In the Heat of the Night is a 1967 American Southern Gothic mystery-drama film directed by Norman Jewison, produced by Walter Mirisch, and starring Sidney Poitier and Rod Steiger. It tells the story of Virgil Tibbs (Poitier), a black police detective from Philadelphia, who becomes embroiled in a murder investigation in a small town in Mississippi. The film was adapted by Stirling Silliphant from John Ball's 1965 novel of the same name. Best Picture at the 40th Academy Awards, April 10, 1968 — hosted by Bob Hope at Santa Monica Civic Auditorium. Wiki link Wiki link Poster: TMDB (this product uses the TMDB API but is not endorsed or certified by TMDB).