This is an overdue tribute to Roy Scheider, who we lost the other day. He starred in many films over the years but he'll be best known for the role of Amity Police Chief Martin Brody in the blockbuster, Jaws. One of my all-time favorite movies, Jaws was effective not only for the scary monster aspect, but for the memorable characters as well. Robert Shaw was completely believable as Quint, the crochity old man of the sea. And who could forget Richard Dreyfuss as Hooper, the kooky marine biologist? But my favorite role was Scheider's Chief Brody. His steely disposition and fear of water ("You live on an island for chrissakes!") were key components to making him a believable character. And the memorable quotes? There were many:
"I can do anything; I'm the chief of police."
"They're in the yaahd, not too faah from the caah."
"Why don't we have one more drink and go down and cut that shark open?"
"I can go slow ahead. Come on down here and chum some of this shit."
"We're gonna need a bigger boat."
"Smile, you son of a bitch!"
He caught shit for making Jaws 2 and in spite of the fact that it's clearly inferior to the original, it's still a pretty damn good flick. R.I.P. We'll miss you, Chief.
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