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This Day in Pop Culture

This Day in Pop Culture for August 2

Jackie Joyner-Kersee and Mr. Tibbs.

August 2, 2020

1–2 minutes

1967: They Called Him Mr. Tibbs

“They call me Mr. Tibbs!” is one of the most famous movie quotes from The Heat of the Night which was released in theaters on this day in 1967. Described as an American neo-noir mystery drama, the movie is based on John Ball’s novel of the same name. The story is partially based on how Virgil Tibbs, a black homicide detective (Sidney Poitier) has to solve a murder with the help from white police chief Gillespie (Rod Steiger) in Sparta, Mississippi. Directed by Norman Jewison with a film score by Quincy Jones, the movie also starred Warren Oates and Lee Grant.

The Heat of the Night was nominated for seven Academy Awards and won five including Best Picture, Best Actor (Steiger), Best Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium, Best Film Editing and Best Sound. The movie led to two successful sequels, They Call Me Mister Tibbs! in 1970 and The Organization in 1971 as well as a 1988 TV series.

1992: Jackie Joyner-Kersee Wins Gold…Again

Jackie Joyner-Kersee grew up in East St. Louis, fighting off poverty and asthma by winning a scholarship to UCLA where she was a standout on the basketball and track teams.

Joyner-Kersee attended her first Olympic Games in Los Angeles in 1984 but missed the gold medal in the heptathlon by just five points. A sore hamstring was to blame.

In 1988, she competed in the Seoul Olympics where she won the gold medal and on this day in 1992, she became the first woman ever to win two consecutive Olympic gold medals in the heptathlon. In 1996 she tried it one more time but had to withdraw due to a hamstring injury.