Gillespie and Tibbs learn to get used to each other's working habits and bond as workers and friends to solve the murder.Gillespie and Tibbs learn to get used to each other's working habits and bond as workers and friends to solve the murder.Gillespie and Tibbs learn to get used to each other's working habits and bond as workers and friends to solve the murder.
Photos
Howard E. Rollins Jr.
- Chief of Detectives Virgil Tibbs
- (as Howard Rollins)
Christian Jules Le Blanc
- Officer Junior Abernathy
- (as Christian LeBlanc)
David Harris
- Willie Jones
- (as Davis Harris)
- (credit only)
Margaret Blye
- Gillespie's Girlfriend
- (as Maggie Blye)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaIn the final scenes, Chief Gillespie and Det. Tibbs have a minor disagreement when Gillespie suggests he not put up a picture of Martin Luther King, Jr. Tibbs counters by pointing out there is a painting of Robert E. Lee already in the office. In Mississippi and some other Southern U.S. states, the third Monday in January is officially celebrated as Martin Luther King, Jr. and Robert E. Lee Day, as both men had birthdays on the same day (January 19th).
- GoofsWhen Red Jack's truck starts to pass Detective Tibbs' squad car, the driver's door of the car is undamaged. Moments later, the door is badly dented, before there is any contact between the two vehicles.
- Quotes
Chief of Detectives Virgil Tibbs: I guess you know everything about everybody here in this town, huh.
Chief William O. 'Bill' Gillespie: Virgil, if I was to sell all I know to one of them little newspapers at the checkout stand at the supermarket I'd have my fortune made. At the same time there be a whole lot of murders mayhem massacres and suicides.
- Crazy creditsBecause of a post-production error, in the syndicated version of the two-part pilot, four credits appear in the opening credits of part one but not part two. They are for composer Dick DeBenedictis, cinematographer Brianne Murphy, production designer William Hiney (as Bill Hiney) and editor Jack Harnish.
- ConnectionsEdited into In the Heat of the Night: Blessings (1990)
Featured review
Virgil's first Sparta homicide
This episode is a continuation of the first episode as Howard Rollins and Carroll
O'Connor have two related murders on their hands, the original one of a white
teenage girl and the black boy who was found hung in the Sparta jail.
Rollins may have he homicide expertise, but Carroll O'Connor knows his town and its people. They find themselves making a good team.
Some good guest star performances from Kevin McCarthy the first of Sparta's rich and powerful brought down in this series and from Doug Savant as his spoiled son. Both carrying over from the first part.
And some of the rest of the folks of Sparta are introduced to us as well.
Rollins may have he homicide expertise, but Carroll O'Connor knows his town and its people. They find themselves making a good team.
Some good guest star performances from Kevin McCarthy the first of Sparta's rich and powerful brought down in this series and from Doug Savant as his spoiled son. Both carrying over from the first part.
And some of the rest of the folks of Sparta are introduced to us as well.
helpful•30
- bkoganbing
- Feb 2, 2021
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