Even if you haven’t watched Jaws, chances are you’ve probably heard the one line that went on to become one of the most remarkable and quoted moments in the history of cinema.
The scene unfolds as Chief Brody and Quint do battle with the monstrous shark in open water, realising their boat is hopelessly outmatched. That’s when Brody, backing into the cabin after his first clear look at the shark, delivers the now-iconic line: “You’re gonna need a bigger boat.” (It’s often mistakenly quoted as “We’re gonna need a bigger boat,” in a kind of Mandela effect.)
But how did the moment come about?
Steven Spielberg, then an unknown director to the general public, asked his friend Carl Gottlieb — story editor for ABC’s The Odd Couple — if he could take a look at a script he had for an upcoming movie.
“[Spielberg] was anxious to do a rewrite before they started shooting — they were about two or three weeks before principal photography,” Gottlieb told The Hollywood Reporter. “I was sent the script with a memo saying, ‘Eviscerate this.’”
Gottlieb wrote down his notes and suggested changes. The results were so appreciated by the director that Spielberg decided to bring him on board for what would eventually become Jaws.
The writer quit his role at the American network and was tasked with rewriting the script — originally adapted from Peter Benchley’s best-selling book. He also ended up on screen, playing Ben Meadows, the community’s newspaper editor.
“We shared a house together and spent every waking moment together for the next four months because I was either rewriting or acting in the movie,” Gottlieb added.
About the famous line, he explained: “It was an overlap of a real-life problem combined with the dilemma of the characters onscreen.”
“[Richard] Zanuck and [David] Brown were very stingy producers, so everyone kept telling them, ‘You’re gonna need a bigger boat,’” he said, referring to the barge they used to carry lights and camera equipment — warmly nicknamed the S.S. Garage Sale.
“It became a catchphrase for anytime anything went wrong — if lunch was late or the swells were rocking the camera, someone would say, ‘You’re gonna need a bigger boat.’”
The habit led to Roy Scheider, who played Brody in Jaws, inserting the jab in multiple scenes. Only one take made the final cut.
“It was so appropriate and so real, and it came at the right moment, thanks to Verna Fields’ editing,” said Gottlieb.
Since the film’s release — and the line’s iconic status — Gottlieb, of course, has heard it quoted around him many times in the real world.
He recalled the most memorable time: “I was playing poker and thought I had a winning hand, ’cause I had a full house, which is referred to as a ‘full boat,’ and the guy across the table from me said, ‘You’re gonna need a bigger boat,’ and he put down a larger full house.”
Jaws wasn’t just impressive for its cultural impact. The critically acclaimed film went on to win three Academy Awards: Best Film Editing (Verna Fields), Best Original Score (John Williams), and Best Sound (David G. Campbell, Bernard Sahl, Bill Varney, and Gordon E. Bohem).
It was also nominated for Best Picture, losing to One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. The film’s score won both a Grammy Award and a BAFTA Award.