Murray Hamilton: Vaughn

Jaws

Vaughn

Mrs. Kintner: Chief Brody?
Brody: Yes?
[Mrs. Kintner slaps Brody and sobs]
Mrs. Kintner: I just found out, that a girl got killed here last week, and you knew it! You knew there was a shark out there! You knew it was dangerous! But you let people go swimming anyway? You knew all those things! But still my boy is dead now. And there's nothing you can do about it. My boy is dead. I wanted you to know that.
[Mrs. Kintner walks away]
Mayor Vaughn: I'm sorry, Martin. She's wrong.
Brody: No, she's not.

Mayor Vaughn: Fellows, let's be reasonable, huh? This is not the time or the place to perform some kind of a half-assed autopsy on a fish... And I'm not going to stand here and see that thing cut open and see that little Kintner boy spill out all over the dock.

Mayor Vaughn: Martin, it's all psychological. You yell barracuda, everybody says, "Huh? What?" You yell shark, we've got a panic on our hands on the Fourth of July.

Mayor Vaughn: I don't think either of one you are familiar with our problems.
Hooper: I think that I am familiar with the fact that you are going to ignore this particular problem until it swims up and BITES YOU ON THE ASS!

Mayor Vaughn: [to reporter] I'm pleased and happy to repeat the news that we have, in fact, caught and killed a large predator that supposedly injured some bathers. But, as you see, it's a beautiful day, the beaches are open and people are having a wonderful time. Amity, as you know, means "friendship".

Mayor Vaughn: Any special questions?
Denherder: Uh, is that $3000 bounty on the shark in cash or check?
[the townspeople laugh]
Mrs. Taft: I don't think that's funny. I don't think that's funny at all, I'm sorry.

Hooper: Mr. Vaughn, what we are dealing with here is a perfect engine, an eating machine. It's really a miracle of evolution. All this machine does is swim and eat and make little sharks, and that's all. Now, why don't you take a long, close look at this sign.
[refers to the graffitied billboard]
Hooper: Those proportions are correct.
Mayor Vaughn: Love to prove that, wouldn't ya? Get your name into the National Geographic.

Mayor Vaughn: I'm only trying to say that Amity is a summer town. We need summer dollars. Now, if the people can't swim here, they'll be glad to swim at the beaches of Cape Cod, the Hamptons, Long Island...
Brody: That doesn't mean we have to serve them up as smörgåsbord!

Brody: [Amidst commotion] We're also planning to bring in some experts from the oceanographic institute on the mainland.
Mayor Vaughn: For only 24 hours!
Brody: I didn't agree to that!
Mayor Vaughn: Only 24 hours.
Extra Townswoman: 24 hours is like three weeks!

Brody: [Talking to the Mayor] Oh, and I want you to meet Matt - Matt, this is Larry Vaughn, our Mayor - Matt's from the Oceanographic Institute!
Mayor Vaughn: Hi.
Hooper: Nice to meet you.
[Matt, pulling Brody to one side]
Hooper: Can I talk to you for a second? Martin, there are all kinds of sharks in the waters, you know - Hammerheads, White Tips, Blues, Makos and the chances that these bozos got the exact shark that killed those two people...
Brody: [Interrupting Matt] Oh, now, there's no other sharks like that in these waters!
Hooper: Martin, it's a hundred to one, a hundred to one.
Brody: Oh, come-on!
Hooper: Now, I'm not saying that this is not the shark - it probably is, Martin, it probably is - it's a man-eater, it's extremely rare for these waters but the fact is that the bite radius on this animal is different than the wounds on the victim. I just... I want to be sure, you want to be sure - we all want to be sure, OK?, Now, what I want to do is very simple - the digestive system of this animal is very, very slow, let's cut it open - whatever it's eaten in the last twenty-four hours is bound to still be in there and then we'll be sure.
Brody: It may be the only way to confirm it, huh?
Mayor Vaughn: Now, look, fellas, let's be reasonable, huh? This is not the time or the place to perform some kind of half-arsed autopsy on a fish! And I am not going to stand here and see that thing cut open and see that little Kinter boy spill-out all over the dock!