This Friday marks the 50th anniversary of Steven Spielberg’s hit movie Jaws – however, its triumph wouldn’t have been attainable without Valerie Taylor and her husband Ron, pioneering underwater filmmakers and marine conservationists. They filmed all the actual great white shark sequences that complemented footage of the mechanical shark named “Bruce”.
Valerie, aged 89, living in Sydney, Australia, remembers the daring man who froze at the thought of getting into the water, the sharks that unexpectedly changed the plotline, and her efforts to rehabilitate the animal’s image after the movie left cinema-goers terrified.
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Valerie, a 89-year-old Sydney resident, reflects on the stuntman who was petrified of entering the water, the sharks that unexpectedly altered the storyline, and her attempts to redeem the animal’s reputation after the film caused widespread fear among moviegoers.
SOME FIN IN THE WATER
In my twenties, I chose to engage in the male-dominated sport of spearfishing and joined a club in Sydney. This was where I encountered some quite attractive men, among whom was my late husband Ron. Ron had an impressive skillset; he designed underwater camera housings. During the late 1950s, Movietone News would purchase black-and-white film for £25 per item. We focused our efforts on sharks as there were no other specialists in Australia at that time. With the advent of television, any content related to sharks was highly sought after. I’ve been bitten by sharks four times, but it’s not them that scare me; I have a fear of heights instead!
ACCESS HOLLYWOOD
1969 saw Ron and I cast in the film titled “Blue Water, White Death,” which catapulted us into Hollywood’s limelight. Shortly after, Richard Zanuck and David Brown, notable movie producers, presented us with a book manuscript called Jaws, proposing if we could adapt it for the big screen. Peter Benchley, the author, had masterfully penned the shark in the novel, even though great whites in reality do not actively hunt humans as depicted.
YOU’RE GOING TO NEED A SMALLER BOAT
As a film enthusiast, I had the unique opportunity to capture live shark footage off the coast of South Australia, specifically at Dangerous Reef, before the iconic “Jaws” production began. We embarked on this thrilling adventure not once, but twice, with each trip lasting a week. The shark that was intended for the movie was an impressive 24 feet in length. In comparison, our local sharks typically measure between 12 to 14 feet. To create an illusion of larger-than-life creatures, we employed a series of clever tricks: a half-sized shark-proof cage, a smaller boat, and a diminutive stuntman named Carl Rizzo, who stood at just 4ft 11in tall (an ex-jockey by profession).
THE RELUCTANT STUNTMAN
In this account, I (the narrator) was trying to help Carl learn how to dive as a stand-in for Richard Dreyfuss’s character Matt Hooper in a scene involving a shark cage. Despite our best efforts, Carl clung tightly to the rocks and showed immense reluctance, even refusing to wear his wet suit and displaying clear fear. I couldn’t help but feel empathy towards him.
As for the underwater part of the task, it was me who braved the shark-infested waters and reached out to touch the shark when Carl wouldn’t do it. The scene called for Carl to descend about 30 feet in the cage, but his fear kept him on the sidelines. Ron, our cameraman, was filming from the water and grew concerned as he saw me standing outside the cage instead of Carl.
Just then, a shark leaped over the top of the cage, breaking the steel bridle and causing chaos inside. The winch snapped off, sending the entire setup tumbling down. Had Carl been in the cage at that moment, it would have been fatal for him — his hesitation ultimately spared his life.
GOING SWIMMINGLY
As a fan, I can’t help but share my excitement about an unscripted moment that made it into the movie – the thrilling scene where the shark smashed the cage! The footage was so impressive that Universal was blown away and invited us to Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, for the remainder of filming. There, I got to meet some incredible people, including a young Steven Spielberg who was nothing short of delightful, and Roy Scheider, an insatiably curious actor who constantly asked about sharks.
BITING BACK
Upon watching Jaws for the first time, it surpassed my expectations, but I was startled by the reactions of the audience in the theater. The film seemed to portray sharks negatively due to many people apparently believing it was a real-life depiction – some members of the public appeared rather uninformed! We made numerous talk show appearances, trying to clarify that sharks do not act as they are shown in the movie. It’s just a film! You wouldn’t expect to see King Kong on the Empire State Building while visiting New York!
A JAWSOME JOURNEY
Despite its challenges, the work was exceptional, and the movie was warmly appreciated. On occasion, I display posters sent from distant lands – it’s simply astounding how people show interest. Capturing sharks wasn’t uncharted territory for us, but we were taken aback by the acclaim and admiration. After all, it’s just our everyday profession!
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2025-06-10 03:04