BOOK REVIEW – By Capt. Ron YoliCapt. Frank Mundus: MONSTER MAN – Master Hunter of the Deep By Robert F. Boggs Abery Publishing Company - 1976 & 2001
It has been 25 years since the first edition of Monster Man; and with the new 25th anniversary edition of this high seas - adventure-laden, yet hysterically funny book, a new generation of readers can now revel in the wild antics of the legendary Montauk, N.Y. based shark hunter, Capt. Frank Mundus.
Recounting the vast assortment of loonies that chartered his Cricket II over three decades in search of the largest predators of the deep blue sea - SHARKS - including the infamous Great White shark, you will find yourself completely unable to set this book aside once you read Capt. Frank’s two page preface to this “fresh off the press” edition.
All of us, even individuals that were not yet born at the time of its release in 1975, have either seen or at least heard of the blockbuster movie, JAWS, starring Richard Dreyfuss, Roy Scheider, and Robert Shaw as the gruff, yet loveable Capt. Quint , skipper of the ORCA. By the way, the ORCA as seen in the film just so happens to be a virtually identical replica of Capt. Frank’s Cricket II
What many of us still don’t realize is that the character of Capt. Quint was actually based on Montauk’s legendary charter boat skipper, Frank Mundus. The film is based on the best selling novel, JAWS, authored by Peter Benchley.
If you are a fan of the movie, this book will make you understand the endless similarities between Capt. Quint and the “very real” Capt. Frank Mundus. However, in my opinion, this book is far more interesting - as every word in this book is fact, and not Hollywood fiction!
On page 211, you’ll find that Benchley interviewed Mundus for Newsweek magazine ten years before JAWS was released, and a year before its release, Benchley was aboard Frank’s Cricket II while filming an episode of The American Sportsman.
Monster Man is a book to be enjoyed by both fisherman and non-fisherman alike. Written in four parts, author Robert F. Boggs brilliantly transfers Capt. Frank’s exciting shark fishing career to the printed page. Frank Borth’s comedic illustrations throughout the book, coupled with Bogg’s infectious style of writing, bring this “non-fiction” account of the legendary captain’s experiences to life.
Monster Man covers the career of Capt. Mundus from his early days in 1943 through 1976. As many fishermen know, Frank was, and remains till this day, one of the most colorful and controversial characters that ever graced the docks of Montauk. With one big toe painted green, and one big toe painted red (so he “jokingly” would not forget the starboard side of the boat from the port side) Frank literally captured the hearts of millions worldwide.
Frank Mundus is the undeniable “King of Sportfishing for Sharks”, and has appeared on numerous television programs over the years, including, Late Night with David Letterman, Good Morning America, Larry King Tonight, and ABC’s Wide World Of Sports to name just a small few.
Frank’s endless practical jokes and pranks aboard his Cricket II throughout his career will have you reeling with knee-slapping, heart-felt laughter. My personal favorite is the time Frank was returning to port in a pea soup dense fog; Frank and his mate broke out a hammer and saw, and started banging nails and sawing old lumber they had brought on board so that following boats would believe they were too close to the beach.
Thinking that they heard the sounds of house construction, and not wishing to wash up on the beach, the other captains changed course quickly, circled endlessly, and pondered their own navigational skills for awhile. These captains were of course quite embarrassed to say the least, when word quickly spread through town of how they were duped into their confusing predicament!
Capt. Mundus is not only credited with pioneering the concept and various techniques of shark fishing for sport; Frank was also instrumental in helping to initiate the first shark-tagging programs for scientific research, along with government marine biologist, Jack Casey, in the early 1960’s.
In addition, Frank was also the first to reveal to marine biologists that sharks apparently did not ever carry any form of cancer. He was initially ridiculed for this finding by many members of the “scientific community”, but eventually proven absolutely correct in his observations by marine biologist, Eugenie Clark.
Capt. Frank has been retired since 1991, and now resides in Hawaii with his wife, Jenny, and pet wild boar, 350 pound “Arnie”. This is a book to hand down from generation to generation – especially for those “fishing fanatics” in your extended family!
Capt. Ron Yoli
