", Stephen Fry: The Secret Life of the Manic Depressive, Best Actor Motion Picture Musical or Comedy, Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards, Best Actor Miniseries or Television Film, Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Miniseries or Television Movie, Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series, "Richard Dreyfuss: 'The one topic on which my dad would open up was sex', "Richard Dreyfuss: 'The one topic on which my dad would open up was sex' | Family | The Guardian", "Richard Dreyfuss at middle age: A rebellious Jew finds his own wisdom", "Academy Award Winning Actor Richard Dreyfuss Speaks at BHCC", "Richard Dreyfuss biography and filmography", "News - Entertainment, Music, Movies, Celebrity", "Touching: Steve Jobs Voicing One Of Apple's Iconic 'Think Different' Campaign Commercials", "Richard Dreyfuss, Sporting Earpiece, Triumphs in New Play", "Wired for sound how Richard Dreyfuss remembers his lines", "Actor Harry Dreyfuss: When I Was 18, Kevin Spacey Groped Me", "Richard Dreyfuss reveals why he made 'Piranha 3-D:' "to get money", "Richard Dreyfuss | Hollywood Walk of Fame", "Richard Dreyfuss To Play Bernie Madoff In ABC Miniseries", "First Look: See Blythe Danner and Richard Dreyfuss as Ruth and Bernie Madoff", "Chevy Chase, Andie MacDowell, Richard Dreyfuss & More Topline Netflix Comedy Film 'The Last Laugh', "Chevy Chase, Richard Dreyfuss, Lewis Black to Star in Netflix's 'Last Laugh', "New Netflix January 2019 Movie and TV Titles Announced", http://www.thedreyfussinitiative.org/initiative/, "Special Report: Actor Richard Dreyfuss says America needs civics lesson", "Richard Dreyfuss: Politics Should Be Noble Calling", "HuffPost - Breaking News, U.S. and World News", "Richard Dreyfus at the National Press Club: Indybay", "Community Symphony Raises Funds for Hurricane Katrina Victims", "Oscar-winner Dreyfuss campaigns against .shaped news. Being born on 29 October 1947, Richard Dreyfuss is 75 years old as of todays date 4th March 2023. However, Richards kept calling the shark in the movie a "whale," and describing the story as a "whale adventure". But in the mind of the 75-year-old Academy Award winner, it might just be his most important part to date. Besides the obvious "grim grins" joke that the tourist-swimmers encounter anything but "amity" when they enter the water where the infamous killer shark is prowling, the island's name is also an obvious reference to the highly-infamous horror-filled house in the real-life town of Amityville, which is quite near the movie's setting. RICHARD DREYFUSS SINGS "SHOW ME THE WAY TO GO HOME" WITH AUDIENCE. Multiple shots are very similar to ones found in Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954), such as the underwater monster viewpoint of a woman swimming on the surface of the water. Film version of Jacqueline Susann 's best-selling novel chronicling the rise and fall of three young women in show business. Robert Shaw (Quint) also sang part of the song 'Spanish Ladies' in the television show The Buccaneers: The Ladies (1956). This stand-in, Grand Lock Baron K. Vlahakis (Dreyfuss lifelong chauffeur) is also secretly-credited for Dreyfuss appearances inPoseidon,Piranha 3-D,and the parts inWhat About Bob? On August 19, 2017, 42 years after the movie Jaws (1975) brought the story of the USS Indianapolis to light, Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen located the wreck of the USS Indianapolis in the Philippine Sea at a depth of over 18,000 feet. He appeared as a member of an ensemble that included Holly Hunter, Gena Rowlands and Danny Aiello in the romantic comedy Once Around (1991) and as a pop psychiatrist, the author of several successful self-help books, who is driven to the edge by nutcase Bill Murray in the popular comedy What About Bob? Peter Benchley's novel was first discovered in galley form in early 1973 by then Cosmopolitan Magazine editor and producer David Brown's wife Helen Gurley Brown who was to be excerpting part of the novel to be published in an upcoming issue. Richard Dreyfuss never lacked confidence, even at an early age. