In the Heat of the Night

Though most will forever remember O'Conner for his Emmy-winning turn as "Archie Bunker" in the classic "All in the Family," his last television role on the long-running "In the Heat of the Night" was still equally as memorable. Inspired by the Oscar-winning film, starring Rod Steiger and Sidney Poitier, the show dealt with the police force of the mythical town of Sparta, Missisippi, headed by Chief Bill Gillespie with transplanted Philedelphian Virgil Tibbs, new and black to a force that was unprepared for such a high-ranking black. Though the first couple of episodes dealt with the adjustments that had to made with the new man on the force, the racial tension in the department was soon eliminated as both The Chief and Tibbs, along with other policemen (the superb Alan Artry as "Bubba," David Hart as the down-home, tea-drinking "Parker," Geoffrey Horne" and Hugh O'Conner as the young cops, "Sweet" and "Lonnie Jameson," respectively) came to respect and trust each other.

Many of the shows dealt with timely topics as A.I.D.S., spousal abuse, rape, and corrupt politicians. One of the series' most powerful episodes is "A Trip Upstate," wherein Chief Gillespie is asked to attend the execution of a criminal (guest star Paul Benjamin) that he caught years before. The riveting execution is quite detailed and the dialog-less performances by O'Conner and Benjamin are Emmy-worthy. The eye contact between the two actors is unbelievably intense. Whether one is pro or con on the topic of capital punishment, this particular installment should have some effect, one way or the other.

This was without a doubt one of the best TV shows to ever depict the South the way it needed to be shown during the latter part of late 80's and continue into the mid-90's. This was in fact a worthy successor to the 1967 Oscar winning film of the same title. Its extremely rare these days to find a film-to-TV spin off that actually works on its own formula(the last show to accomplished such a feat and excel was MASH),and it does just that. It has an originality of its own--and it is sometimes quirky(since this set in the fictional Southern town of Sparta,and sometimes it can be downright eccentric)in the way that ordinary people act under circumstances in extraordinary situations. But in point,it taught us about the racial prejudices and as well as real life situations courtesy of its teacher and executive producer of the series....CARROLL O'CONNOR. It shows how racial problems can be solved,and also shows us that for one how drugs and drinking as well as abuse can tear a family apart and how to deal with those issues(several episodes consisted of the subject dealt with this brilliantly,including one scene where suicide was a major factor). It shows how a police force was very concerned with the community and what made it so good was that they were were not so caring but they knew what the community and its people were going through in a time of crisis. In other words,the police cared what was going on regardless of came about. Also,to make this statement....Carroll O'Connor is the ONLY actor in Hollywood who spoke out about the abuse of drugs in the community(he stepped out of character in one episode to speak about that which brought me to tears),and his show dealt with that exceptionally well. As the show made the switched from NBC to CBS in 1993,the show stayed focus on issues,but it also was the first to show an interracial marriage between characters. At its best it showed the all out emotions of the human condition,but its still is a beautifully produced show. Kudos to the late Howard Rollins,and Carroll O'Connor. R.I.P.

I remember watching the last season on CBS, then later catching re-runs on TNT. This show is amazing, with many memorable shows that caught my attention and didn't let go until the show was over. Many great performances by actors who sadly disappeared or were stuck in guest appearances after this show.

Basically, the "In the Heat of the Night" show picks up where the 1967 series ended (with some minor plot changes, and the show was updated to the times). Chief Gillespie (Carroll O'Connor) is much more comical and light-hearted than the 1967 character. Virgil Tibbs (Howard Rollins) has settled in Sparta and brings his wife, Althea (Anne-Marie Johnson) along. There are also many stand-out characters in the police department, including Bubba Skinner (Alan Autry), Parker Williams (David Hart), Lonnie Jamison (Hugh O'Connor), Wilson Sweet (Geoffrey Thorne), and Luanne Corbin (Crystal R. Fox). This show also broke ground by introducing Harriet DeLong (Denise Nicholas), who becomes involved in a relationship with Gillespie.

This show presented the south (and the police) very well, and consistently produced shows that kept your attention - even to the very end. There was also an element of comedy to each episode, that helped the show not to be dragged down to the over-dramatic. But, the comedy also doesn't make the show overly corny or stupid.

Everyone in the cast contributed great, consistent performances. It's a shame that most of the cast couldn't find work after this show.

Hugh O'Connor (Carroll's adopted son) committed suicide only months after the show was canceled.

Howard Rollins died shortly after the show was taken off the air from cancer.

Carroll O'Connor left acting for a few years, making guest appearances once in awhile, and died of a heart attack in 2001.

Anne-Marie Johnson has done several voice-overs, and I remember seeing her in a telemovie, 'Asteroid', a few years back. Other than a recurring roll on the now-canceled TV show, 'Grace Under Fire', Alan Autry, has disappeared. David Hart, Geoffrey Thorne, Denise Nicholas, and Crystal Fox have also disappeared after this show.

In the Heat of the Night was a great show. It was also a seemingly cursed show. None of the actors have gone on to "bigger and better things". And three have since died. R.I.P. TNT still re-runs this show, so, if you catch it, I recommend you watch the show. You won't be disappointed.

Rating: 9/10

ITHOTN is my second favorite hour long TV series( right behind the Rockford files 1974-80.) The first season,while well acted and produced isn't as good as season two and three. The episodes filmed in Hammond Louisiana recapture the atmosphere of the motion picture with its run down buildings and the racist behavior of " Bill Gillespie". The stories just don't measure up, with the exception of " Road Kill" One of the entire series best episodes!.The four Joe Don Baker episodes (while Carroll O' Connor was recuperating from heart surgery) are among my favorites. "15 forever " is unsettling in its depiction of teenagers killed by a drunk driver.( Spartas district attorney! ) " The pig woman of Sparta" is funny and atmospheric. "Lady bug,lady bug"is dark and brutal."Vengeance" and "Sparta Gold" are two of Alan Autrys best. Scott Brian Higgs is hilarious as the eccentric "Randy Calhoun", a recurring character on the show.Lois Nettleton is very good as Bill Gillespies love interest and her shady past is revealed in the excellent "Aka Kelly Kay". I was so impressed with the series that we traveled through Covington Georgia on our way to Florida a few years ago. We saw a lot of the filming locations and toured the ITHOTN/ Dukes of Hazzard museum. Carroll O' Connor was totally believable as "Bill Gillespie", Howard Rollins upstaged the entire cast, bringing more depth to the "Virgil Tibbs" character than Sidney Poitier did in the '67 film. Hugh O' Connor who obviously wasn't a trained actor,actually grew into his "Jameson" role and was good enough to carry several episodes by himself! The last season was wearing pretty thin but had a very good run with some truly memorable stories. RIP Carroll,Hugh and Howard.

I found that the series was very realistic, and in some cases very funny. The characters seem real, and the plots are interesting. The cast that was chosen could not have been better. That acting was done well, and it was very sincere. Especially, when the show got into the heart of difficult issues. This might sound a bit silly, but the show meant a lot to me, because it was one of the last shows that was true to what it was, and one of the best series that has ever been produced in my mind.The one thing that I would really like to know, if someone somewhere is trying to come up with a DVD collection of the series. I know that I would probably be first in line. It is a show that I enjoyed, and miss watching a great deal.