they call me Mr. Tibbs

 

The 1967 film In the Heat of the Night was directed by Norman Jewison, who also directed

The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming

The Thomas Crown Affair (1968)

Fiddler on the Roof

Jesus Christ Superstar

and

Moonstruck, among others.

------------------- [excerpt about the novel, from The Noir 'net / Eric B. Olsen] ------------ Author John Ball had the concept for his original novel in 1933, but felt that the timing wasn't right.  "The climate was such that I couldn't have written it then," he reflected.

"In those days civil rights were unheard of, and I wasn't a good enough writer to do the idea justice."  

In fact, Ball had an undistinguished career as a writer of various types of action novels when his first Virgil Tibbs book was submitted to Joan Kahn, the legendary editor at Harper & Row.  She made extensive notes and had the author rewrite over and over again, forcing him to follow her meticulously thought-out plot, character, and dialogue enhancements.

     The book went on to win the Edgar Allan Poe Award from the Mystery Writers of America.  Reviews of the novel were glowing, suggesting that Tibbs might be worthy of acceptance into the pantheon of Great Detectives.  

When the second novel was submitted, Kahn again suggested major changes and rewrites, only to have Ball refuse to do them. 

 After all, he claimed, he'd already won an Edgar, had great reviews, and sold motion-picture rights for a ton of money, so he didn't really need her help.  

Needless to say, the second book, and the handful that followed, were critical and commercial failures, and Ball is remembered today only for that first book and the brilliant film made from it. --------------------- [end, website excerpt]

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