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Sharks. July 4: Echoes of Amity, 1975?

E-mail|Link|Comments () July 2, 2010 05:45 PM

(Universal Pictures)

By Globe Staff

Warnings about great white sharks off the coast of New England. The July 4th holiday weekend.

That combination conjure up any memories, movie fans?

That's right. Return with MetroDesk to 1975 when "Jaws," filmed on Martha's Vineyard, made swimming feel like a scary proposition. With that in mind, here are some of the relevant lines from this very-quotable movie, courtesy of the Internet Movie Database:

Mayor Vaughn (speaking to Chief Martin Brody): Martin, it's all psychological. You yell barracuda, everybody says, "Huh? What?" You yell shark, we've got a panic on our hands on the Fourth of July.

Brody (to Mayor Vaughn, after the shark attack on July Fourth): Larry, the summer is over. You're the mayor of "shark city." These people think you want the beaches open.

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The always salty Captain Quint: Y'all know me. Know how I earn a livin'. I'll catch this bird for you, but it ain't gonna be easy. Bad fish. Not like going down the pond chasin' bluegills and tommycods. This shark, swallow you whole. Little shakin', little tenderizin', an' down you go. And we gotta do it quick, that'll bring back your tourists, put all your businesses on a payin' basis. But it's not gonna be pleasant.

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Matt Hooper (smarty-pants ichthyologist): Mr. Vaughn, what we are dealing with here is a perfect engine, an eating machine. It's really a miracle of evolution. All this machine does is swim and eat and make little sharks, and that's all. Now, why don't you take a long, close look at this sign (showing a drawing of a tiny Mayor Vaughan beside a giant shark).

Hooper: Those proportions are correct.

Mayor Vaughn: Love to prove that, wouldn't ya? Get your name into the National Geographic.

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Mayor Vaughn (to reporter): I'm pleased and happy to repeat the news that we have, in fact, caught and killed a large predator that supposedly injured some bathers. But, as you see, it's a beautiful day, the beaches are open and people are having a wonderful time. Amity, as you know, means "friendship.''

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And, of course:

Brody: You're gonna need a bigger boat.

Leave us your favorite lines in the comments section.