The Poster Memorabilia blog

Capturing Jaws Through Autographs

Eight years, four signatures, and one Jaws poster finally complete.

By an anonymous Hollywood insider

There are some movies that captivate you so much that you just want to get a piece of it to hold on to forever. I'm not just talking about its DVD, soundtrack, or downloading a copy of it for your hard drive. I'm talking about memorabilia like, let's say, the movie poster. Or even better, an autographed movie poster.

This is what I felt with Jaws, Steven Spielberg's monster masterpiece. Watching it once was enough for me to make it my favorite movie of all time. And with every rewatch, I found myself wanting to get as much memorabilia of it as possible. The best one is the movie poster I got signed by the cast and crew themselves.

“I didn't get all their autographs, but I got those who mattered the most.”

I didn't get all their autographs, but I got those who mattered the most. It all began when I first met Spielberg at the San Diego Comic-Con in 2017, where he showed some previews of Ready Player One. I was hella nervous to approach the Academy Award-winning director, but I just had to do it.

The encounter was pretty quick, but I still remember it like it was yesterday. I shook his hand, told him how excited I was for Ready Player One, and showed him the poster. He was even surprised that I trotted out the thing, but he signed it anyway.

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The most nerve-wracking was John Williams, the legendary composer behind that iconic Jaws theme. The guy isn't exactly as public as Spielberg, so it took me five years to finally get to him.

Williams led a surprise Star Wars mini-concert with the Pacific Symphony Orchestra in Anaheim, California, in 2022. My insider connections told me about it beforehand, so I was prepared with my Jaws poster that night.

He was great as always, and Harrison Ford even made a surprise appearance on stage. For a moment, I almost regretted bringing a Jaws movie poster instead of a Star Wars one. Getting Williams' and Ford's autographs on it would've been out of this world.

Oh well, that didn't matter. I was there to get my Jaws poster signed, and at the end of the night, I got it done. Williams was tired but still nice when I met him, and while I was nervous at first, he happily signed my poster with little to no fuss.

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Now, it was time for the cast. I figured I wouldn't get all of them since some have passed on, but I knew Richard Dreyfuss and Lorraine Gary were still alive, so I made it my mission to get theirs.

I finally met Dreyfuss in 2024, when he appeared at a Jaws panel at The Cabot theater in Beverly, Massachusetts. Yes, you read that right. It was the event where he stepped out in a floral dress and made a transphobic remark. What he did left a bad taste in my mouth, but since I was already there to get my poster signed, I might as well see it through.

His controversial moments aside, he was surprisingly nice to fans who asked for his autograph. I had no trouble getting him to sign my poster, which was great since I didn't want to spend too much time with him after what happened. I have to say that he lost me as a fan after that night.

Fortunately, my encounter with Lorraine Gary was much more pleasant. I tracked her down at the 2025 TCM Classic Film Festival, where she made a rare public appearance in celebration of the movie's 50th anniversary. It was such a joy finally seeing her again, this time in person, listening to her talk about the film.

Meeting her and getting her autograph was such a palate cleanser after the Dreyfuss incident in 2024. I know she no longer works in films and probably wants to stay private, but it meant a lot for us Jaws fans that she stepped out that night.

It may have taken me years, but I finally got a “piece” of Jaws that I'm very satisfied with. It's the best memorabilia a fan could ever ask for.

Some things you watch. This one you keep.

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