Gillespie arrests another suspect, Harvey Oberst, who protests his innocence. Tibbs examines the body and concludes the murder happened earlier than the doctor thought, the killer was right-handed, and the victim had been killed elsewhere and moved to where Wood found his body. Though Gillespie, like many of Sparta's white residents, is racist, he and Tibbs reluctantly agree to work together.Ī doctor estimates that Colbert had been dead for a few hours when his body was found. Tibbs wants to leave town on the next train, but his boss suggests he stay in Sparta to help with the murder investigation. Police chief Gillespie accuses him of murder and robbery but soon learns Tibbs is a top homicide inspector from Philadelphia. Wood finds Virgil Tibbs, a black man with a fat wallet, at the train station and arrests him. Late one night, police officer Sam Wood discovers Colbert's murdered body lying in the street. Wealthy industrialist Phillip Colbert moves to Sparta, Mississippi, to build a factory there.

6.1 American Film Institute recognition.

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'. The film also appears on AFI's 100 Years.100 Movies, a list of the 100 greatest movies in American cinema. The quote 'They call me Mister Tibbs! ' was listed as number 16 on the American Film Institute's 100 Years.100 Movie Quotes, a list of top film quotes. The film won five Academy Awards, including the 1967 awards for Best Picture and Rod Steiger for Best Actor. The screenplay was written by Stirling Silliphant. It stars Sidney Poitier and Rod Steiger, and was produced by Walter Mirisch. It is based on John Ball's 1965 novel of the same name and tells the story of Virgil Tibbs, a black police detective from Philadelphia, who becomes involved in a murder investigation in a small town in Mississippi.

In the Heat of the Night is a 1967 American mystery drama film directed by Norman Jewison.

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