The Real Captain Quint

By Doug Geed

I first met Frank Mundus two years ago in his beloved Montauk -- honestly one of the most beautiful spots in the country in my opinion. Even though he was in his late 70's, he's still pretty imposing -- not so much in stature, but because of his gruff, no-nonsense attitude. I asked him what reaction people have when they find out who he is. He paused -- thought for a second and then said "They usually take a step back." Then he chuckled in that gravelly voice.

    If you don't recognize the name Frank Mundus, let me back-track.

    Certain movies CHANGE movies forever. The Godfather is the perfect example. Still one of the best movies ever made, it triggered an entire generation of organized crime movies that are still popular today. Harry Potter led to Lord of the Rings, Narnia, Spiderwick Chronicles and other fantasy books-turned-movies. Remember those hokey disaster films from the 70's -- Poseidon Adventure, Towering Inferno and Earthquake? And then there's "Jaws." It not only led to many sequels (none of them classics, unfortunately), but it paved the way for other "animals" versus "man" films.

    There is a major Long Island flavor to the original 1975 Jaws. The movie was made from the book written by Peter Benchley. It takes place in the fictional town of "Amity." And the central figure (besides the shark) was the crotchety, quirky, cantankerous, ornery captain of the boat -- Captain Quint, played so well by the late actor Robert Shaw. Although there's some debate, that character is widely believed to be based on Frank Mundus.

     Mundus came to Montauk in the early 1950's and ran a charter boat. What he's known for is taking people out sportfishing for shark. That was pretty much considered a ridiculous idea at the time. But after the enormous success of Jaws, shark-fishing became all the rage.

       Long Islanders have the chance to meet Frank Mundus this summer in Riverhead. His boat the Cricket 2 (which he'll proudly tell you served as the model for the boat in the movie) is docked behind Atlantis Marine World -- right along the scenic Peconic River. He's selling his autobiography, photos and other memorabilia now through mid-August, then he's booking charters out of Montauk until early September. (His charters, by the way, are strictly catch-and-release -- keeping in tune with the mission of Atlantis Marine World.)

         Like any other fisherman, he loves to share his stories. And he really is a piece of work. He didn't remember the interview we did in 2006, but I didn't expect him to. I can only imagine how many television cameras he's looked into and how many times he's had to answer the same question -- "What did you think of the movie?" (His answer by the way is that it's "one of the silliest and stupidest movies ever made -- totally unrealistic.")

        And he hasn't changed two years later. During our interview by Atlantis, a yellow jacket kept circling around his head. Eventually it landed on his shoulder and slowly started walking toward his neck -- all while Frank calmly continued telling his stories. Finally I said "Frank, I realize you came face to face with some great white sharks, but there's a yellow jacket right on your neck." Without missing a beat he said "It's okay -- he bites me, he'll probably get nuttin' but poison."

      Robert Shaw couldn't have delivered the line better.

    Here's some links you might find enjoyable.

www.fmundus.com/

www.atlantismarineworld.com