“Fowl Owl on the Prowl”(Ed DeRousse) Much of the movie “In The Heat of the Night” was made in my home town when I was a teen. My home town was chosen because of the racial tensions of the 1960s. The movie had a racially charged theme. For that reason, the producers felt it would be easier to make a movie with a racial theme somewhere other in Mississippi. The setting for the movie was Sparta, Mississippi.
There were many rumors circulating about things that happened during the making of that movie. If they were true, it certainly is understandable why we were selected for the movie’s actual filming.
One of the rumors was that while shooting an earlier scene in Mississippi, Sidney Poitier felt the racial tensions. He actually slept with a loaded pistol under his pillow. The better part of wisdom prevailed. They needed to find a new less stressful location.
Sparta, Illinois was found and secured. Besides being less racial tension, the producers would not have to change the city limits sign.
Obviously, Hollywood coming to Southern Illinois was a big, big deal.
Many things stand out about those weeks Hollywood spent in town. Of course, some of us had the opportunity to get up close and personal with the actors. Lives were interrupted and gossip dominated conversation.
For me, the best part was being able to watch the “dead body” scene being filmed up close and personal. I had a ‘bird’s eye view” of that process and the opportunity to speak to a couple of the actors. My shyness prevented me from following through.
The mayor and town council tried very hard to get the movie to premiere
in Sparta, Illinois. They were unsuccessful. No one was surprised about that. Most expressed the belief that all actors were snobs anyway. I wondered how we would be able to accommodate all those actors, their friends and families and all of our community in our theatre. It was a physical impossibility. Most likely, the building could only seat one hundred or so. The town had a population of three thousand and you know every one of them would want to come.
Regardless, the town of Sparta, Illinois survived its Hollywood experience.
Those of us who lived through it have their own special memories. I remember watching the big burly lighting technician trying to climb a ladder with his pink hearted white boxers around his knees. That was an absolutely hilarious experience.
I have a friend who says his favorite memory was sharing his house with Rod Steiger. He played the town’s sheriff.
“In the Heat of the Night” was definitely an emotionally charged movie. The producers took quite a chance in making this movie. The battle for Civil Rights was still on-going in 1967 when this movie was made.
A particularly sensitive scene in the movie was when a black man returned a slap to the face of a white wealthy man. Supposedly, that was one of the first times in a major motion picture when a black man reacted to a provocation from a white man. Even though the Civil Rights Act of 1964 had been enacted, feelings where still strong on the issue.
Critics still refer to the scene as one of the most memorable. I am sure that is one of the reasons for its Best Picture academy award.
As for memorable scenes, mine is probably different than most. It was a great movie, no doubt. And it certainly addressed the problem with race relations. But for me there was a scene that set the stage.
Sidney Poitier, the Philadelphia detective investigating the murder, is in a police car with Warren Oates, the town’s deputy. They drive up to a diner with the intent to recreate the deputy’s nightly activity.
Inside the diner we see a tall, lean, pockmarked face man with stringy build and greasy dark hair leaning over a juke box. He is wearing an apron around his waist. With what looks like a pointed table knife, we see him preying open the jukebox. The diner is empty, except for him.
A happy almost child-like melody begins playing. It sounded more like a children’s lullaby. At first I thought it was “Little Red Riding Hood” by Sam The Sham and the Pharaohs. The weirdo, with the apron on begins dancing to it.
It was not the familiar song by the Pharaohs. But if you listened to it, the song was actually an ode to a big bad predator.
The words of the song go:
“All you little birds better lock up tight
‘cause there’s a foul owl on the prowl tonight.
Hey, little lark, get outta the dark,
Fowl owl on the prowl…….”
To this point in the movie, one of the town’s wealthy businessmen had been murdered and people accused of it. One of the accused is the town deputy, which is why the big city detective and the deputy are in the car at the diner.
The song “Fowl Owl on the Prowl” appeared innocent. That unexpected innocence in the middle of a tense movie and the visual of a dancing small-town weirdo strongly suggested ominous things were going to follow.
It didn’t help that the weirdo guy reminded me of someone I thought was an actual resident of my fair city. We all knew some of the movie’s extras were residents.
Ominous things did follow and the lanky weirdo guy showed up again a few more time in the movie.
Strange as it may be, that is the scene that impacted me the most. I once had an opportunity to bring home a permanent reminder of that scene.
The diner in the movie was located in Freeburg, Illinois, a small community about thirty miles to the north of Sparta. A few years later, it fell into disrepair. Fred, a friend of mine, planned to open up a local restaurant commemorating “In the Heat of the Night”. He was looking for items from the movie to display in his restaurant. Fred knows all there is to know about his favorite movie.
I reminded Fred that the diner still had the neon “e a t” sign above its door. Perhaps he could put that one above his. The contact had already been made, he said. Its owner, according to Fred, was asking a ridiculous amount of money for it.
He was disappointed.
Fred did have the last laugh. The sign sometimes lights up the back of his garage. Or, at least he tells his friends it was from the movie. His son gave it to him as a birthday present one year.

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