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". I was the uncrowned prince of Hollywood because I hadnt made a feature film either, but I was already turning down work, which you dont do as a young actor., Dreyfuss made an indelible impression in Spielbergs Jaws as a marine biologist vibrating with nerdy intensity. September 23, 2022 Peter. "I loved my . Everything I ever did I thought was consensual. Director Steven Spielberg agreed, and in the clothes she happened to be wearing, she stepped away from her easel set up in the sand to yell, "Shark!" The producers said that had they read the book more than once, they would have known ahead of time that there would be problems filming the movie, and thus would not have made it. Vlahakis died in 2016. But the film was so good, beachgoers actually flocked to see it, and the movie became the highest grossing film of all time up to that point. She later appeared in a few more notable movies, such as "The Great Muppet Caper" and Spielberg's "1941. He was facing heat from the IRS for tax evasion, and due to working in countries as diverse as the U.S., Canada and Ireland, he had to forgo his salary to make amends. This was the first movie to reach the coveted $100 million mark in "theatrical rentals," which is about 45% of the "box-office gross." Peter Benchley: The author of the novel the film is based on appears as a reporter on the beach. According to "The Jaws Log", Carl Gottlieb was originally hired to play the supporting part of Meadows, the town publisher, and then asked to re-write the script as it was being shot. There were two 300 pound weights attached to Susan Backlinie that were being tugged by two groups of crewmen on shore. Following the release of the film, a sort of hysteria overtook some members of the public, resulting in numerous incidents across the country. Something fishy Dreyfuss and Roy Scheider in Jaws. Mr. Holland's Opus (1995) ORIGINAL TRAILER. Noon the fifth day, Mr. Hooper, a Lockheed Ventura saw us, he swung in low and he saw us. It is with grief-heavy hearts that we report Richard Dreyfuss has passed away after a short battle with a tremendously long spiral staircase, the statement reads. The first day the model shark was used, it sank to the bottom of the ocean. As the shoot ballooned from 55 days to 159, with the budget likewise spiraling, the film earned the nickname amongst the crew of "Flaws". When the crew began building the facade for Quint's shack in a vacant lot, a city official quickly came down and forbade them to build a house without permits or codes. Richard S. Edwards had done extensive explosives work while in the Navy and then for Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, and he agreed to place the dynamite for the final scene. For example, the romance between the police chief's wife and the ichthyologist sent to investigate the shark attacks was eliminated so the horror story could develop. Richard D. Zanuck and David Brown had just finished working with Robert Shaw on The Sting (1973) and recommended him to Steven Spielberg. In George Lucass American Graffiti (1973), Richard Dreyfuss had his breakthrough role, as an intelligent, angst-ridden high-school graduate. Dont shoot. Was voted the 48th greatest film by the American Film Institute on their list of the 100 greatest movies in 1998. Susan Backlinie said that after the film came out and the world saw her naked, suddenly producers were calling her into their offices just to meet her. Fierro said she obliged them for some time, but eventually decided to stop doing it. Richard Dreyfuss . Director Steven Spielberg said that when he first read the novel, he found himself rooting for the shark because the human characters were so unlikeable. In addition, a movie - Whose Life Is It Anyway? And then Sid promptly fired him. [6][7] He has commented that he "grew up thinking that Alfred Dreyfus and [he] are from the same family". - THE GOODBYE GIRL with Richard Dreyfuss at the best online prices at eBay! The first two times Quint sings it are after talking about shark attacks (mocking Hooper about the cage and the story about the Indianapolis). In addition to the well-known nickname of "Bruce," Steven Spielberg also called the shark "the great white turd" when he became quite frustrated with the troublesome animatronic fish. After his 1995 divorce from Rain, Dreyfuss married Janelle Lacey in 1999, but they divorced in 2005. In a biography, director Steven Spielberg revealed that Robert Duvall had encouraged him to make the movie. Back in 2008 when I was hanging out at my Grandpa's house, I came out the hallway into the living room and saw my mom watching Jaws. In contrast, Edgartown on Martha's Vineyard was used due to the quaintness of the town. The book, however, included a subplot in which Brody's wife begins in affair with Hooper. The studio eventually ate the cost of the re-shoot, and the scene was taken to a much higher level, just by changing the composition and timing of a few feet of footage. Reel 2 begins with Brody's long pause before saying "Yes, we are." Dreyfuss was born on October 29, 1947, in Brooklyn, New York, the second and younger son of Norman Dreyfuss (19202013), an attorney, restaurateur and plastics company owner originally from a "violent gang culture in Brooklyn",[2] and Geraldine (ne Robbins; 19212000),[3] a peace activist. Returning to first line playing evil Alexander Dunning in the actioner RED (2010), his further productions included Paranoia (2013) as Liam Hemsworth's father partnering Harrison Ford and