When a wealthy industrialist is found murdered in a small Mississippi town and an African-American man is picked up at the train station with a wallet full of cash, local Police Chief Bill Gillespie immediately assumes he has caught his culprit. He’s soon embarrassed to learn that the man he has arrested is Detective Virgil Tibbs, an experienced police officer from Philadelphia. The unlikely pair are forced to work together to unravel the mystery, leading them on a line of enquiry that will challenge both of their preconceptions. Winner of five Academy Awards in 1967, including Best Picture, and based on the novel by John Ball, IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT “expertly touches upon dividing lines in American society: North and South, rural and urban, and most importantly, Black and White.” (Sumner Forbes, Film Threat)

IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT first played at the Avalon in November 1967, and is our selection representing the 1960s as a part of our year-long, special Centennial program, 100 Years of Cinema Magic. The screening will be followed by a Q&A with special guests.