Peter Benchley, Author of Jaws, was in town this week. He came not to oversee the movie production of his book but to play a minor role in it. Richard D. Zantuck, one of the producers, called the tall, handsome former newscaster last Monday and asked him if he would like to make his debut as the newscaster on the beach in amity. Mr. Benchley — who fancies himself more like Hooper, the shark expert — was on the set two days later, collecting wages.

“This first appearance will probably be my swan song as well,” Mr. Benchley said Monday. So far, he explained, most of his time had been spent “waiting for weather,” just like everyone else. In the hours not spent playing cards in the Universal vans or reading Mario Puzo’s The Godfather Papers, he is writing his new novel about salvaging Spanish treasure ships.

Progress Being Watched

Mr. Benchley has been following the film’s progress from his home in Connecticut in the press, and admits that he was pleased to get the chance to see the production crew in action. But he says he really has little to do with the movie version. “I haven’t even read the script,” he said. His contract as script-writer ran out before he came up with a script acceptable to director Steven Speilberg, and rather than spend the time working out their different ideas, Mr. Benchley simply bowed out, and another writer finished the job.

“Instead of having the town and the relations between people being almost as important as the adventure story, they are making it almost pure adventure story,” Mr. Benchley said. “And they are probably right to do so. In a novel you have much more room to develop things. A movie has to go from point A pretty much directly to point B.”

He doesn’t worry about the movie dragging his reputation down. “They own it now,” he said. “I finished my part, and they paid me. They bought the book, and it’s really out of my hands.”

Having been on the Vineyard only twice before for a total of three days, Mr. Benchley did not venture a comparison between the townspeople of Amity and the Vineyard. “I grew up in Nantucket, and I imagine the people are similar here,” he said when asked whether the Islanders were suitable for Jaws. “And summer people have got to be the same. So I wouldn’t be surprised if people thought Edgartown could be Amity. From a movie point of view, though, I’m sure the Vineyard is perfect.”