Summer Exclusive: Jaws 50th Anniversary

Yankee celebrates all things shark with this special collection of stories, photos, and video—dive on in!

By Yankee Magazine|May 20 2025|

A shark swims near the ocean surface with sunlight streaming through the water from above, evoking memories of Jaws 50th anniversary.

The hit 1975 movie “Jaws” helped make the great white shark a figure of pop culture fascination and, eventually, marine conservation efforts.

Credit: Zam/stock.adobe.com | AI-Generated Image

On June 20, 2025, Steven Spielberg’s blockbuster shark thriller reaches a major milestone: It’s been half a century since Jaws launched the summer-blockbuster genre—and changed forever how we look at one of nature’s most awesome predators. Yankee is celebrating the Jaws 50th anniversary with a look back at the movie’s filming in New England, a round-up of special events being held this June, and a curated collection of Yankee stories about sharks in print and on our public television show, Weekends with Yankee.

Jaws 50th Anniversary Spotlight

A group of people with film equipment stand on a pier by the ocean under a partly cloudy sky, some looking out to sea and others using cameras. — Steven Spielberg, far left, and the *Jaws* crew aboard the tugboat *Whitefoot*, which served as the staging area for filming off the coast of Martha’s Vineyard. As the director later told Vanity Fair, “The audience would not have connected with the movie unless it looked real, and that’s why I insisted on shooting the picture on open sea in the Atlantic Ocean.”
*Credit: Peter Vandermark*

Yankee Exclusive | Jaws Behind the Scenes

Before “Don’t go in the water” first sent chills down moviegoers’ spines 50 years ago, a young Cape Cod photographer set sail with Steven Spielberg and company for an unforgettable day on the set of Jaws.

Four people wearing life jackets ride on a small motorboat across the ocean under a sunny sky, with two people visible at the front and waves in the background. — *Weekends with Yankee* cohost Richard Wiese, left, heads out on a research expedition to track and tag great white sharks off the Massachusetts coast.
*Credit: Courtesy of Yankee/WGBH*

Video Highlight | Weekends with Yankee

Weekends with Yankee heads to Chatham, Massachusetts, for an up-close look at the work of shark expert Dr. Greg Skomal. While some may believe the Hollywood tale of a man-eating shark terrorizing New England waters, Skomal is on a mission to dispel the many misconceptions about this often misunderstood animal.

Get Our FREE Yankee Best New England Vacations Guide!

Black-and-white photo of a wooden floating dock labeled "U.S.S. LORENO" with equipment and covered items on it, moored between two boats on the water. — From “How to Spend a Million and a Half Dollars in One Summer on Martha’s Vineyard”: “Three of these mechanical monsters were built in California by Robert Mattey, formerly an engineer for Walt Disney. It cost $23,000 just to ship the ‘sharks’ across the country!”
*Credit: Edith Blake*

Yankee Classic | “How to Spend a Million and a Half Dollars in One Summer on Martha’s Vineyard”

When you’re filming a highly complicated movie starring a mechanical shark during the heart of the heaviest tourist season on record on Martha’s Vineyard, what could go wrong? Well, practically everything …

Sharks in New England — A blue shark swims past a new breed: ecotourists inside a viewing cage.
*Credit: Brian Skerry*

Yankee Classic | “Shark Teeth, Pearly White”

Acclaimed journalist C.J. Chivers (Esquire, The New York Times) goes on a shark-dive tour off the Rhode Island coast.

Yankee Classic | “Feeding Frenzy”

Yankee executive editor Ian Aldrich pays a visit to the Cape and Islands and discovers that shark fever is no longer the stuff of movie legend.

Dr. Greg Skomal affixes a satellite tag on a great white shark near Cape Cod.
*Credit: Wayne Davis*

Bonus Read | “The Shark Detective”

Meet Dr. Greg Skomal, who’s been tailing great white sharks for more than a decade to unravel the many mysteries they raise—including how to deal with their growing numbers off Cape Cod.

Two children stand inside a large shark jaw display at the entrance of a building labeled "ISLAND" and "JAWS COURTYARD 930. — Since the release of *Jaws* in 1975, Martha’s Vineyard hasn’t missed an opportunity to delight visitors with its Hollywood connection.
*Credit: MV Chamber*

Special Events | Jaws at 50: How to Join a Blockbuster Party

Looking to celebrate the big 5-0 of the world’s most famous shark this month? Martha’s Vineyard is the place to be.

Yankee Magazine

More by Yankee Magazine

Summer Exclusive: Jaws 50th Anniversary