Night, an Edgar Award winner in 1965, was the first of several Tibbs novels, which also include The Cool Cottontail, The Eyes of Buddha, and Five Pieces of Jade.The books stand on their own, but for many, the character of African-American detective Virgil Tibbs will always be remembered from the classic Norman Jewison film of 1967. What a cast. Rod Steiger, no lightweight talent, gave the performance of his career as the racist Mississippi police chief Bill Gillespie, for which he deservedly won an Oscar. Lee Grant as the victim’s widow was never so seductive and alluring, and Warren Oates, one of the greatest character actors of his day, played Officer Sam Wood, and was his usual outstanding self.
The depth of talent on this film goes even deeper. Hal Ashby, before he became a director, served as the film’s editor. Haskell Wexler was the cinematographer. And the score. Man, that score. Quincy Jones hit all the notes that the delta blues has to offer. The title song, sung by his great friend Ray Charles, is worth the price of DVD rental alone. If you haven’t seen it, now is the time to put it in your Netflix queue.
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