Simon Hall (Yon) and In the Heat of the Night

Kid A Peter Helly here, welcome to you Ain't seen nothing yet in the movie Podcast, where I chat to a movie lover about a classic, oh beloved movie they haven't quite got around to watching until now. And today's guest singer, comedian, performer writer my mate Yonnie from Tripod.

Ah blow. I want to stay here with you to the jobble my hate, snake shucked, my fail, It wouldn't be happening.

Ripe, You an't nothing here.

Simon Hall aka yon or Yonny from Tripod is a dear friend of mine who.

I've known for many, many years.

I first got to know yon on the Melbourne International Comedy Festival road show.

I met him before I did that.

It was the very first one, I think it was in nineteen ninety eight, and on that tour was myself, Tripod, Ross Noble, Keith Robinson from New York, will Anderson, Kering, Grant and I.

Think that was it. And we had a magical time.

And I particularly loved getting to know the Tripod boys, Gates, Scott and Yon And what I loved about them in particular was they just loved talking about music and movies. And guess what I love talking about those things too. Yon is hilarious and great company. There's a great blog to hang out with and chat, and a great performer and hilarious on stage. The Tripod Boys for those who may be listening in areas where maybe Tripod aren't known

It was not as big a hit. I gotta say difficult second album.

But it was great that with Yan and Scott and just perform it occasionally on stage with him. We also did another song called a Man Is Not a camel but a Camel Is, and that was also a lot of fun.

Yanni has a new project out.

It's a podcast and it's called Minuscule Musical Minuscule spelt with a you when you look for it, where he and a guest, usually a musical guest, perform right and compose and then perform in front of a live audience.

A musical.

It's not like a full blown musical, like a a two hour musical weekly for an interval as a smaller musical goes between anywhere between ten to fifteen minutes. I haven't listened to it yet a middlely, but it sounds bloody amazing and I cannot wait to get my ears into it. Yannie is smart, funny, perceptive, and just a bloody hoot to be around, and I'm bloody stoked to be hanging with him today.

My name's Jan and my favorite films are Michael Clayton.

I have blood on my hand.

You are the senior litigating partner of one of the largest most respected law firms in the world.

You are a legend. I'm a complet You're romantic depressive. I am Siva, the god of death in the line of fire. I have a rendezvous with death, and so does the president, and so do you. Frank, if you get too close to me, you have a rendezvous with my ass. Motherfucker and eighth grade. The topic of today's video is being yourself. And it's like, you know, well, aren't I always being myself? And like, yeah, for.

Sure, but uh sorry, I sorry, I'm reading these off papers.

And I've chosen to watch for this episode. In the heat of the not.

In the it seems like a sweat creeping cross.

A Purvey police officer finds a dead body in the middle of the night in an alleyway in Sparta, Mississippi. When a black man is found at a train station with a reasonable amount of cash on him, the officer believes he has his man. When the man awaiting his train is taken to the police station, he reveals that he is in fact an officer of the law. In fact,

Must choose a side.

Winner of the nineteen sixty eight Best Film Oscar among five collects have had that night, including best out of that for the Great hal ashby Amazingly or perhaps not amazingly, Sidney Poitier did not receive a nomination. Yonnie, have you ever been racially targeted for a murder in the American South? It is hard to find a whimsical question off the back of this one.

Have you ever been a black detective? Well answer the question wrong, stop skirting around. Well, look, I'm gonna say, can I just leave it open? And say not yet? Not yet? No, you are young and there's many years ahead of you. Mate.

Thanks for joining us on you at say nothing yet you you offered a few films. There's always a little bit of a negotiation that goes on when I approach your guests for this show.

You offered a few.

I sent you the officials, which the movie doesn't have to be on this list, but you chose In the Head of the Night, which I liked because I haven't seen it. I hadn't seen it either. It's probably not one of the its, not like Star Wars, where it's not like I can't believe you haven't seen it, not at all. No, but how did you watch it?

You know? Did you set yourself up with some nice glass of wine, phone on the train with daytime and I put on the big Telly. I was in the room by myself, in the lound room, nice leather couch. I might have had just like a glass of water, nothing too distracting. And I watched it all in one go, because often I watch movies not in one go these days,

Because I did actually watch it. I watched it in two parts. I basically watched it.

Oh you didn't watch it as well as I know.

I know you nailed it, but I watched it, had to go, I met somebody for dinner, came back, watched the rest of it. I went back this morning and watched the last like twenty minutes as well. So we'll get we'll out to because there's a lot to talk about. Like you said, it is like a I guess a crime, who done it? A murder mystery, a procedural if you like, But it's also got a lot more going on with the racial tension which elevates it. I think to be

It is a brilliant film. I love it. Yeah.

