After directing various TV episodes and the 1974 film "The Sugarland Express," Spielberg took the helm for the 1975 movie that made America afraid to go into the ocean. Filmed on Martha's Vineyard, Mass., and based on the novel by Peter Benchley, the production on the film about a seaside town terrorized by a shark was famously troubled. According to , Spielberg was absent for the filming of the last scene because he was afraid his angry crew would dunk him in the ocean. Because of mechanical difficulties with the shark, Spielberg was forced to not include it in the first portion of the film, which many critics said made the movie scarier.
