'Jaws' turned 50 — and all these years later still gives Nancy Lopez 'the heebie-jeebies'
Want to feel old? The original summer blockbuster, "Jaws," turns 50 today.
For those too young to remember (stream it!), the Steven Spielberg classic stars Richard Dreyfuss as Matt Hooper, an ichthyologist (a scientist who studies fish), Robert Shaw as grizzled ship captain Quint, and Roy Scheider as Brody, the local police sheriff, who pursue the killer shark set to one of the all-time great musical scores.
Released nationwide on June 20, 1975, Jaws held the top spot at the box office for 14 weeks and became the first film to gross over $100 million.
Among those to attend: participants in the 1975 California Women's Amateur at Pebble Beach. Pat Cornett, who went on to win the title, recalled watching with a very frightened Nancy Lopez and how tournament founder Helen Lengfeld drove them to the theater in her limousine-sized Cadillac to see the shark thriller in Monterey.
'We sat in the front row and got the full force of those jaws,' Cornett said. 'Nancy didn't want us to go back to Pebble Beach along the coast. She was so scared.'
More: How 'Jaws' fans can celebrate 50th anniversary at Universal Studios Hollywood, Florida
Lopez, who grew up in New Mexico, confirmed the tale, noting that, to this day, she doesn't like swimming in dark water.
'I've got to see the bottom before I jump in,' she said. 'That movie gave me the heebie-jeebies. I was scared to death.'
Lopez wasn't alone. Happy 50th to Jaws.
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Original Unreleased JAWS Movie Poster Art — GeekTyrant
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