I think it's my favorite George Clooney film. And it's all of the best scripts I think, yeah that's ever been written.

Yeah. I think what grabs me the most about it is that his character is just so believable, Like where he ends up at the end. He's not the kind of hero who takes a big leap and takes a big risk and does a thing. He's basically forced to do what he does, Like I mean, I guess he could not do what he does at the end.

But so for those who haven't seen it, he basically is a He's almost like a Mister Wolf style character from.

Is a fixer upper. He cleans messes basically. Yeah, so he's technically a lawyer. He works for a huge law firm who defend pharmaceutical in this case, not pharmaceutical but like a big company whom it may come. It's basically a mon Santo type company who have probably given all these people cancer. So he works for them, but he's not working on that case. He's working well, I guess he kind of eventually is, but he's kind of working behind the scene and just trying to clean things up

And George Clooney, he had a run of these films where I think Syrianna might have been around his time, and where he basically often played I'm not sure if SI maybe fits what I'm about to say, but he had a run of films where he basically was a guy in a suit. You know, it's almost like that was George Cloney's uniform in every movie for about a period of five or so years. And I always had a thing. When George Clooney rocks up in a suit

He's Danny Ocean wherever it might be. Yeah, like he is.

He's obviously a superstar. And you know there's sexist men live for certain amount of years. But he's a I think he's a really extraordinary actor.

He's a great actor, and I think he but he also picks really cool things like I also think, like my other favorite movie of his and these two, I think there's there's like daylight between these two and all the other ones I've seen him in, and that is Oh actually I do like out of Sight. Ye, he's three, He's three three Kings. Three Kings, three Kings is great. I love how he chooses roles where he's like never a straightforward hero like he's that that pulls me in

I think what makes this elevates this film an amazing and amazing.

Script written by Tony Gilroy. Tony Gilroy who did recently and or are you into and you know what?

I need to watch it again. I really liked it, and I love seeing dialogue that has never been passed through any like Jedi's lips at all. Just like it felt like that felt so exciting. I just wanted a little bit more popcorn in it, Okay, you know, like I thought it was. It was so determined to be not popcorn. But I think there's a little bit more popcorn. Yeah, now were more kernels, maybe like two kernels.

I'm happy. I'm happy for this feel different to other stuff, and I really like that. But I found with that show and I'm doing this with Succession at the moment too. Is I watch every episode twice, like because they're being released.

I loved Obi Wan because I've always wanted to see Darth Vader and his fucking meanest.

But what about at the end of Rogue one you get that, Yeah.

But this is like like multiple times when you see Darth and like how evil he is and how kick ass he is, you know, like he was scary when I first saw Star Wars, you know ball, I probably saw it in eighty two or something, but I wanted to see him, like you eventually you kind of see that it's a guy in a suit and it's you know, and he's you know, he's been he's been, Yeah, and you know he just kind of swings his he can't really turn his that this is like he's more athletic

But he's saying, it actually looks like the original film.

But yeah, it looks like it looks like quite like the original film, but with like more athletic fighting going on, Like it's actually kind of quite quite extraordinary, and I was like, I want to see these two guys go at it when they're actually when they're in their primate heights. And I had all the Star Wars feels, and what I've been doing the Star Wars film releases is not

I don't know, I just loved it.

All I thought the Young Layer was was was great and it was I don't know, I just I just really.

Maybe I have another look, you're the first person who has liked it that I've ever spoken to. Really. Yeah, And I don't just hang out with complete It might be hard to believe, but I don't just hang out with complete Star Wars nerds.

And yeah, like but there were moments where I had chills. Yeah, okay, like watching it.

Yeah, the hating Christien being back in it was was amazing and I liked the idea of that. And I always thought he got I always thought he got short changed in those those three movies, because I actually think he can act. He was in a film. I can't remember what it was called, but I think maybe it even had Harrison Ford in it or anyway, he was playing like an angsty teenager and he was really great and I can see why. I'm sure that's why he was cast as Anakin, because he was a teenager with

But they are full of characters that, like you feel like you haven't quite seen. Yeah, these kind of characters before and both with Wilkinson, with Clooney and with Swinton.

Swinton's character like we all know that person, that person, that sort of person who is an underling in a corporation and just doing absolutely everything to save this company. Yeah, but it's like a it's incremental, like her decisions are more and more serious as she goes. She's not just straight in from the start doing the worst thing possible that she sort of slowly gets there. So she's such

She's doing in the end really kind of horrible things that they have horrible consequences, but she's doing it with anxiety as well.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, absolutely, And all those scenes where she's like getting you watching her practicing her speech, Yeah, like just it plays into all your insecurities. And she's like setting out her clothes in the hotel room, like she's putting them on the bed and you know, ironing them and stuff. It's like it's just so human and relatable. Yeah. Yeah. In the Line of the fire, in the line of fire.

