The movie “Jaws” hit the big screen 50 years ago and smashed the then-current box office record.
The first victim in the movie which opened June 20, 1975, was a woman swimming in the ocean. That woman, Susan Backlinie, was a West Palm Beach resident and Forest Hill High School graduate. She died in 2024 at the age of 77.
“Jaws” opened on 400-plus screens across the U.S. and Universal spent $700,000 on an unprecedented TV advertising campaign, according to the 2010 book “George Lucas’ Blockbusting,” to drive movie lovers to theaters and create lines as a show of bloodthirsty demand.
Who was Susan Backlinie, the first victim of the shark in ‘Jaws’?
Susan Backlinie grew up in West Palm Beach and attended Forest Hill High School. She went on to become a nationally ranked swimmer and a stuntwoman who became famous for being Jaws’ first victim…