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A gripping, socially conscious murder mystery reflecting the turbulent times during which it was made, They Call Me Mister Tibbs! finds Sidney Poitier revisiting his tough-cop character from the Oscar-winning In the Heat of the Night. This 1970 sequel relocates Philadelphia police detective Virgil Tibbs to San Francisco, where an activist clergyman (played by Martin Landau) campaigning for local government reform is implicated in the murder of a prostitute. Tibbs, a close friend of the preacher, investigates the case in his usual no-nonsense manner but runs into unexpected opposition from corrupt officials. As in this film's illustrious predecessor, Virgil confronts deeply ingrained, systemic racism -- but unlike Heat of the Night, it unfolds in a contemporary urban setting where tensions gain complexity and power brokers play for high stakes. Veteran director Gordon Douglas (In Like Flint) deftly interprets a complicated script that switches back and forth between the murder investigation and Virgil's domestic travails. The MGM DVD benefits from a newly mastered print and is accompanied by the film's original trailer. Ed Hulse

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When it was released in 1968, For Love of Ivy was the first mainstream Hollywood film to depict a mature romantic relationship between a black man and woman. Sidney Poitier stars as Jack Parks, a trucking executive who runs an illegal travelling casino out of one of his vehicles. Abbey Lincoln co-stars as Ivy Moore, the much-valued maid of the white Austin household. To make sure that Ivy won't quit her job, Frank Austin (Carroll O'Connor) blackmails Poitier into romancing her. He eventually falls in love with Ivy for real, but not before she's discovered that he's little more than a "hired hand" in affairs of the heart. Beau Bridges costars as amiable hippie Tim Austin, the only truly likeable member of his snooty, upper-crust clan. Robert Alan Aurthur based his screenplay on an original story by star Sidney Poiter. Hal Erickson

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The winner of the 1967 Oscar for Best Picture (as well as four other Oscars), In the Heat of the Night is set in a small Mississippi town where an unusual murder has been committed. Rod Steiger plays sheriff Bill Gillespie, a good lawman despite his racial prejudices. When Virgil Tibbs (Sidney Poitier), a well-dressed northern African-American, comes to town, Gillespie instinctively puts him under arrest as a murder suspect. Tibbs reveals himself to be a Philadelphia police detective; after he and Gillespie come to a grudging understanding of one another, Tibbs offers to help in Gillespie's investigation. As the case progresses, both Gillespie and Tibbs betray a tendency to jump to culture-dictated conclusions. Still, the case is solved thanks to the informal teamwork of the two law officers. Based on the novel by John Ball, In the Heat of the Night inspired two sequels, both starring Poiter as Virgil Tibbs. In 1987, a TV series version of In the Heat of the Night appeared, with Carroll O'Connor as Gillespie and Howard Rollins as Tibbs. Hal Erickson

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Sidney Poitier plays Homer Smith, an aimless ex-GI who takes a temporary handyman job at a Southwestern farm maintained by five German nuns. It is the cherished dream of the Mother Superior (Lilia Skala) to build a chapel (or, as she says, a "shapel"). She is convinced that the personable Homer has been sent from Above to help her realize her dream. He protests loudly and rudely, but she will not be dissuaded. How Homer accomplishes her goal, endears himself to the surrounding townsfolk, and avoids an arrest for a previous crime, comprises the heart of Lilies of the Field. The film, adapted by James Poe from a novel by William E. Barrett, was later remade for television, and it won Poitier an Academy Award for Best Actor, the first time that award was given to an African-American. Hal Erickson

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Police detective Virgil Tibbs (Sidney Poitier) returns to finds himself in hot water with the police over his acceptance of help from a neighborhood anti-drug group. The group has done some things which are far from textbook legal, such as stealing and destroying a large shipment of drugs. Though they pulled off their robbery without loss of life, a corpse is found at the scene of the heist. Tibbs, now suspended from the force, uses their help to string together clues which enable him to break up a large drug ring. This is the third movie made starring Poitier and based on John Bail's novels In The Heat of the Night and They Call Me Mister Tibbs. Clarke Fountain

Product Details

• UPC: 027616901514
• Source: MGM (VIDEO & DVD)
• Region Code: 1
• Aspect Ratio: Vistavision (1.66:1), Theatre Wide-Screen (1.85.1)
• Presentation: B&W, Wide Screen
• Sound: Dolby Digital Mono
• Language: English, Français, Español
• Subtitles: Français, Español, English
• Time: 8:42:00
• Sales Rank: 20,323

This set contains DVDs which may be available separately:

• Lilies of the Field
• In the Heat of the Night
• For Love of Ivy
• They Call Me Mister Tibbs!
• The Organization

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