When 'Jaws' was filming in MA years ago the set was plagued by disaster. Here's a list
"Jaws" the Steven Spielberg classic released in 1975, filmed in Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts from May through October 1974, and went on to become one of the most enduring summer films. But it famously, almost didn't make it to the screen.
In the film, a series of shark attacks incite a disaster of epic proportions on the fictional island of Amity, aka, Martha's Vineyard.
And when it comes to film productions, "Jaws" itself could also be considered a disaster, with several things going wrong on the set.
Here's a look at some of the problems.
Bruce, the mechanical shark, often failed to work
The three mechanical sharks, nicknamed Bruce, malfunctioned frequently, and that's because the salt water in the ocean corroded the mechanics of the sharks, according to The Daily Jaws. The sharks were tested in freshwater initially, and they worked in those conditions. But the salt was another matter entirely.
"You could follow the progress of the film by the amount of radio mics there were all over the island, even if you didn't care. And you heard, 'the shark is not working, the shark is not working.' And the shark never worked," actor Richard Dreyfuss said in an interview on the Rachel Ray show.
Filming in "Jaws" in the ocean was harder than expected
Director Steven Spielberg insisted on filming "Jaws" in the actual ocean, rather than in a tank. With that, rough seas made it difficult to maintain steady shots. Heavy rain and winds damaged camera equipment and sank boats. "
"Unbeknownst to all of us, we were the first film ever to try to be made on the real ocean. No film had ever done that. So one day you heard this 'the shark is working. Repeat, the shark is working. The boat is sinking, the boat is sinking,' and I was on that boat," Dreyfuss said.
Problems with the script and budget
With so many problems with the shark and the ocean, keeping the movie on track became a challenge in itself. Vanity Fair stated that production of the movie went over schedule by 100 days, with the budget of "Jaws" increasing from $4 million to $9 million.
It wasn't just the timeline. The script was being written - and re-written - while the movie was already in production, according to Vanity Fair. The original script was so too dark so Spielberg asked Carl Gottlieb to lighten it up. But, there's wasn't enough time to finish the script before filming started.
Problems with the actors on Jaws
There was a reported feud between two of the leading actors in "Jaws," Robert Shaw and Dreyfuss, according to The Daily Jaws, which reported that Shaw drank heavily between takes and "poked fun" at Dreyfuss.
The Daily Jaws explained that "some scenes were completely unusable due to (Shaw) slurring his words or forgetting his lines."
This article originally appeared on wickedlocal.com: 'Jaws' filmed in MA 50 years ago. It was not smooth sailing. Here's why
