IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT [1967] Photo archive

In The Heat of the Night. 1967. Photos. [Los Angeles: United Artists, 1967]. Set of fifty-four vintage original 8 x 10″ (20 x 25 cm) borderless black-and-white photos, fine.

In the Heat of the Night is a classic mystery drama film directed by Norman Jewison, produced by Walter Mirisch, and starring Sidney Poitier and Rod Steiger. It tells the story of Virgil Tibbs (Poitier), a Black police detective from Philadelphia, who becomes embroiled in a murder investigation in a small town in Mississippi. The film was adapted by Stirling Silliphant from John Ball’s 1965 novel of the same name. At the 40th Academy Awards the film was nominated for seven Oscars, winning five, including Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Actor for Rod Steiger. Quincy Jones’ score, featuring a title song performed by Ray Charles, was nominated for a Grammy Award. The success of the film spawned two film sequels featuring Poitier.

A particularly famous line in the film comes immediately after Gillespie mocks the name “Virgil”:

Gillespie:

That’s a funny name for a nigger boy that comes from Philadelphia! What do they call you up there?

Tibbs (annoyed):

They call me Mister Tibbs!

In 2002, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant”. (Wikipedia)