who played the district attorney on in the heat of the night

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Attorney Samuel Dortland 1 episode, 1990 Romy Walthall ... Kathleen Whearty 1 episode, 1990 Melvin Van Peebles ... Nathaniel Halwell 1 episode, 1990 Whitman Mayo ... Winston Tyler 1 …

Storyline

When District Attorney Gerard Darnelle's daughter Becky is kidnapped, he is caught between concurrent investigations (turf wars) by the Sparta police and the FBI. Benjamin Sloan is quickly identified as a likely suspect, but his motive is not clear at first.

Did you know

FBI agents do not use GSA motorpool cars with markings on the door that say United States Government. They use unmarked police vehicles.

Who sang the theme song for the movie "In the Heat of the Night"?

The theme song, " In the Heat of the Night ," was originally recorded by Quincy Jones, with Ray Charles on vocals and piano for the movie. It is usually paired with "They Call Me Mr. Tibbs" on albums. Bill Champlin of the band Chicago sang the opening theme song for the television series.

Who plays Hampton Forbes in Sparta?

Season 7 opens with Bill G illespie being forced out of office and former Memphis, Tennessee Police Department Inspector Hampton Forbes ( Carl Weathers) is hired as the new police chief by the city council. After nearly three decades on the Sparta police force, Gillespie does not receive a new contract from the council because his romance with Harriet is now out in the open, although other excuses are made for his dismissal. He seems to be accepting of the outcome, while Harriet doesn't hesitate to show her fury over the decision. The transition from Gillespie being in charge to Forbes taking over is slightly uneasy at the very start, but soon things smooth out.

Is the Sparta Police Department a sequel to the 1967 movie?

The show itself is supposed to be a sequel to the 1967 film, set several years in the future. In the premiere episode, Philadelphia homicide detective and criminal profiler Virgil Tibbs has returned to his fictional home town of Sparta, Mississippi, for his mother's funeral. By virtue of his relationship with Bill Gillespie, the white police chief, fostered during a previous murder investigation in which he assisted, Tibbs is persuaded by the mayor to remain in Sparta as Chief of Detectives. Mayor Findlay himself has an ulterior motive for hiring Tibbs: he wants to have some kind of record on civil rights in order to run for Congress, and hiring Tibbs to integrate the all-white Sparta police department would help to overcome the local squad's reputation of being racist and underskilled — and it also benefits him. Although the team suffers friction over Tibbs' dissatisfaction with the department's limited resources and racial attitudes, and Gillespie is annoyed at the detective's condescending suspicions about his home town, the two men prove highly effective in enforcing the law.

Where was Sparta filmed?

For example, the TV Sparta is situated along Interstate 20, while the real town is nowhere near any interstate. During the first season, Hammond, Louisiana was the site of the show's production. In the second season, the show was moved to Georgia, to an area east of Atlanta and it remained there for the rest of its run. The principal area of Sparta was in fact downtown Covington, Georgia. Rural scenes were filmed in a wide surrounding area, in the Georgia counties of Newton (where Covington is located), Rockdale, Walton, Morgan, and Jasper. Decatur in Dekalb County was used as a stand-in for an episode as the Mississippi Capital city of Jackson, and Atlanta itself was used in one episode, in which Bubba worked on a case there. In fact, during the series' run, many of the cast members had homes in the area and were often spotted in local restaurants and retail stores. The cast members would also go around to local schools to speak to students.

Where was the second season of Voodoo Murders filmed?

Season 2 premiered on December 4, 1988 due to a writers strike; the season introduced a new look and set of executive producers, Jeri Taylor and her husband David Moessinger, with on-location shooting moved from Louisiana to Covington , Georgia, which remained as the primary filming location of the show for the duration of the series. The season premiere was aired as a two-hour TV-movie originally entitled "The Voodoo Murders", now known in syndication as "Don't Look Back". The plot revolved around a copycat murder of one that Gillespie had investigated 20 years earlier. Also the Sparta city council was pushing Virgil Tibbs to run as a possible candidate for Chief of Police to replace Gillespie, but Virgil wasn't interested in doing so; regardless, a rumor begins that Tibbs is after Gillespie's job, causing dissension between the two men. Althea, who was a stay at home wife in Season 1, is offered a position as a teacher and guidance counselor at the local high school by city Councilman Ted Marcus ( Thom Gossom, Jr. ).

Storyline

Ex-Chief of Detectives Virgil Tibbs returns to Sparta as a full-fledged lawyer. He and his wife Althea have separated, and she has taken their twins back to live in Philadelphia. At Virgil's first appearance in court, Judge Sims appoints him to represent pro bono an accused murderer, Delbert Pike.

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Former Sparta, PD detective Virgil Tibbs returns to settle his affairs in Sparta. Sadly he and the wife have separated and Althea is in Philadelphia with the twins.

Storyline

Bill Gillespie's and Harriet DeLong's quiet evening at a local nightclub is disturbed by Bob Pinkney and Al Merck, who insult the couple with racist remarks. When the men are asked to leave, they cause a drunken disturbance outside, and Sweet arrests them. Pinkney tries unsuccessfully to bribe Sweet, then accuses Sweet of soliciting a bribe.

Did you know

Charles Hallahan 's character says his birth date is July 1, 1943. The actor's actual birth date is July 29, 1943.

What happened to Althea on 'In the Heat of the Night'?

Anne-Marie decided to leave the show at the end of Season 6 in order to take a job on Fox’s sketch comedy series In Living Color. She followed up that one-year stint with a guest-starring arc on Melrose Place.

Anne-Marie Johnson said she couldn't have asked for a better TV husband

Howard may have been fighting a few demons off-camera, but Anne-Marie has only nice things to say about her late co-star, who passed away in 1996 at the age of 46.

Early years

Gates was born in Saint Paul, Minnesota. As a chemical engineering student at the University of Minnesota, he acted in student plays. Some of his early acting experience came at the Barter Theatre in Abingdon, Virginia.

Career

Gates had a long career in film, television, and theater. He appeared in the Broadway productions of First Monday in October (1978), The Highest Tree (1959), The Carefree Tree (1955), The Taming of the Shrew (1950), The Teahouse of the August Moon (1953) Bell, Book and Candle (1956) and A Case of Libel (1964).

Recognition

In 1964, Gates was nominated for a Tony Award in the category Actor, Supporting or Featured (Dramatic), for his work in A Case of Libel.

Death

Gates died of leukemia in 1996. He was survived by his wife and a sister.

Premise

• The show itself is a sequel to the 1967 film, set several years in the future. In the premiere episode, Philadelphia homicide detective and criminal profiler Virgil Tibbs has returned to his fictional hometown of Sparta, Mississippi, for his mother's funeral. Under his relationship with Bill Gillespie, the white police chief fostered during a previ...

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