I recently re-watched the classic "Jaws," and in doing so decided to do one of my deep trivia dives into it. And, as luck would have it, the movie's events are set during the time around July 4th, so it matches up well with the day I'm posting this. I hope I don't have to introduce this classic movie to anyone, since it's the film that started the "summer blockbuster" concept, and is easily one of the very best "nature run amok," creature features. Anyway, it's the usual drill. The questions being asked here are the height of trivia--unimportant, often background details, of interest only to obsessives such as myself. And I'll ask the questions first, and then post the answers below, if you want to play along at home, as it were. Many SPOILERS ahead, clearly, about this nearly 50 year old movie.
Questions:
1) Who is the first character that we see bleeding?
2) What radio station are the Brodys listening to in their opening scene?
3) What number is this year's Amity regatta, held annually?
4) What is the name of the young man who's the last person to see Christine Watkins (the first victim) alive?
5) Where is this man attending college?
6) What is the name of the Amity police station's receptionist/secretary?
7) During the opening scenes, aside from parking and vehicle issues, what crime are the Amity residents complaining about to the police?
8) What dates does Chief Brody put in the Christine Watkins's report?
9) Where in Amity were Christine Watkins's remains found?
10) Co-screenwriter Carl Gottlieb plays journalist Harry Meadows in the movie. What is the name of the newspaper that he operates?
11) When Brody goes to stop the boy scouts from earning their swimming merit badges, where are they?
12) Who operates the small ferry that Brody uses to ride out into the ocean?
13) According to Harry Meadows, how, technically, can the beaches be closed?
14) What ocean creature does the Mayor say won't scare people if you yell its name, unlike a shark?
15) Who is the old bathing cap-wearing swimmer that Brody taunts with a sarcastic remark about his hat?
16) Right before Alex Kintner is killed, Sean Brody is on the beach, singing a song. What song is it?
17) A man is throwing a stick to his black dog at the same time, who notably disappears, presumably also a victim of the shark. What is the dog's name?
18) How much is the reward offered by Mrs. Kintner for killing the shark that slaughtered her son?
19) According to the reward sign, on what day was Alex killed?
20) At the town meeting, how much does Quint demand as payment for killing the shark?
21) Brody, after doing research, questions whether sharks can possibly live 2000-3000 years. Is this possible, according to experts?
22) Two men are nearly killed by the shark while fishing off a dock using a chain, a roast, and a tire. What are their names?
23) What is the name of the Amity Harbor Master? (It's written over the door to his office.)
24) According to Hooper, what parts of Christine Watkins did the shark remove and eat?
25) When Harry Meadows is discussing the story he'll run when the other shark is caught, who is the New York journalist that he says owes him a favor?
26) What odds does Hooper give that the caught tiger shark was the shark that killed Christine and Alex?
27) Hooper tells the Brodys his interest in sharks started when one attacked his boat when he was 12 years old. What kind of shark was it?
28) Hooper was scheduled to begin an 18 month research trip on a boat, which he cancels to help Brody. What was the name of this scientific vessel?
29) Aside from the license plate, what other objects are found in the tiger shark's digestive tract?
30) What time period is the Louisiana license plate from?
31) According to Hooper, what is the shark's main feeding area, using Amity landmarks?
32) What brand of fish finder does Hooper have on his boat?
33) What real life shark attack does Hooper mention?
34) What are the names of the boats that are patrolling the water off of the Amity beach, that Brody talks to over the radio?
35) In addition to the main payment for killing it, Quint also demands a per day amount of money, plus an amount of alcohol. What are these amounts?
36) When interrogated by Quint, Hooper says his boating experience is what?
37) What kind of knot does Quint demand Hooper tie, as a test?
38) Quint sings a particular song at least 3 times during the movie. What is it?
39) According to Quint's rhyming song, how long did 103 year old Mary Lee keep her virginity?
40) What does Brody use to cover up the rank odor of the chum (blood and guts) he's spreading?
41) What odd non-food item did Quint see a shark eat once?
42) What brand of beer do we see Quint drink? (He then crushes the can, prompting a silly reaction from Hooper with his styrofoam cup.)
43) How many barrels does Quint bring on the trip? (They're stacked neatly in the front of the Orca.)
44) How much does Quint estimate that the shark weighs?
45) True or False: During their exhibition, Hooper has more scars from sea creatures than Quint does.
46) According to Hooper, who broke his heart?
47) In his scar discussion, Quint mentions a wife. How many times, at least, has he been married?
48) In Quint's Indianapolis account, what kind of shark does he say was the first to attack?
49) What was the name of the ball-playing friend of Quint's from Cleveland, who Quint later realized had been bitten in half?
50) What kind of plane spotted the Indianapolis survivors, leading to their rescue?
51) How many men, including Quint, survived the Indianapolis sinking?
52) What is the Identification number of Quint's boat, the Orca? (It's clearly printed on it, and shown.)
53) After he goes down into the cage, how does Hooper plan to kill the shark?
54) At the end, Brody explodes the shark by shooting the SCUBA tank in its mouth. How many shots does this take?
55) As the dying shark sinks, we hear a roaring sound in the background, which was also used in the climatic scene of director Steven Spielberg's "Duel." What movie is this animal noise from?
56) True or False: We never see Hooper or Brody bleeding.
57) How many barrels, total, does Quint put into the shark?
58) How many people does the shark kill?
59) What U.S. state is Amity located in?
Answers:
1) Surprisingly it's not the first victim, Christine Watkins. The attack on her is rough, as she's pulled around and down, but we don't see any blood. It's actually Michael Brody, bleeding from a cut on his hand from the "dangerous" swing set.
2) WISS. Which is a real station, out of Wisconsin, so evidently used fictitiously here.