In the line of fire, Clint this wood and I have seen that it has to say to my memory as much as it has with you. So he's protecting the president.

He's protecting the president, and his backstory is so it's set in whenever it was made, like come is it what? Late nineties? Now? I think it's pretty odden it's set around that time. He's protecting some president, you know, unknown president. But his backstory is that he was one of JFK's Secret Service guys and he failed him. So he's got

It is It is incredible the Clinisol is still making films, isn't it? At a high order? I really enjoyed Richard Jewel the Atlanta bombing. I haven't seen that. That was the last one I saw that, which I really enjoyed. I haven't necessarily enjoyed everything he's put out. But he's he's ninety though, isn't he.

He's at least ninety, he might be more. He maybe like ninety two. He's like nudging the queen.

Yeah, like, and he's still not only it's amazing if we found out he was still alive, but he's still making movies.

Yes, yeah, and sometimes in them still as well. Yeah yeah, And he's still charming. He's he's really I mean, he ticks a lot of boxes, doesn't he. He's a pretty amazing guy. Like that Unforgiven movie. I mean, I could easily put that in my top three as well, Like, yeah, where he's come from to make that movie and to be that character, and it's such a it just ticks so many boxes unforgiven, Like it uses that world that we know, that Western thing, and then it turns it

Yeah, it's funny films that kind of subvert often you actually kind of sometimes look you look at it and at at macro level, you go, oh no, they still actually did there, They still delivered on the you know you one in the Western Yeah.

I reckon, we'll probably get back to that too. Yeah, maybe, let's hope. So eighth grade. I haven't seen eighth grade. I've only heard great things tell us about eighth grade. Yeah, okay, So eighth grade is Bo Burnham, who's a musical comedian. I think he's mostly established as a musical comedian.

Really saw he came into my consciousness when I watched Inside he Coming special he did during the Lockdown, and it's all basically songs and bits that he recorded in his apartment.

Yeah, and it's incredible. It is incredible, and it's incredible filmmaking. Like my takeaway from that film is it's incredible filmmaking. I mean, I do really like a lot of the songs too, but probably I'm too close to it being in that musical comedy kind of can't turn on, you can't turn off. I mean, but there are some amazing songs. But the thing that really excites me about it is

About that, Yeah, I saw one recently after some wh's got poor misscal in it, and that was a really lovely just a vibe of what you described. Sounded a little father and daughter on vacation and just gentle but stuff to say, there's.

A little bit of similarity in that it's got that feel, that sort of documentary feeling a bit like you're just watching a life rather than you're getting performed to or anything like that. Yeah, so that's similar. But I would say because I mean I liked after Son, but it is very slow, isn't it Like it's.

Yes, it's one of those films you need. I'll watch it on the plane actually, and you need it. It's one of those films if you're happy for a film to wash over you. Yeah, after Some kind of feels like that film. Yeah, eighth grade sounds like you might have a bit more going on. I think it just motors on a little bit more.

But it's not. Yeah, it's not a bad comparison. Yeah.

We have spoken about many films already, but there is one film we are here to discuss from nineteen sixty seven, winner of five Oscars, directed by the great Norman Jewison, starring, of course the iconics Indy Potier, Rod Steiger, Warren Oates, Lee Grant. It is a fantastic cast, it's an iconic film. It meant a lot. It came at a very interesting time in American history for this kind of film to be released.

Johnny, did you enjoy in the Head of the Night? I enjoyed it. I enjoyed. I mean, it's a good it's for a start, it's one of those films. It's good because it's got the whole the backdrop of racism and all that sort of stuff. So it's about a thing, a really important thing. But it's also a good who done it? So it pulls you along with the mechanics of the plot. Yeah, and I think the plot and

Yeah, I I completely agree, like, like you do need that tussle and that tension. Yeah, I mean, it's caught in the heat of the night. It's it's it's hot in Mississippi. Even when when Tibbs informs Missus Colbert that her husband has part he's the one who you know, has to and he goes to kind of move towards her to comfort her, and he pulls she pulls away, even though she later.

She later ends up of being in his corner.

Yeah, and demanding that he stay on the case, which is an important aspect of the movie when he's doing the autopsy and his hands are on I'm watching it going shouldn't be wearing gloves. But I can understand why he wasn't wearing gloves because what it was making the reaction you have of the coroner and the sheriff. So I think if you take away all of that, then you Yeah, I think you probably left with an OK movie.