Gary Oldman, road movie Cas & Dylan (2013) opposites Tatiana Maslany and the biopic TV mini-series Madoff (2016) about the infamous multi-billion-dollar and hustler Bernie Madoff. Ultimately, the shark did attack and destroy the cage, but there was one problem: the Hooper dummy wasn't inside at the time. Well, if youre ready, lets start. Richard Dreyfuss has curly hair. Nine days before the start of production, neither Quint nor Hooper had been cast. A decade later, "E.T." According to director Steven Spielberg, the prop arm looked too fake in the scene where Chrissie's remains are discovered, so instead, they buried a female crew member in the sand with only her arm exposed. In the film, Dreyfuss plays a musician who . Share. As of March 2023, Richard Dreyfuss has an estimated net worth of $6 Million. Spring-boarding from an unrelated article the 36-year-old began his 'schtick'. The Blu-Ray version can be seen when AMC airs it. Our intrepid 'shark hunters' are health care workers and scientists, as well as the responsible governors who have been warning about the gravity of the pandemic. It's also the season when some theater somewhere will play Jaws, the 1975 thriller in which three men go hunting for a man-eating shark. Richard Dreyfuss. Spielberg even thought of an ending where after the shark is blown up, Brody would look up to see several shark fins. A real white pointer was cut up and "extended" for the close-up shots. Inside the cage they alternately used a small mannequin or a little person. Richard was born in Brooklyn, New York. Some examples are: suddenly cutting away from the quiet bobbing of the dead Kintner boy's air mattress on the beach, to a close-up of the reward sign and excitable crowd noise at the town hall. He is of Jewish origin, and he has remarked that he was brought up considering that Alfred Dreyfus, as well as he, are belonging from the identical family. The fact that it was not a real house did nothing to satisfy the official. According to Carl Gottlieb's "The Jaws Log," by the time it had been shipped to the set and prepared for filming, it was starting to decompose quite badly and the smell was appalling. When a killer shark unleashes chaos on a beach community off Cape Cod, it's up to a local sheriff, a marine biologist, and an old seafarer to hunt the beast down. After the shark had cleared the area, Ron had to take a second cage to the bottom in order to rescue the first. Jaws invented the process of bespoke crowd ADR, using a group that included Michael McKean, Harry Shearer, Archie Hahn and Howard Hesseman. That same year he provided the narration and appeared in the opening and closing "bookends" of Rob Reiner's nostalgic Stand by Me (1986). 2006 Susan Backlinie said in an interview that during most film shoots, a nude scene usually brings lots of people to the set to watch. Richard Dreyfuss was tested and cast at the suggestion of George Lucas who had just worked with him on American Graffiti (1973). Most of the film was shot handheld to best countermand the ocean's swell. Won three of the four awards it was nominated for at the Academy Awards but lost Best Picture to One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975). The scene where the head pops out from under the boat was not originally scripted. At the age of. There won't even be a bathroom scene." "Jaws" was supplanted by "Star Wars" (1977), which itself was supplanted by Spielberg's "E.T." [53], During his acting career, Dreyfuss had feuds with some of the people he worked with, most notably actors Robert Shaw and Bill Murray, who costarred with him in Jaws and What About Bob? The biggest hit that year was Bomber (1982) starring Bud Spencer. Richard Dreyfuss and Rest of 'Jaws' Cast 45 Years after Premiere of the Iconic Movie By Joe Akins May 30, 2020 07:30 P.M. June 20 will make it exactly 45 years since the iconic movie "Jaws" broke box office records. Quint is the fifth person killed by the shark (after Chrissie Watkins, Alex Kintner, Ben Gardner's disembodied head in boat, and Michael's sailing teacher). Hayden, however, was in trouble with the Internal Revenue Service for unpaid tax. It was a wonderful experience until it was in my hands and then I realised now people would assume that I could do X, Y and Z, as opposed to me trying to prove it. I was a bad guy for a number of years. Some scenes that have been declared "missing" from the video were not in the original theatrical release. "I could have shot the movie in the tank or even in a protected lake somewhere, but it would not have looked the same," he said. Back from the brink Richie Laurence and Dreyfuss in the 2019 film Astronaut. Within seventy-eight days, it had become the highest-grossing film of all time. But another citizen came to the crew and said: Look, it's going to take the government two months