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Search For Bruce, The <em>Jaws</em> Shark
By
Jen Carlson
Published Jun 7, 2010
Modified Jun 7, 2010
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By
Jen Carlson
Published Jun 7, 2010
Modified Jun 7, 2010
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It's shark attack season! And to get you in the mood, NPR has a great story on the shark that played Jaws in the famous 1975 movie. While Amity may have been a fictional place, some believe it to be off of New York—and in Jaws police chief Martin Brody has taken the position at the small beach town after leaving the NYPD. (And did you know the book was based on the 1916 shark attacks off the coast of the Jersey Shore?)
So, back to Bruce, the mechanical shark made for the production (there were actually 3, all named after Steven Spielberg's lawyer)—NPR recently went on the hunt for the creatures! Spielberg's spokesman, Marvin Levy, told them, "The original Bruce—or Bruces—were all destroyed. So there is no Bruce existing anywhere, nor any parts thereof." But it turns out there was a fourth Bruce, and here's some video of it at a junkyard in California (where its creator confirmed it was cast from the same mold).
Perhaps as a public art project we can get some Bruces made for the East River. Until that kind of funding comes in, however, we've contacted some agencies to find out what kind of sharks we would be most likely to see in city waters—last year this little guy was found in Brighton Beach.
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Jen Carlson
Jen Carlson is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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