In the Heat of the Night

While on a trip back home in Mississippi, detective Virgil Tibbs is arrested for the murder of a prominent industrialist. His only crimes: being out late at night and being black. After some prodding by his boss, Tibbs joins forces with the bigoted town sheriff to catch the real killer. A black Philadelphia detective becomes involved in a murder case in a small, bigoted southern town, much to the chagrin of the local, redneck police chief. An excellent production, adapted by Stirling Silliphant from John Ball's novel. Academy Award Nominations: 7, including Best Director. Academy Awards: 5, including Best Picture, Best Actor-Rod Steiger, Best (Adapted) Screenplay. Director Norman Jewison Star Sidney Poitier, Rod Steiger, Warren Oates, Lee Grant, Special Features: Widescreen - 1.85 Audio: Mono - English, Spanish, French Dolby Digital 5.1 - English Subtitles - English, Spanish Optional Additional Release Material: Audio Commentaries - Norman Jewison Director; Lee Grant, Rod Steiger Stars; Haskell Wexler Cinematographer Runtime: 112 minutes Year of Release: 1967.