PHOTOS BY VALENTINO CAPONE
It has been one heck of a summer. With the return of Jaws to the big screen this weekend, I felt the need to take a look back at the 50th Anniversary Celebration, which took place on Martha’s Vineyard from June 19-22. I was not only there as a fan. I had the amazing honor of taking part in many of the festivities.
The official Amity Homecoming Weekend kicked off on Thursday, June 19th, when the Martha’s Vineyard Museum allowed myself and my co-hosts, Nate Jones and Jane Jones Clark, to record our long running YouTube show, “Let’s Talk JAWS Live!” in front of a sold-out audience, most importantly because it was a fundraising event for the Museum. We were joined by such JAWS celebrities as Production Designer Joe Alves, actors Jeffrey Kramer, Tom Dunlop and Gary Springer, author Dennis Prince and special effects creator Kasey Erokhin. Also joining the show via the Internet was actress Gigi Vorgan. For 90 minutes, the audience had the opportunity to ask questions in an up-close and intimate setting. What those in attendance didn’t know was that a very special guest had decided to join the show. The crowd rose as one and burst into applause when Matt Hooper himself, Oscar winner Richard Dreyfuss, entered the room. Taking his place in front of the room, Dreyfuss answered questions and shared stories with Alves and Kramer. As I write this, the video of Dreyfuss’ surprise entrance has received over two million views on Tik Tok.
Friday, June 20th, the film’s official 50th Birthday, saw myself and Joe Alves, along with Dennis Prince, at Edgartown Books, which sponsored a book signing for Joe’s new biography as well as my own “FINATICS – 50 Years of JAWS.” The crowd was steady for the two hours we were there, often stretching down the street in front of the bookstore. Other authors, including Ryan Dacko (“The Book of Quint”) and Ira Marcks (“Shark Summer”) also graced the porch of the bookstore that week.
Friday also saw two major panels at the Museum. The first, “JAWS: A Deep Dive” was presented by Historian and JAWS expert Bow Van Riper. Later in the day, director Guy Masterson took fans behind the scenes of the Broadway show “The Shark is Broken,” which was scheduled to make its Vineyard debut in July.
Friday also saw the return of two classic modes of transportation to the Island. Michael Sterling, who had created his own replica of the famed ORCA, docked it along the water in Oak Bluffs, allowing fans the opportunity to take photos of the classic ship. On the land, fans were treated to Gabe DiSaverio’s replica of Chief Brody’s Amity PD 1974 Chevy Blazer.
Finally, Friday also saw the beginning of the largest non-official event of the weekend: a cast and crew meet and greet held at the Wharf Restaurant. The event, which took place on Friday, Saturday and Sunday evening, was hosted by the Wharf’s longtime manager, Jeffrey Voorhees, who is better known as shark victim Alex Kintner. As I did not attend the event I reached out to fans that had for their thoughts. While some enjoyed the experience of having the opportunity to see so many famous Jaws celebrities in the same room, others complained about ticketing issues, the confined space – one attendee wrote “packed like sardines in a hot tin can does come to mind” – while others lamented the fact that guests promoted as appearing via the internet, most notably actor and co-screenwriter Carl Gottlieb, were “inexplicably absent.” Still, many enjoyed the opportunity to meet a who’s who of Jaws alumni.
Saturday featured two more packed panels. “Growing Up with Uncle Quint,” featured author Christopher Shaw Myers, the nephew of Jaws co-star Robert Shaw. Mr. Myer’s mother, Joanna – Robert Shaw’s sister – had appeared at the 2012 JawsFest. Also speaking that day, Wendy Benchley, the wife of Jaws author Peter Benchley. Ms. Benchley not only shared stories from the set of the film but also highlighted her work highlighting global ocean conservation efforts.
Later that evening, fans gathered at the Winnetu Oceanside Resort for an outdoor screening of the film, accompanied by the Cape Symphony. The show began with an appearance by Richard Dreyfuss, who addressed the crowd prior to the screening.
Sunday was the last day and the promoters of the event saved the best for last. Panels with Joe Alves, with Dennis Prince, Hollywood makeup master Greg Nicotero, and Deputy Hendricks himself, Jeffrey Kramer, were presented to sold out audiences. The lawn of the Martha’s Vineyard Museum took on a carnival vibe as “Reunion Day,” a joint effort between the Museum and the Vineyard Gazette Media Group, welcomed fans from literally all over the world to mingle with special guests, participate in Jaws trivia games, and get autographs from the special guests in attendance. One such guest was Molly Scheider, the daughter of Chief Brody himself, the late Roy Scheider. As a young man, with Roy’s permission, I had started and ran his official fan club. It was truly an honor to meet Molly. As we said hello I surprised her with a gift – a scrapbook of photos and articles featuring her father that I had begun collecting 50 years earlier. Just the expression on her face told me I had given her something special, something I hope she passes on to her children.
As the sun set at the end of a perfect weekend I said goodbye to old friends, some I’d known for years and some I’d just met. It was that kind of weekend!
You brought me right back to it all. Thanks so much for reliving this in print.