It’s been assumed that the Hollywood summer blockbuster was born with the 1975 release of Steven Spielberg’s “Jaws,” followed two years later by “Star Wars.” But the film industry’s desire for box office blockbusters existed long before a shark prowled the waters off Amity. Turner Classic Movies host Ben Mankiewicz talks with actor Stephen Lang (star of the “Avatar” films), critic Dana Stevens, and Charles Acland, author of “American Blockbuster,” about the origin of blockbuster movies – both big-budget spectacles of Biblical proportions, and low-budget films with heart that won a huge audience.
