In the Heat of the Night

Plot Summary

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.

Top 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