of all the boating activity.

Taylor and Beller also include comments from art director Joe Alves and screenplay writer and actor Carl Gottlieb, and others, to fill in any missing pieces in the story, as well as a short forward by director Steven Spielberg.

A good addition to the library of any diehard Jaws movie fan, Jaws: Memories from Martha’s Vineyard is available in a new 312-page, giant-sized, revised coffee table edition.

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jaws is one of my favorite movies of all time and this was a fascinating book to read about the making of the movie. There's a ton of interesting facts and interviews with cast & crew showing just how much work went into this film. I loved that so many locals were involved in the movie and the addition of the photos throughout was a great touch.

My only complaint is that some interviews seemed a little repetitive and the book itself was physically difficult to read at times due to its coffee-table size. Some of the text and captions were also a struggle to read against the photos/backgrounds at times. I would have loved seeing this in a more readable format, though it does make an interesting Jaws collector item.

Overall I give it 3.5 for the photos, facts, and overall design of the book---I just wish it had been a little easier to physically read. A must for Jaws fans!

[Alaina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh my goodness, this book is magnificent. What an interesting perspective to use to tell the behind-the-scenes story of the making of JAWS. There are several Hollywood production people who tell their stories, but a vast majority are Martha's Vineyard locals who got involved in the movie, either as extras, speaking roles, or helping with the production, and then never did anything else ever again with movies. I honestly had no idea just how many people in the movie were locals and not professional actors, and it was so interesting reading about their experiences.

This is a gorgeous book that requires a lot more than just a casual flip-through in order to fully appreciate all the information jammed in it. This is a great addition to any JAWS lover's collection.

[Bob Logan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant! I would like to write a more formal review, but right now, I need to see the film again after reading the book!

[Charles · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book. Great pics. Read it.

[Bill Coolidge · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great read! I've read Edith Blake's book
And Carl Gottlieb's but this is the best of them all. Anexcellent companion to the new Blu-ray of "Jaws."

[Tammy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book about what went on during the filming of Jaws and what Martha's Vineyard was like.

[Geoff Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

Probably the best book about a movie ever produced- made with real love and care- a must for anyone remotely interested in this classic movie

[Helen Richards · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great addition to a Jaws fan's library