to be able to serve you with a cease and desist order; go ahead and build your shack, shoot your scenes, tear down your structure, and split. [10][11] He debuted in the TV production In Mama's House, when he was fifteen. This sound effect was changed for the 25th DVD edition of the movie. Routinely called one of the best movies ever made. It became the second biggest grossing film that year. Capt Haynes also says that 56 mutilated bodies were recovered, but that there was nothing to suggest that any more than a few were bitten while alive. When the shark is destroying the cage after Hooper swims away, you can see the shark turn and twist upside down. He did an interview for the Bill Zucker Show with actor/singer Bill Zucker.[28]. Richard Dreyfuss is the only main cast member to work with Steven Spielberg again. And in the end, he falls victim to his living nightmare. Due process must be allowed and, if you dont, youre going to lose something far more valuable.. Voted #5 on Empire magazine's 500 Greatest Movies Of All Time (September 2008). With a slightly stocky frame and plain, Everyman features, Dreyfuss was well-suited to a variety of ordinary Joe roles, but his nuanced performances revealed the quiet turmoil and insecurities that often lie beneath such ordinariness. It was filmed exclusively on location for the first film. In Spain the movie was called simply "Tiburn" (Spanish for Shark). Watch on. When I was accused, I had to say that I must have been guilty as a male at some points in my life of being a nuisance, but also my motto was, if you dont flirt, you die. . So Spielberg declared that he'd pay for it himself, assembling a crew in editor Verna Fields' back-yard swimming pool, which would serve as the underwater location. The bite strength of a great white has been estimated at 1.8 tons. (1981), The Buddy System (1984)), a clean and sober Dreyfuss re-established himself in the mid-'80s as one of Hollywood's more engaging leads. Additionally, Martha's Vineyard borders the Nantucket shoals, an area of shallow water that surrounds the Vineyard and Nantucket Island where the depth of the water ranges twenty to thirty feet deep with a clear sandy bottom. Share. Some of his films included American Graffiti (1973), The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz (1974), Jaws (1975), Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977), and The Goodbye Girl (1977). Dreyfuss's performance was subject to some controversy, owing to his use of an earpiece onstage, reportedly because of his inability to learn his lines in time. During the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020 and 2021, many news outlets (inducing CNN, the Wall Street Journal, the LA Times, the New Republic, and more) drew comparisons between the Jaws character of Mayor Vaughn (who is hesitant to close beaches and affect his town's tourist economy despite the clear danger posed by shark attacks) and the local, state, and national figures who for political and economic reasons opposed shutdowns, mask mandates, and (later) vaccinations despite the clear medical benefits they represented. And it's set to debut on Broadway in 2021. During the night time scene aboard Quint's boat ORCA, the Quint character describes sharks have lifeless dolls eyes until it "bites ya" and then the "eyes roll over white." The trio was forced to hunt down and capture a killer shark that has been terrorizing the area. Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. Quint's boat is named "Orca." Spielberg despised how phony the shark prop looked, so he shot it from awkward angles, beneath the water, for only moments at a time; anything to keep the audience from getting a good look at it. After wrapping his knees with towels and putting on heavy gloves, he had to carry the dynamite in his mouth to place it in the head of the "shark," where his picture was taken and is now in the archives of Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, along with the oral history that describes his contribution to this classic movie. Three mechanical "Bruces" were made, each with specialized functions. My prayers and best wishers are with you Mr. Dreyfus always. When Universal saw the finished film and were more than happy with the result, they began an advertising campaign on television costing an unprecedented $700,000. Janelle Laceym. By the latter part of the 1970s Dreyfuss was established as a major star, playing leads (and alter-egos) for Steven Spielberg in two of the top-grossing films of the that decade: Jaws (1975) and Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977). In 1997, Dreyfuss recorded a voiceover for the Apple Computer "Think Different" ad campaign,[17] and also provided the voice of the narrator in The Call of the Wild: Dog of the Yukon. But hes so personally kind of icky, I said