Day 14 : In the Heat of the Night

In the Heat of the Night: 1967: Winner of the 40th Academy Awards

Starring:

Sidney Poitier as Detective Virgil Tibbs

Rod Steiger as Police Chief Bill Gillespie

Warren Oates as Sergeant (Patrolman) Sam Wood

Lee Grant as Mrs. Leslie Colbert

Larry Gates as Eric Endicott

James Patterson as Lloyd Purdy (Delores' brother)

William Schallert as Mayor Webb Schubert

Beah Richards as Mama Caleba (aka Mrs. Bellamy)

Peter Whitney as CPL. George Courtney

Kermit Murdock as H.E. Henderson (banker)

Larry D. Mann as Watkins

Quentin Dean as Delores Purdy

Anthony James as Ralph Henshaw (diner counterman)

Arthur Malet as Ted Ulam (mortician)

Scott Wilson as Harvey Oberst (murder suspect)

Matt Clark as Packy Harrison

Eldon Quick as Charlie Hawthorne (photographer)

Jester Hairston as Henry (Endicott's butler)
 

Here’s the thing, I really hate to watch movies where there is an “I hate you but have to live with you” sort of relationship, because I feel its an overused copout. However in this case I think it seems to work. The dynamic of the relationship between the two main characters in this movie, chiefly being, Virgil Tibbs and Bill Gillespie. Officer Bill is the new sheriff and has a fresh murder on his hands. Sergeant Tibbs is  #1 in homicide in his department back home in Philadelphia, what separates these two men from embracing each other as fellow officers of the law? Race, the color of their skins, however through this they have to find the real killer and they make friends. Isn’t that nice? It was kind of annoying, to watch Tibbs attempt to get manhandeled by annoying racist dudes, but his accuracy and his efficiency and that slap on the richest white man in the land, is worth watching this movie. I can’t count it as one of my favorites, but definitely one I don’t regret watching. I should also mention that Portier was set to win, he had another movie for best picture running against it, “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner”, and it also won out “The Graduate”  and “Bonnie and Clyde”.

It also won awards for:

Academy Award for Best Actor – Rod Steiger

Academy Award for Film Editing – Hal Ashby

Academy Award for Best Sound – Samuel Goldwyn Studios

Academy Award for Writing Adapted Screenplay – Stirling Silliphant