When a movie becomes a massive box office blockbuster, it’s usually only a matter of time before it ends up in a theme park. This was just as true in the early days as it is now, as Jaws, a movie seen by many as the first summer blockbuster, has had a home at Universal Studios Hollywood for decades as part of the iconic Backlot Tour.
When the small version of Amity Island was built for the tour, it originally included the actual boat, the Orca, that was used in the famously troubled production. In the new documentary Jaws @ 50: The Definitive Inside Story (available next month with a Hulu or Disney+ subscription) Steven Spielberg revealed that he used to enter the boat just to sit and remember the difficult production, and sometimes he would cry. Spielberg said…
When they brought one of the boats all the way back from Martha’s Vineyard and shipped the boat, the Orca, to the Universal backlot and put it in the water right next to the Jaws ride, I used to get on my electric cart, without telling anybody, and I would sneak behind the trams so nobody could see me and I’d just sneak on board the boat and i would sit in the cabin in that little leatherette booth and I would just sit there and sometimes cry.
story of the filming of Jaws is one of the most famous in Hollywood history. The production on Martha’s Vineyard took a great deal longer and cost a great deal more than was ever intended. Spielberg revealed elsewhere in the documentary that he had a panic attack during production and had nightmares for years afterward as a result.
most successful directors of all time.
Eventually, the Orca on the Studio Tour deteriorated to the point that it needed to be removed. A replica now sits in its place. On my next trip through the Studio tour i’ll be looking at that replica and thinking about the original boat. It turns out it held even more history than we knew.