In the Heat of the Night
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.
- Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
- Studio: United Artists, The Mirisch Company
- Keyword: small town, southern usa, black people, police chief, stolen money, racial segregation, racist, murder, youth gang, racism, whodunit, poverty, false accusations, police station, racial tension, bigotry, autopsy room, red herring, railroad station, white supremacists, nymphette, bigot, deep south, cotton plantation, southern small town, rumble, illegal abortionist, petty thief, jumping to conclusions, preserved film
- Cast: Sidney Poitier, Rod Steiger, Warren Oates, Peter Whitney, Lee Grant, Anthony James