3) It's the 50th, according to the sign.
4) Cassidy. His name is never spoken, but it's listed in the credits, and in the novel.
5) Trinity, in Hartford, Connecticut. (A real school.)
6) Polly
7) Damage to their fences from the young members of the local karate school.
8) July 1st and July 2nd, 1974. It's hard to read, but evidently the 1st is the time when the victim was last seen and attacked, and the 2nd when the body was found. There are problems with this date, see the answer to Question #19.
9) The South Beach shore.
10) The Amity Gazette.
11) Avril Bay.
12) Charlie.
13) Via a civic ordinance, or a resolution by a board of selectmen.
14) A barracuda.
15) Harry.
16) "The Muffin Man."
17) Pippet.
18) $3000.00
19) June 29th. Which calls into question the July1/2 on Brody's report, which happened before Alex's death. Presumably this is a continuity error by the filmmakers. I would think Mrs. Kintner remembers the exact date her son died, and along with the events that happen, I think Christine Watkins really died on June 27th or 28th.
20) $10,000. (He says he'll find it for $3,000, but killing it will take extra.)
21) No. Obviously it's difficult to know exactly, but scientists think most sharks live about 30-40 years, and large great whites maybe 60. One species, though, the Greenland shark, has the longest lifespan of any vertebrate on Earth. Individuals have been found that reached 300-500 years!
22) Charlie and Denherder.
23) Frank Silva.
24) Her legs, her lower torso, including all of her major organs, and part of her right arm.
25) Dave Axelrod.
26) 100:1.
27) A baby thresher shark, about 4 and a half feet long.
28) The Aurora.
29) A fish head/upper body, an intact fish, and a metal can.
30) 1972-73.
31) The area between Cape Scott and South Beach.
32) It's a Lowrance.
33) The 1916 series of attacks in, and off of New Jersey.
34) The Gotcha, the Scutbucket, the Daisy, and Fascinatin' Rhythm. Also Hooper's unnamed boat.
35) $200 and a case of apricot brandy.
36) He crewed 3 transpacs, which are competition yachts for the America's Cup trials.
37) A sheepshank. Oddly, Quint doesn't even look at it to check if it's right. Also, some online sources say Hooper actually tied a trumpet knot, which if true is kind of a funny continuity error.
38) "Spanish Ladies," an old British naval song. Quint's version dates back to the 1790's or so.
39) 15 years. Reportedly this is a respectable time, for that vicinity.
40) A handkerchief soaked in Old Spice cologne.
41) A rocking chair.
42) Narragansett lager. This brewery is still active, and quite proud of this moment. You can even get replica cans from that era.
43) 5.
44) 3 tons.
45) True. Hooper has a scar on his arm from a moray eel, and one on his leg from a bull shark scrape. Quint has a leg scar from a thresher shark. Quint's other scars are human-inflicted.
46) Mary Ellen Moffit.
47) The story is about his 3rd wife, so at least 3.
48) A tiger shark.
49) Herbie Robinson.
50) A Lockheed Ventura. (This is a real life detail.)
51) 316. Which again, is the real number of survivors.
52) MS 15 LF.
53) By injecting 20 cc's of strychnine nitrate into it.
54) 6 shots.
55) The obscure dinosaur adventure flick, "The Land Unknown" (1957). Also, if you haven't seen it, check out "Duel"--it's really good.
56) False. Brody gets a cut on his head while falling in the boat. Quint even remarks about it.
57) 4. Which causes me some irritation, because it seems to be a continuity error. They shoot one into it the first day, the one with the lighting tracker on it. Then the next day they put 3 more into it in quick succession. But Quint remarks about there being 3 barrels in it, so what happened to the fourth? Since we never see the one with the light again, I guess we're supposed to think it came undone, and out of the shark at some point before they put in the later 3. Also, on the subject, the number of remaining barrels in the front of the boat changes constantly, and incorrectly, based on what's been used. I know, I know, there are mistakes in every movie, but I'm obsessive.
58) At least 4, and possibly 6. Christine Watkins, Alex Kintner, Ben Gardner, and Quint are all obviously killed by it. The lone boater in the bay loses his entire right leg, and might have bled to death, but we don't hear or see anything definitive. Also, Ben Gardner had an employee/friend with him, who's disappeared. Presumably he was also directly killed by the shark, or at least knocked into the water to drown. But the movie never mentions him.
59) It's not definite, but we can narrow it down to 3 strong possibilities. We know it's in New England, given the Brody's joking about the stereotypical New England accent that the locals have, meaning it's Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, or Connecticut. Other states are contrasted with Amity, such as New York, both the city and Long Island. When the reward seekers are gathering, Kendrick notes plates from other states, naming Rhode Island, Connecticut, and New Jersey. Vermont has no ocean coastline. Therefore, it's either Maine, New Hampshire, or Massachusetts. Other clues include Quint drinking a Massachusetts beer, and his boat id number starting with MS. Plus the film was really shot on the Massachusetts island of Martha's Vineyard. So most likely Massachusetts, followed by Maine (since it has more coastline), and then New Hampshire.
One final thought, which is probably a continuity error, or just to advance the plot. But, Mayor Vaughn refuses to close the beaches even after the attack on Ben Gardner's boat, presumably because Hooper dropped the large great white shark tooth. But what did that matter? Wasn't there tons of other evidence pointing to a shark? Ben Gardner's severed head is still on the towed-in boat, along with all the shark-inflicted damage on the boat, such as tooth marks. Admittedly part of this is because of the added scene of Gardner's head as a jump scare, but even if Gardner, and his friend/first mate, were just missing, surely the damage to his boat would be enough for a reasonable, or even unreasonable person, to close the beaches for safety.
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