In the Heat of the Night Quotes
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Source: In the Heat of the Night
Speaker: Detective Virgil Tibbs
They call me Mister Tibbs!
Context
This line is spoken by Detective Virgil Tibbs (played by Sidney Poitier) in the film In the Heat of the Night, directed by Norman Jewison (1967).
The American South—it's hot, sweaty, and racist, especially as depicted in the Academy Award-winning film In the Heat of the Night. This line comes after a black police detective named Virgil Tibbs clashes with a racist police force over a murder case. In one pivotal scene, white Police Chief Bill Gillespie (Rod Steiger) repeatedly disrespects Tibbs, who has made a big advancement in the case, calling him by his first name over and over again.
To insult Tibbs further, Gillespie asks, "What do they call you [in Philadelphia]?" Here, Tibbs asserts his identity, saying proudly, "They call me Mister Tibbs!" You go, Mister Tibbs! And now you go, Shmooper, to check out the clip.
Where you've heard it
You've heard this if a person is taking back their identity from someone who is trying to demean them, or in a discussion of landmark moments in the depiction of African-American characters in movie history. (Or, we guess, if you happen to come across some fellow whose last name is indeed "Tibbs.")
Additional Notable References:
- Poitier reprised his role in the sequel, which was titled They Call Me Mister Tibbs! (1970).
- In the Heat of the Night was made into a long-running TV series, starring Howard E. Rollins Jr. as Mister Tibbs.
- It looks like Pumbaa is a big In the Heat of the Night fan (and has seen Taxi Driver one too many times).
- This episode of the cartoon Real Ghostbusters is titled "They Call Me Mister Slimer!"
- When ordering a soft drink, you might say, "They call me… Mr. Pibb!"
Pretentious Factor
If you were to drop this quote at a dinner party, would you get an in-unison "awww" or would everyone roll their eyes and never invite you back? Here it is, on a scale of 1-10.
A man has to stand up for himself. It's pretentious of Gillespie to try to humiliate Mr. Tibbs in the moment right before this famous quote is uttered.