Summer Of Jaws / Page Two / Wildwood Boardwalk

Everywhere you went - Jaws was there. Every store on the Boardwalk was inundated with Jaws merchandise... posters, rubber sharks, toys, magazines and t-shirts galore. The game prizes on the boardwalk also reflected the movie with stuffed sharks and just about anything they could slap an image of Jaws on. The photograph to the right shows just one of the many Boardwalk games that were offering Jaws items.

While most people were terrified to go into the water that summer, I on the other hand was right out there with my homemade shark fin doing my best to annoy my friends as well as the tourists. When I wasn't acting out the movie, I was busy compiling articles and photos for my Jaws scrapbook which I still have. Shown below are just a few of the ads I saved.

Pictured above left is a life-sized replica of Jaws being transported by Freddy Mahana of Alchecmist Studios where the shark was created. It was delivered to Duffer's Challenge Miniature Golf Course in Wildwood and served as the final hole in the course for many years. Jaws was added to the course shortly after the movie was released. Sadly the shark was removed and discarded in 2004 during renovation to the miniature golf course.

Above right is an ad for the Jaws silver pendent sold at Lippman's Jewelers in the Shore Mall.

The handout shown above was widely circulated during the summer of 75'. The 1916 incident in which four bathers were killed by a great white shark on the Jersey Shore was the basis for Benchley's terrifying novel.

Wacky Packages spoof

My only surviving Jaws T-shirt.

Mad magazine spoof

Pictured above is the original release one sheet, Sharkfacts issued by Universal Pictures and the re-release one sheet poster. This incredible image was created by advertising designer Tony Seiniger and illustrated by the artist Roger Kastel. No doubt one of the greatest poster art images in Hollywood history.

Wildwood seemed to be at its zenith in 1975 and Jaws was a perfect fit. It really did effect everyone down here and people were truly terrified to go into the water. Like so many others I went to the theatre to see Jaws over and over that wonderful summer and again when it came to the Wildwood drive-in theatre in Rio Grande. The summer of Jaws was my utopia. I will never forget that magical time of my youth.

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