Construction on the Miracle Mile's Academy Museum of Motion Pictures is gearing up to begin official construction in March, but even before it's got a physical building, the museum's collection has been growing. The Academy Museum just added another fantastic and rare item to its inventory: the "sole surviving full-scale model of the 1975 Jaws shark." According to a release from the Academy, the 25-foot-long, 400-pound fiberglass shark known as Bruce was the last to be made using the original shark mold. He is so far the largest item in the museum's vast collection, which also includes a pair of ruby slippers from The Wizard of Oz.
Bruce was made and went on display at Universal Studios at the time that the film came out. (The original, mechanical Jaws shark from the movie was named Bruce after Steven Spielberg's lawyer.) There, the 400-pound model was used as a fun photo opportunity until 1990. That year, Bruce found himself at the Aadlen Brothers Auto Wrecking yard, where he was one of a whole entourage of incredible castoffs—he shared the lot with the Studio City Car Wash's 86-foot-tall Googie arches, a Helms Bakery truck from the 1940s, and a Southern Pacific Railroad caboose.
Bruce was a gift to the Academy from Nathan Adlen, the last owner of the now-defunct yard in Sun Valley, which closed on January 1. "Bruce caught the eye of my father, Sam Adlen, at first glance back in 1990, and for many years he's been like a member of the family," the younger Adlen told the Academy.
· Only Surviving Jaws Shark Acquired by the Academy Museum [Official release]
· How the Academy Movie Museum is Prepping For Work to Begin in March [Curbed LA]