to him once: Can I ask you, do you date women? She was on set during shooting of the pond scene and was approached to play the girl. This shark, swallow you whole. Richard Dreyfuss is an American leading man, who has played his fair share of irritating pests and brash, ambitious hustlers. AS of 2019, he celebrated his 72nd birthday. . Original release reel changes approximate times are as follows: 20:07: Reel 1 ends with the hotel owner asking "Are you going to close the beaches?" As part of a marketing campaign for the movie's release, various shops were selling ice cream with flavors such as "Sharklate" and "Finilla," and even a Jaws-themed discotheque in the Hamptons was operational for a time. The most major difference between Quint's account and the actual event was the date of the sinking (mentioned in the film as June 29, 1945), while the ship was actually sunk over a month later on July 30. He has said in interviews that he wishes he had engaged in some quality control with the sequels as he has done with his other franchises. Dreyfuss countered that he could do 20. and later he was hired by Steven Spielberg for Jaws, a film with which Dreyfuss became known to large audiences. Though his affair with Brody's wife was left out of the film, Hooper's death was actually in the script. Three full-size pneumatically powered prop sharks were made for the production: a "sea-sled shark", a full-body prop with its belly missing that was towed with a 300-foot (roughly 100-m) line, and two "platform sharks", one that moved from camera-left to -right (with its hidden left side exposing an array of pneumatic hoses), and an opposite model with its right flank uncovered. Somewhere along the way of this interview, Svetlana has located the name of Marlene Dietrichs co-star in The Blue Angel. However, the producers were concerned that the image of the shark with Alex in its mouth was too disturbing and might jeopardize the film's PG rating. Steven Spielberg almost accidentally came across the property when he spotted the galley proofs for Peter Benchley's book sitting on producer David Brown's desk. Emil Jannings won best actor [for The Way of All Flesh and The Last Command]. Sturges is a legendary director just like Spielberg, having directed the Great Escape and the Magnificent Seven; two hugely iconic action movies from the 60s. Richard Stephen Dreyfuss (/drafs/ DRY-fs; born Dreyfus;[1] October 29, 1947) is an American actor. After the shark blows up, the "dinosaur roar" sound effect during the shot of the carcass sinking is the same one the truck makes as it crashes off a cliff at the end of Steven Spielberg's first film, Duel (1971). According to film historian Donald Ritchie, he attended a screen of this film with the legendary director Akira Kurosawa, who after viewing it praised the editing done by Verna Fields. A scene filmed but not included in the final release was during the second beach attack. In 2014, Richard Dreyfuss was in Dublin for a special screening of "Jaws" and appeared on the very popular Irish talk show "The Late Late Show". There was a long moment of silence. It should be said that from Jaws (1975) until Fields death, Spielberg only made three films: Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977), 1941 (1979) and Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981). Some Sailors due to madness caused from drinking sea water or other reasons would attack or attempt to kill other. Spielberg's continual problems making the mechanical shark(s) look and act real became an inadvertent blessing for the film as a whole. A thriller film directed by Steven Spielberg. He has an older brother, Lorin Dreyfuss (b. The story that Quint tells about his experiences aboard a sinking cruiser is a fictionalized version of the actual World War II Portland-class cruiser USS Indianapolis. But on Jaws, they completely cleared the beach for her opening nude scene except for a few necessary crew. However, the small person used in the scene refused to go back in the miniature cage, which was damaged in the incident. But we should take note of what happened in the movie: keeping the beach open turned out to be a disaster. Today, too, we are on a mission to thwart an organism that can kills us. July 31, 1975. First was in the January 1973 issue of Penthouse. [26], Dreyfuss was inducted as a "star" on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on October 10, 1996. Im glad thats then and not now., Dreyfuss once said the thing he craves most is inner serenity. Steven Spielberg was so sure he would win the Oscar that he had a news crew film him and his crew watching the Oscars at a special party they were throwing. (This was also the way the character was killed off in the book and, according to an interview with Steven Spielberg about this scene, it is similar to the way