Welcome to 'Jaws Island'

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Labor Day — the unofficial end of summer — is almost here. And oh, what a “Jaws”-some summer it’s been. I’ve spent most of it swimming around in gobs of sound from reunions, exhibitions and other events tied to the iconic movie’s 50th anniversary.

It all started back in May when I made a reporting trip to Martha’s Vineyard — a.k.a. Amity Island. I was covering a first-of-its-kind exhibition about the small spit of land's indelible role in the making of Steven Spielberg’s watershed horror film in 1974. Curator Anna Barber and the team at the Martha’s Vineyard Museum shared their in-depth knowledge of the herculean feats pulled off by Hollywood professionals and an army of locals. At the time, I had no idea that what began as a 5-minute radio feature would spawn a three-part, deep-dive podcast.

You see, not long after that initial trip, WBUR’s podcast team asked if I’d be game to gather sound at the long-planned, island-wide “Jaws” celebration timed to the movie’s actual anniversary on June 20. As a lifelong “Jaws” fan, it was a dream assignment. But daunting too. There’s just too much to learn about the heart, blood, sweat, tears and money that went into pulling off this singular piece of cinematic art. And the journey felt personal. That’s because I actually saw “Jaws” in my hometown theater way back in the summer of 1975.

My memories are foggy — it was half a century ago, after all.  But as an adult, I’ve been communing with Steven Spielberg’s masterpiece three to four times a year. A lot of people are surprised to hear that, but on my second “Jaws” trip to the Vineyard, I quickly learned I’m not alone.

With recorder, microphone and sunscreen in hand, I boarded a ferry in Woodshole on June 19, ready to partake in something of a Woodstock for “Jaws” fans. As soon as the boat departed, I met not one, but two “Jaws” fans who, like me, saw the movie when they were young. (Probably too young.) Once on the island, two turned to three — then five — then dozens of people who also encountered the famous, bloodthirsty great white shark as kids. Often with their fathers, like me, but also with moms, big brothers and sisters, babysitters, and so on.

Many of them made this pilgrimage to New England from faraway places: the U.K., Canada, Florida, Washington. Their memories of watching “Jaws” for the first time were so vivid, I’ll admit I was a little jealous! The most hardcore fans refer to themselves as finatics — yes, FIN-atics — and they welcomed me with open arms.

I went a little bonkers bouncing around the island for four days to locations in the film, screenings and autograph signing events. I interviewed more than 50 people, and took comfort in bonding with others who didn’t simply see “Jaws” as a popcorn movie starring a big rubber shark. It was not until I was immersed in a sea of superfans that I began to comprehend the depths of their fandom. You’ll meet some finatics in the first episode of this new three-part series called “Jaws Island,” which is in podcast feeds today.

Martha’s Vineyard embraced the weekend visitors. And, as you’ll learn tomorrow in part two, the island has a complicated relationship to the movie that, in many ways, put the Vineyard on the map. Fans flock there to walk the streets in Edgartown. It really is like being on a movie set. While there, I was lucky enough to speak to production designer Joe Alves, who cast the Vineyard as Amity Island after his scouting trip in 1973. (This behind-the-scenes Hollywood legend also designed “Close Encounters of the Third Kind.”)

The final part of “Jaws Island” features fans deconstructing what makes “Jaws” a cultural and cinematic marvel — from the direction, characters, dialogue, acting, music to that big ‘ol mechanical shark known as Bruce (named after Steven Spielberg’s lawyer and designed by Alves).

In a lot of ways, the three episodes barely skim the surface of the “Jaws” universe because it’s ever-expanding. It seems there’s always something new to learn about Spielberg’s groundbreaking achievement. (Perhaps we’re gonna need a bigger podcast!)

If you’ve never experienced the glory of “Jaws” on the big screen, you can do that this weekend as it’s rereleased in theaters around the country. (WBUR film critic Sean Burns has more on that here.) Locally, the Coolidge Corner Theatre has 35mm screenings, and the New England Aquarium is showing the film in IMAX.

And, of course, we hope you’ll take a trip, through your ears, to “Jaws Island.” You can listen to part one here.