Interview by Cliff Stephenson
May 31, 2001

Just when you thought it was safe...

Admit it. Whenever you go to the beach and begin to tip your toes into the edge of the water, you just can't help but think about Jaws, can you? (Da dum ... Da dum ... Da dum ... Da dum ... Da dum.) A landmark of modern American cinema, Jaws rewrote the book on how Hollywood blockbusters were made, marketed and merchandised. But more surprising than its unheard-of box office success iss that Jaws has endured, proving itself not a mere popcorn entertainment, but instead a as-close-to-perfect-as-can-you-can-get thriller in the classic Hitchcock tradition.

A friendly, open-faced man, Carl Gottlieb is not the type of guy one would immediately peg as nightmare-inducing, but that's just what he did by co-writing the first three entries in the Jaws series. Gottlieb started his career as an actor in the late 1960's, appearing in such acclaimed films as Maryjane, Up The Sandbox and M*A*S*H. But fate would smile upon Gottlieb in 1972, when the young thespian was cast in a small role in Something Evil, a little-seen TV movie directed by a young filmmaker named Steven Spielberg.

His association with Spielberg would eventually lead to writing chores on Jaws, and Gottlieb continued his career as a screenwriter and a director throughout the 70s and 80s, lending his talents to such films as Which Way Is Up?, The Jerk, Caveman and both Jaws 2 and Jaws 3-D. Gottlieb is also the author of "The Jaws Log," his account of the making of the film, recently reissued in a 25th Anniversary Edition paperback from Viking Press.

For some strange reason, Gottlieb actually agreed to answer our silly Ten Questions, so here unedited is Carl Gottlieb on life, work and the legacy of Jaws...

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