History
Drama thriller
In the Heat of the Night (1967): Cast, Ratings & Box Office
In the Heat of the Night is a 1967 drama thriller directed by Norman Jewison, starring Rod Steiger, Lee Grant and Sidney Poitier. It is based on In the Heat of the Night by John Ball. It runs 1 hour 49 minutes and earned $27,669 worldwide. It won 5 Oscars, including Best Picture and Actor, and 10 awards in all. Critics gave it 76 on Metacritic.
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- Released
- Runtime
- 1h 49m (109 min)
- Director
- Norman Jewison
- Original language
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English - Studio
- United Artists
- After the credits
- No No extra scene
The story
What Is In the Heat of the Night About?
The premise of In the Heat of the Night without spoilers, adapted from In the Heat of the Night by John Ball. The whole story is in the plot summary further down.
A shocking murder in a Mississippi town disrupts the fragile peace and exposes deep-seated corruption. The local police chief is forced to collaborate with an insistent, outsider detective to investigate the crime. As they delve deeper, they confront complex racial tensions and a network of deceit that threatens to engulf the entire community, challenging their assumptions and pushing them to the limit in their pursuit of justice.
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Cast & crew
In the Heat of the Night Cast
Rod Steiger leads the cast, with Lee Grant and Sidney Poitier. Directed by Norman Jewison; 4 actors are credited in all.
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Director Norman Jewison
From the director
More from Norman Jewison
More films directed by Norman Jewison, best-rated first: Moonstruck, The Hurricane, Fiddler on the Roof and The Cincinnati Kid.
Ratings
In the Heat of the Night Reviews & Ratings
Critics gave In the Heat of the Night 76 on Metacritic.
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Metacritic 76 Metascore
User score 7.9
See on Metacritic -
TMDB 76% User score
See on TMDB
Plot
In the Heat of the Night Plot Summary
What happens in In the Heat of the Night from start to finish, spoilers included, with a timeline of 14 key events. The opening is below; the full summary is a 3-minute read.
Spoilers ahead
Wealthy industrialist Phillip Colbert and his wife travel to Sparta, Mississippi, to oversee the construction of a new factory. One fateful night, police officer Sam Wood stumbles upon the body of Colbert, brutally murdered and left on the street. Wood arrests Virgil Tibbs, a black man carrying a substantial sum of money, at the train station, believing him to be involved in the crime. However, things take a dramatic turn when police chief Bill Gillespie discovers that Tibbs is, in fact, a renowned homicide detective from Philadelphia, who was just passing through after visiting his mother. Although Tibbs is eager to leave town, his superior encourages him to stay and assist Gillespie with the investigation.
Full summary
The whole story of In the Heat of the Night, scene by scene
Box office
In the Heat of the Night Box Office
In the Heat of the Night grossed $27,669 worldwide.
Worldwide gross
$27.7K
- International
- $27.7K
Awards
In the Heat of the Night Awards & Nominations
In the Heat of the Night won 5 Oscars, including Best Picture and Actor, and 10 awards in all. Its biggest night was the Oscars 1968, with 5 wins from 7 nominations.
10 wins18 nominations4 ceremonies
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Oscars 1968 5 wins · 7 nominations- Won Actor – Rod Steiger
- Won Best Picture
- Won Film Editing
- Won Sound
- Won Writing (Screenplay—based on material from another medium)
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Golden Globes 1968 3 wins · 6 nominations- Won Best Motion Picture - Drama
- Won Best Performance in a Motion Picture – Drama (Actor) – Rod Steiger
- Won Best Screenplay
- Nominated Best Director – Norman Jewison
- Nominated Best Performance in a Motion Picture – Drama (Actor) – Sidney Poitier
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BAFTA 1968 2 wins · 4 nominations- Won Best Foreign Actor – Rod Steiger
- Won United Nations Award – Norman Jewison
- Nominated Best Film – Norman Jewison
- Nominated Best Foreign Actor – Sidney Poitier
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DGA Awards 1968 1 nomination- Nominated Feature Film – Norman Jewison
Videos
In the Heat of the Night Trailers & Videos
10 videos: 1 trailer, 1 teaser, 5 clips and 3 featurettes.
