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They Call Me Mister Tibbs!

  • 19701970
  • GPGP
  • 1h 48m
IMDb RATING
6.0/10
4.1K
YOUR RATING
They Call Me Mister Tibbs! (1970)
In San Francisco, a high-priced call girl is murdered and the case is assigned to Police Lieutenant Virgil Tibbs.
Play trailer2:01
2 Videos
55 Photos
CrimeDramaMystery
In San Francisco, a high-priced call girl is murdered and the case is assigned to Police Lieutenant Virgil Tibbs.In San Francisco, a high-priced call girl is murdered and the case is assigned to Police Lieutenant Virgil Tibbs.In San Francisco, a high-priced call girl is murdered and the case is assigned to Police Lieutenant Virgil Tibbs.
IMDb RATING
6.0/10
4.1K
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Gordon Douglas
  • Writers
    • Alan Trustman(screenplay)
    • James R. Webb(screenplay)
    • John Ball(character)
  • Stars
    • Sidney Poitier
    • Martin Landau
    • Barbara McNair
  • Director
    • Gordon Douglas
  • Writers
    • Alan Trustman(screenplay)
    • James R. Webb(screenplay)
    • John Ball(character)
  • Stars
    • Sidney Poitier
    • Martin Landau
    • Barbara McNair
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 39User reviews
    • 22Critic reviews
  • See more at IMDbPro
  • Videos2

    Official Trailer 2
    Trailer 2:01
    Watch Official Trailer 2
    Official Trailer
    Trailer 2:08
    Watch Official Trailer

    Photos55

    Sidney Poitier in They Call Me Mister Tibbs! (1970)
    Martin Landau and Sidney Poitier in They Call Me Mister Tibbs! (1970)
    Sidney Poitier and Barbara McNair in They Call Me Mister Tibbs! (1970)
    Martin Landau and Sidney Poitier in They Call Me Mister Tibbs! (1970)
    Sidney Poitier and Anthony Zerbe in They Call Me Mister Tibbs! (1970)
    Barbara McNair in They Call Me Mister Tibbs! (1970)
    Sidney Poitier and George Spell in They Call Me Mister Tibbs! (1970)
    Sidney Poitier in They Call Me Mister Tibbs! (1970)
    Edward Asner and Sidney Poitier in They Call Me Mister Tibbs! (1970)
    They Call Me Mister Tibbs! (1970)
    They Call Me Mister Tibbs! (1970)
    Sidney Poitier in Lilies of the Field (1963)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Sidney Poitier
    Sidney Poitier
    • Virgil Tibbs
    Martin Landau
    Martin Landau
    • Logan Sharpe
    Barbara McNair
    Barbara McNair
    • Valerie Tibbs
    Anthony Zerbe
    Anthony Zerbe
    • Rice Weedon
    Edward Asner
    Edward Asner
    • Woody Garfield
    Jeff Corey
    Jeff Corey
    • Captain Marden
    Norma Crane
    Norma Crane
    • Marge Garfield
    Juano Hernandez
    Juano Hernandez
    • Mealie Williamson
    David Sheiner
    David Sheiner
    • Lieutenant Kenner
    Beverly Todd
    Beverly Todd
    • Puff
    Ted Gehring
    Ted Gehring
    • Inspector Deutsch
    Linda Towne
    • Joy Sturges
    Garry Walberg
    Garry Walberg
    • Medical Examiner
    George Spell
    • Andy Tibbs
    Wanda Spell
    • Ginger Tibbs
    John Alvin
    John Alvin
    • Bearded Reporter at Logan Sharpe HQ
    • (uncredited)
    Ted Christy
    Ted Christy
    • Pool Hall Patron
    • (uncredited)
    Vic Christy
    Vic Christy
    • Pool Hall Patron
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • Gordon Douglas
    • Writers
      • Alan Trustman(screenplay) (story)
      • James R. Webb(screenplay)
      • John Ball(character)
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Notable for being one of the few movies in which Edward Asner wears a full toupee for his part.
    • Goofs
      Detective Tibbs is presented as having entirely different biography about details of his life and career than he did in previous film In the Heat of the Night (1967).
    • Quotes

      Virgil Tibbs: A case is never solved until a judge says it is.

    • Connections
      Edited into Afro Promo (1997)

    User reviews39

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    7/10
    Lovably kitsch Poitier folly
    With its kipper ties, flared trousers and proficient - yet dated - music, They Call Me MISTER Tibbs! is perhaps the Poitier film that has aged least gracefully. While its prequel, In The Heat of the Night, was borne from the epitome of cool that was the sixties, here the seventies nurtured this film, which lends it a kitsch value, as well as the air of a t.v. movie. Though these elements - such as seeing the funky theme start up to the tune of Sidney clocking someone with a telephone, or Ed Asner (tv's Lou Grant) "drive" a car to a filmed backdrop - make it endearing and a must-see for a light-hearted Saturday night.

    A world away from the usual Sidney vehicle we have here a trawl through San Francisco's red light districts, to which the family elements - though the most critically attacked - actually provide effective light. Also unusual is the amount of sexual tone Sidney is here allowed to display. Yet whereas in the former film Poitier was the big town Lieutenant working in small-town Mississippi, here he is on his own territory, thus shaving the film of one of its dimensions. Without Steiger to bounce off, what depth the script provides his character second time around comes from his wife and children, most notably his son. After slapping the boy into submission, Poitier hugs him, mourning the fact that "you're not perfect . and I can't forgive you." Not a perfectly-formed film by any means, this one does improve on repeated viewing, and the majority of ill feeling does seem to be down to disappointment. After all, how does one make a sequel to a movie that's hailed as a classic?
    helpful•22
    4
    • The_Movie_Cat
    • Aug 26, 1999

    FAQ1

    • Is this film at all connected to "In the Heat of the Night"? Would I have to see that film first?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • July 10, 1970 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • They Call Me MISTER Tibbs!
    • Filming locations
      • Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco, California, USA
    • Production company
      • The Mirisch Corporation
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

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    • Gross US & Canada
      • $5,123,000
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 48 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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