The next neighborhood outdoor movie night will be on May 16th. The movie will be the classic summer movie, Jaws. First released June 25, 1975, it has become a traditional annual watch for me on Memorial Day weekend.
So how did watching Jaws become an annual Memorial Day weekend tradition? Well, you have to go back to when it was first released. At the time, I was living in Ocean City, NJ, for the summer. I was sharing an apartment with 4 friends. When the movie opened that summer a few of us headed to the boardwalk to watch the movie. I laughed at one of my friends, Gil, as he let out a scream when the head of Ben Gardner appeared. Now, before the movie’s release, we would often sneak down to the beach for late-night swims. After going to the movie, no one wanted to go for a nighttime swim.
By 1978, I had moved to Ocean City year-round while I attended Stockton College. I took a job as a maintenance/janitor at Gardens Plaza Condominiums. The manager of the condos, Greg B., was a Jaws fanatic, like me. On December 15, 1978, Jaws was released on LaserDisc. This was the very first featured film released in North America. Greg and I took a ride to a Silo store where he purchased a laser disc player and Jaws. We returned to Ocean City, set up the laser disc player, and sat back to watch Jaws.
In April 1980, Jaws was released on VHS, and needless to say, I had to buy it. Of course, I watched it immediately. I would watch it from time to time. After graduating from Stockton College in 1981, I moved to Boston. In 1988, I got married, and we moved to San Diego. If I fast-forward to 1993, that is when we moved back to New Jersey. As Memorial Day approached and I was back in New Jersey, I would think about the summers spent in Ocean City. Being a bit nostalgic, I remembered Memorial Day weekend being the unofficial start of the summer at the Jersey Shore. Usually, most summer rentals begin Memorial Day weekend and end on Labor Day weekend. To officially kick off the summer, I decided to watch Jaws on the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend. And thus began the annual tradition. Each year thereafter, I would get up on that Saturday morning and watch Jaws. I would later send our son, Ryan, a text message every year with a photo of Jaws on television. That too, became a tradition.
Which leads us to the next movie night. As we were ending our first movie night and thinking about when and what the next movie would be, Ryan mentioned Jaws. He knows the tradition and thought this would be the perfect movie to show next, especially since it falls on Memorial Day weekend.
So get ready for Jaws night. All are welcome! Bring your chairs, beverages, and snacks! See you then!
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