A 1970’s Time Capsule
POP CULTURE
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The A to Z Challenge has dueling decades going on. Check out the 1980s theme from a fellow blogger HERE
Jaws, a film directed by Steven Spielberg 1975
The sounds that made you afraid to go in the water. That was the summer of 1975 and that was the talented John Williams and his orchestra. When composer John Williams first played his ominous two-note “shark theme” score for Spielberg on a piano, the director thought it was a joke. Later Spielberg would say, “The score was clearly responsible for half of the success of that movie.”
On June 20, 1975, that fear of going in the water was from the blockbuster film, JAWS. The legendary director, Steven Spielberg, brought to the screen a film that in my opinion changed everything. Even today, more than 40 years later, that infamous theme music composed by John Williams conjures up strong memories. In 1975, I was just entering my teen years and think it was one of the first movies, if not the first to have brand merchandising. I owned a pair of JAWS socks. JAWS is considered the first summer blockbuster. I remember the librarian at our local library wouldn’t let underage patrons borrow the book because of the movie photographs that were included.
Would you watch the movie in this environment?
The Alamo Drafthouse invites brave movie goers to view Steven Spielberg classic — CNN
The movie spawned a frequently reused catch phrase. You guessed it. “You’re going to need a bigger boat.” Brody’s famous line upon first encountering the shark was ad-libbed by actor Roy Scheider. At test screenings, the audience’s screams drowned out the line, so Spielberg re-edited the scene to make it more audible.
Spielberg, whose first film, “Duel,” was about a highway motorist being menaced by a mysterious tanker truck, was afraid of being typecast if he took the “Jaws” job. “Who wants to be known as a shark-and-truck director?” he complained.
A fun picture from @ClassicPics of a young Steven Spielberg on the set of “Jaws” in 1974. The fake shark whose mouth Spielberg is climbing into was nicknamed “Bruce.”
JAWS definitely made a mark on pop culture since its release in 1975.
Sometimes you just want to be a little silly
A to Z on the Music Charts
Joy to the World by Three Dog Night reached number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 on April 17, 1971 and stayed there for six weeks.
A to Z At the Movies
JAWS of course. It was the highest grossing film of 1975 and the second highest for the decade. Come back for the letter S for the highest grossing film in the decade. It’s in a galaxy nine days away.
All images in this article are in the public domain. For any YouTube clips embedded in my posts, I am not the uploader.
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