When Jaws 3 Almost Became a National Lampoon Movie (Ep. 61)

The Jim Hill Media Podcast Network

Jim Hill Media Podcast Network

Tv & Film, Society & Culture, Places & Travel

4.8 • 1.4K Ratings

🗓️ 25 July 2025

⏱️ 54 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Jim Hill and Eric Hersey return with the latest from Universal Parks and the unbelievable story of how Jaws 3 nearly became a full-blown comedy. From Spielberg’s pivot to Close Encounters to the moment Universal almost partnered with National Lampoon, this episode unpacks the sequel that nearly torpedoed the franchise before it began. This week’s highlights include: • Wicked: Part Two gets a primetime concert special and early merch leaks• Jimmy Buffett’s plane, the Hemisphere Dancer, returns to CityWalk• Starfall Racers responds to guest feedback with roomier seats• Monster Makeup Experience signage gets an eerie refresh• Steven Spielberg chose aliens over sharks, turning down Jaws 2• Universal’s near-miss with Jaws 3: People Nothing, a spoof that almost happened From deleted scenes and shark pups to Hollywood rewrites and parody panic, this one’s packed with trivia, hindsight, and a few "what ifs" that might’ve changed blockbuster history. Unlocked Magic Unlocked Magic, powered by DVC Rental Store and DVC Resale Market, offers exclusive Disney & Universal ticket savings with TRUSTED service and authenticity. With over $10 MILLION in ticket sales, use Unlocked Magic to get the BIGGEST SAVINGS. Learn More Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	Sign up to Betway Casino to claim this exclusive new customer offer.
0:19.9	Stake £10 and get 150 free spins plus a chance to win a Range Rover.
0:24.9	Download the Betway Casino app today.
0:27.1	18 plus Tise and C's Apply.
0:28.9	Bet the Responsible Way.
0:30.2	Welcome back to the Epic Universal podcast.
0:34.1	I am entertainment writer Jim Hill and this is the podcast where we cover the latest universal news, rumors, and history.
0:42.8	And as always, I am joined by Eric Hersey, who is the father of, I got to tell you, the lovely Hunter Hersey, who sent me a really sweet thank you note for the graduation
0:59.4	gift I got him. Please let your son know that as part of this note, he said that I'm the
1:07.7	cool Disney historian guy that his dad knows. And I just wanted to let him know that
1:13.2	I'm thinking of having that put on business cards, cool Disney historian guy. Oh, Jim, I got to look at
1:19.1	that. So mind you, he wrote that immediately. And so I don't know which podcast episode. It was probably
1:23.2	like 45 when we announced that you got him that cool um toad sipper or that that is down in
1:29.5	epic right and he he so he wrote it like the next day and we said send it out and we got the
1:35.1	address and everything jim we just found it sitting on a so he wrote it i'm like so you didn't send
1:41.2	that so i'm glad that it made it to you. And yes, I did get to peek at it.
1:45.0	And it was pretty entertaining for an 18-year-old to the way he wrote it.
1:50.9	No.
1:51.7	Speaking, Eric is obviously proud of his.
1:54.1	And I am proud of my daughter, Alice, who by the way, just today shared some news in regard to the Donkey Kong movie,
2:03.8	which now, did you see the news that, I guess, Nintendo and Universal have copyright.
2:13.0	Yes.
	...

Transcript will be available on the free plan in 21 days. Upgrade to see the full transcript now.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Jim Hill Media Podcast Network, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Jim Hill Media Podcast Network and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.