The old man and the scene

Just when you thought you knew everything about “Jaws,” John Campopiano’s new documentary, “The Farmer and the Shark,” offers us another perspective. Screening at the Martha’s Vineyard Museum on August 19, the film provides a deep dive into Vineyard legend Craig Kingsbury (1912–2002), who played the unforgettable part of Ben Gardner, and helped coach British Shakespearean actor Robert Shaw’s portrayal as Quint, the cantankerous local shark hunter.

Speaking with Campopiano recently, he explained that the original idea of “The Farmer and the Shark” was to share untold stories about locals on the Vineyard who played a crucial role in making the production a success. “It’s fairly common knowledge that Hollywood showed up and had to learn the hard way about all sorts of things, from tides, currents, and boats to dealing with selectmen and zoning rights. And Craig stood out to me as one of the best examples of a local rubbing off on the production, and contributing quite a bit to it.” 

Campopiano crafts his story using evocative archival footage and audio recordings with Kingsbury, along with contemporary interviews featuring his family, locals involved with “Jaws,” and a few Hollywood figures, such as production designer Joe Alves and cameraman Michael Chapman.

Early on, Kristen Kingsbury Henshaw gives us a sense of her father: “Growing up, he did everything except run a bank. He was a fisherman. He was a butcher. He was a landscaper. He had been known to snip the toenails of horses, so he was a farrier to some degree. He built ponds. He built stone walls … All these things would lead you to believe he wouldn’t be much good in a movie, but it turns out that he was.” We hear Spielberg say that had he seen Craig in an open audition, he might have cast him as Quint himself.

However, Craig didn’t initially have the time of day for Hollywood types. Henshaw recalls, “He had no respect for celebrities arriving on the Island.” Campopiano, however, helps us understand that the production brought about a much-needed infusion of cash for Vineyarders, providing a steady income for a summer, whether they were working on- or offscreen. Eventually, learning he could earn $70 a day, Craig made his way down to try out. Taken with his salty language and gruff attitude, he was hired not just as Ben Gardner but, as Craig explains, “to teach Robert Shaw to be a nasty waterfront character.”

Campopiano gives us wonderful tidbits about Craig that help us grasp the essence of the man, including the fact that no matter the weather, he rarely wore shoes, he had countless spittoons throughout the house to catch his tobacco juice, and his hilarious recounting of a court case involving alcohol, two oxen, and an ox cart. When speaking of the tale about whether Craig was responsible for introducing skunks to the Vineyard, former M.V. Museum Oral Historian Linsey Lee says, “Sometimes even Craig couldn’t tell if it was the true story or the enhanced story,” telling Lee that he didn’t introduce the critters, but telling Lee’s grandmother that he did.

Executive producer and co-writer Rick DiGregorio spoke with me about the desire to create a film that celebrated the unsung heroes related to “Jaws”: “The most interesting thing to me was learning how many Vineyarders worked on this movie, and how instrumental they were in getting it done.” Just a few include John Fuller, who was a union carpenter. Recalling being a boat handler, we hear Charlie Blair mention, “They had me doing just about everything they could think of, supplying gear, getting parts.” Both Wayne Iocono and Jonathan Filley were boat handlers, and appeared onscreen.

Along the way, we are privy as well to fun, behind-the-scenes memories about various troubles with “Bruce” the shark, and the filming of the scene where Ben Gardner’s head suddenly appears underwater. Henshaw’s related memory of what her mother said after the two of them saw “Jaws” is a highlight: “We phoned up the old man from a phone booth. She said, ‘You know, Craig, that Spielberg boy, he’s a genius. He’s found a use for your empty head.’”

In a recent interview, I asked Henshaw what her father would have thought about all the fuss surrounding the 50th anniversary of “Jaws.” “I think he would wonder, because he didn’t seem to understand his celebrity. He didn’t even see the movie until the 1980s or early ’90s. According to my mother, Dad said, ‘This is what all this uproar is about?’ He had never had an interest in seeing it.” When Kristen asked her father about his thoughts on the film, his spicy response was, “I don’t know. Looks like a bunch of damn fools to me.”

“The Farmer and the Shark: A Jaws Tale” screens on Tuesday, August 19, at 4 pm at the MV Museum, followed by a discussion with director and co-writer John Campopiano, executive producer and co-writer Rick DiGregorio, Jaws historian Jim Beller, and Craig Kingsbury’s daughter, Kristen Kingsbury Henshaw. For tickets and information, visit mvmuseum.org/event/the-farmer-and-the-shark.