In the Heat of the Night

As Officer Sam Wood patrols the streets of Sparta, Mississippi on a steamy summer night, he finds wealthy factory-owner Colbert dead. Anxious to find a culprit, Police Chief Gillespie (Rod Steiger) orders Wood to begin his search immediately. Wood's prime suspect is the unlikely Virgil Tibbs (Sidney Poitier), a well-dressed, educated black man quietly awaiting the next train out of Sparta. But Virgil can prove his innocence: not only did he arrive in Sparta on a train after Colbert's murder, but Virgil himself is a Philadelphia homicide detective. And though Gillespie would rather Virgil leave as soon as possible, Virgil is the only man capable of finding the murderer and the only man Mrs. Colbert wants on the case. But can Virgil find the murderer before he himself is killed? Released at the height of the Civil Rights Movement, Norman Jewison's IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT, based on the 1965 novel of the same name by John Ball, tackles age-old racial prejudices within a gripping tale of murder and intrigue. The winner of five Academy Awards®, the film spawned two sequels and an award-winning television drama. – E.J.B. This film is part of the From The Page To The Projector program.