- Teaser TCM Big Screen Classics 55th Anniversary Spot
- Clip Mr. Tibbs Slaps Endicott
- Clip Autopsy Scene
- Clip Train Station Scene
Quiz
How Well Do You Know In the Heat of the Night?
10 questions about the story, each with a hint if you get stuck. Pick an answer to see whether you were right.
Question 1 of 10
- Question 1: not answered
- Question 2: not answered
- Question 3: not answered
- Question 4: not answered
- Question 5: not answered
- Question 6: not answered
- Question 7: not answered
- Question 8: not answered
- Question 9: not answered
- Question 10: not answered
What triggers the murder investigation in Sparta, Mississippi?
Cars
Cars in In the Heat of the Night
29 cars on screen, including the 1963 Plymouth Belvedere and the 1966 Plymouth Belvedere.
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1963 Plymouth Belvedere Main role -
1966 Plymouth Belvedere Main role -
1954 Dodge Royal Important role -
1960 Plymouth Fury Important role
Details
In the Heat of the Night Also Known As
38 alternative titles, including “No Calor da Noite” and “恶夜追缉令”.
- Also known as
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- No Calor da Noite
- 恶夜追缉令
- 月黑风急杀人夜
- Al calor de la noche
- Dans la chaleur de la nuit
- Среднощна жега
- Gecenin sicaginda
- U vrelini noći
- In caldura noptii
- W upalna noc
- Natten var het
- Istoria enos eglimatos
+26 more Show fewer
- 밤의 열기 속으로
- 밤의 열기 속에서
- Опівнічна жара
- De Nacht van Inspecteur Tibbs
- У врелини ноћи
- En el Calor de la Noche
- Душной южной ночью
- In der Hitze der Nacht
- La calda notte dell'ispettore Tibbs
- 炎热的夜晚
- I nattens hetta
- Gecenin Sıcağında
- Полуночная жара
- Forró éjszakában
- V žáru noci
- Ιστορία ενός Εγκλήματος
- כחום הלילה
- 夜の大捜査線
- Спекотної ночі
- W upalną noc
- I nattens hede
- 惡夜追緝令
- În arșița nopții
- Yön kuumuudessa
- En la calor de la nit
- คืนเดือด คดีโฉด
Seen In the Heat of the Night?
From the blog
Articles About In the Heat of the Night
Our article about In the Heat of the Night: “The Legacy of Film Noir: Shadows, Mystery, and Intrigue”.
FAQ
In the Heat of the Night FAQ: Cast, Box Office & Awards
Runtime, release date, director, cast, box office, ratings, the book behind it and awards of In the Heat of the Night, each answered in a sentence.
How long is In the Heat of the Night?
In the Heat of the Night runs 1 hour 49 minutes (109 minutes).
When was In the Heat of the Night released?
In the Heat of the Night was released on August 3, 1967.
Who directed In the Heat of the Night?
In the Heat of the Night was directed by Norman Jewison.
More films by Norman Jewison Who is in the cast of In the Heat of the Night?
In the Heat of the Night stars Rod Steiger, Lee Grant and Sidney Poitier, among 4 credited actors.
How much did In the Heat of the Night make at the box office?
In the Heat of the Night grossed $27,669 worldwide.
How is In the Heat of the Night rated?
In the Heat of the Night has 76 on Metacritic and 76% on TMDB.
Is In the Heat of the Night based on a book?
Yes. In the Heat of the Night is adapted from In the Heat of the Night by John Ball.
What awards did In the Heat of the Night win?
In the Heat of the Night won 10 awards from 18 nominations, including Actor at the Oscars 1968.
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