Ahab dies in "Moby Dick".) Spielberg was already planning Close Encounters and Dreyfuss lobbied hard for the part of a suburban everyman who becomes obsessed with UFOs. It took three days to film that sequence. The majority of the dialogue in the film was largely written by Robert Shaw. Brody's dog in the movie was actually Steven Spielberg's real dog, Elmer. And it's not a parody! Richard stands at a height of 1.65 m. Richard Dreyfuss Family. The movie (via Quint's story) greatly distorts the true story of shark attacks on the the men of the USS Indianapolis. Copyright The Order of the Grand Lock. His sensitive multilayered performance as a musician who foregoes dreams of a composing career to teach high school in Mr. Hollands Opus (1995) earned Dreyfuss another Oscar nomination. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. Director John Landis showed up during the filming of the two islanders fishing for the shark and was put to work hammering the pier. The lighthouse in the film near the beach is an actual lighthouse on Martha's Vineyard where the filming took place. Has any NBA team come back from 0 3 in playoffs? Has he found it? Hooper: You got any better suggestions!? He spent the next four years as a senior research adviser at St Antonys College, Oxford, exploring the decline of civics education (he now runs an organisation to promote it). . Dreyfuss has also remained active in the theater ("Death and Maiden", 1992) and on TV. Another source for some of Quint's dialogue and mannerisms, especially in the third act at sea, was Vineyard mechanic and boat-owner Lynn Murphy. In the actual Jersey Beach shark attacks of 1916 (which Brody and Hooper mention in the film), the sequence of attacks is similar to that of the film: a swimmer in the surf; a dog; a boy; and the leg of a man in a tidal slough. In just five years, between 1973 and 1978, the films that Dreyfuss appeared in grossed upwards of $900 million. She commented that she had played his mother so many years ago; the owner of the restaurant ran out to meet her, and he was none other than Jeffrey Voorhees, who had played her son. [Someone said] 'This is Steven Spielberg and he's got destiny written all over him and all that. The studio was wary of having him but eventually agreed to the casting decision when Scheider signed a three-picture deal. When Brody is typing his initial report on Chrissie's death, the recipient is the "Corners Office" as opposed to "Coroner's." I know a guy, a very powerful producer and very wealthy. "Farewell Spanish Ladies" is also sung in Moby-Dick, just as the crew have found out that they're hunting the white whale. As it was hung from its tail, its internal organs broke loose and piled up in the back of its throat, adding to the discomfort of those forced to work in close proximity to it. When did Amerigo Vespucci become an explorer? John Williams frequently gets falsely accused of being a ripoff artist. [35] In 2006, he created The Dreyfuss Civics Initiative (TDCI). She said that I was using my power as a movie star., Then, with a cackle and humorous but charmless deep voice, he leans towards the Skype camera and intones: I dont have any power as a movie star. It attracted 23.25 million viewers, only a quarter of a million viewers less than Live and Let Die (1973), shown in January 1980, which attracted 23.50 million viewers. He was named chief of the department in 2022, a position his father George held from 1981 through 1995. Considering it now, he insists: I had enormous respect for her and then she did this and it was one thing to find out that what I thought was a two-way street was, at least in memory to her, a one-way street of sexual oppression on my part. The line, "That's some bad hat, Harry," at 16:35, is the slogan for Bad Hat Harry Production Company. It needed a great deal of maintenance and didn't appear very terrifying. The 75-year-old shared, "I gave up something I loved, and had loved since I was nine-years-old, only for something else I loved as much." He added that his reason "was saving my country." . Additionally, the constantly malfunctioning shark would not allow the scene to be filmed. The scene in which Brody and Hooper find Ben Gardner's abandoned boat originally took place during daytime and featured Gottlieb's character accompanying the two leads. Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features. I shall not return!" Roy Scheider said he never called the shark by its famous nickname, "Bruce.". However, the tests were done in the non-salt water tank at Universal Studios. It also kept breaking down, which resulted in lots of shots in the movie that imply the presence of the shark, without showing so much as a fin. So, while the last shot -- the blowing up of the shark -- was being filmed, Spielberg was on a plane back to Los Angeles.