In the Heat of the Night (1967)
"They got a murder on their hands. They don’t know what to do with it."

Title: In the Heat of the Night
Original Title: In the Heat of the Night
Release Date: 1967-08-02
Status: Released
Rating: 7.6/10 (from 1102 votes)
Language: EN
Genres: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Production Companies: United Artists, The Mirisch Company
African-American Philadelphia police detective Virgil Tibbs is arrested on suspicion of murder by Bill Gillespie, the racist police chief of tiny Sparta, Mississippi. After Tibbs proves not only his own innocence but that of another man, he joins forces with Gillespie to track down the real killer. Their investigation takes them through every social level of the town, with Tibbs making enemies as well as unlikely friends as he hunts for the truth.
Cast

Sidney Poitier
Virgil Tibbs

Rod Steiger
Police Chief Bill Gillespie

Warren Oates
Deputy Sam Wood

Peter Whitney
Deputy Courtney

Lee Grant
Mrs. Leslie Colbert

Anthony James
Ralph

William Schallert
Mayor Schubert

Scott Wilson
Harvey Oberst

Larry Gates
Eric Endicott

James Patterson
Mr. Purdy