The trio of mechanical sharks used in "Jaws" — largely plastic, 3,000-lbs. models collectively named "Bruce" after director Steven Spielberg's lawyer — terrified filmgoers the world over. However, the fear audiences felt over these machines may have been due more to Spielberg's talents than their design. The shark models were notoriously prone to failure — during one test in the water, the hydraulic system exploded — and their skin tended to discolor and break down in the saltwater. These problems led the director to use mostly fleeting, indistinct glimpses of the shark and often film the movie from the shark's point of view, which built suspense. [See "Infographic: Shark Science on the 35th Anniversary of Jaws"]