Yeah, and I think like his character because he's the only black person in the whole Well, you meet a couple of you meet a family who let him stay at his Does he stay their house? Yes, but you meet them for like what two minutes? You don't really even see the house. And there is also a character later on, but he's pretty much the only black guy in the movie. And because of what's what he has to kind of what he has to contend with, it feels like he's this night who's gone into a forest

Yeah, I mean I was interested because he was there visiting his mum, which made me think he was on his way.

Wasn't he getting a connecting train, like he actually wasn't going to that town. He was, he was, he was sitting at the station, and I think he was going to be getting on another train going somewhere else.

Oh that's interesting because the way I read it, all the way I saw it was he had was visiting his had visited his mum.

Oh okay maybe on the way back.

Okay, yeah, right, yeah, which made me think Eyes originally from this town, which kind of.

Changes, Like, yeah, it does change.

It feels like they would have played into that, the idea that this man has come back to his hometown, which I have seen movies like that before, and then it's a great it's great plot device. But I suspect if we're adding their own little coloring in our own little backstory, maybe.

His mum has moved to this town and he's visited her.

Yeah, yeah, I feel like that makes sense because I think the thing he clearly grew up in the north, Like yeah, and I mean, what did you know of this film?

Pretty much nothing? Yeah I didn't. I don't think I even maybe I knew he was in it. I really didn't know what it was going to be about. I mean, it kind of sounds like a Noirish detectivey thing, I guess from the name. But yeah, really, which is great, Like I did, I mean, when I was picking what film to watch with you, I did like read little blurbs just to see which thing I wanted to watch, and I went, oh, that looks good. So I knew when I press play, I knew that. Yeah.

Yeah, So when when you often ask and I often think about when I felt I was in safe hands when I'm watching a film on mut of you feel the same way, Yeah, when did you feel like, oh.

This is really quickly? Yeah? The music I think does that like, because I mean I'm not a juje expert on films of that particular era, but it felt like the combination of that car moving through the town and the Quincy Jones music. I think the Quincy Jones aspect is a really important bit of the film. Yeah, the mood that he brings to it and the kind of I don't know, because of what it's about, it's great

Because the very first scene the diner, I was like, yeah, okay, it's a bit corny. It it feels a little bit from our perspective now, a bit old, doesn't it. Yeah, the guy running the diner whatever, he's a late night diner in a small town and he's killing flies with like a rubber band, and he's yeah, this is kind of almost a running joke that he keeps a cake from me.

He's hoarding the food for himself.

Yeah, he's got some psycho vibes going on, which for me, for me, and then that kind of later on we can discuss how how he comes back into it. But yeah, that that driving through I was like, yeah, I'm here for I'm here for this.

Yeah, I feel really good.

And when when Warren Oates' character, which one's Warren notes, he's Sam, the police officer.

You might know Warre notes from stripes, I don't. I don't know. If I've seen stripes. I could have done stripes.

He could have done stripes has been done on this podcast, so it would have bound you.

Yeah, he's great.

When he arrested because he basically we find the body, and this body is interesting that there's a one, you know, like there's another way doing this movie where it's it's a black teenager, you know. But I thought it was interesting that they kind of went with the white businessman.

There's some really cool counter counterweights to things, yeah, which aren't necessarily obvious.

Yeah, and even the because it ends up being the relationship between Gillespie and.

The bossip of the cops, yes, yeah, and Tims. Yeah, And and.

It's done in a pretty subtle way, like they don't even become they never become chummy, like they never like the best mating. In fact, Gillespie's kind of doing it, you know, like he's he's almost like I always feel like he's one inch away from taking the town siding this, you know, Yeah, I mean often trying to run him out of like get Yeah.

I like how that. I mean it's really Toos and Froze and I at the very end of the move, are we allowed to talk about the very end now, Yeah, we can jump it. Found it. I found it a bit. I don't know, like I don't think it needs that you take care now line, Like it just feels like a Hollywood Corny. I guess you want something. You want to feel like he's changed. You do want to feel like he's changed. Yeah, I agree, Yes, absolutely, we're talking about the white cop has changed. But that just felt

See a thing that I kind of disagree in a way because I thought I didn't I agree that you don't want it Sue Corny in this kind of film. Yeah, and you want to see I agree, you want to see the shift and the change in Gillespie. I thought that moment could have been something better or cooler, or more impactful. I just kind of thought it was thought they threw away that moment. Yeah a little bit.

Maybe it just needed to be something you saw but didn't. It wasn't a lie. The dialogue was just a bit like take care now.

And then he kind of turns and he kind of smiles at that line, as I want, yeah, what what what made you smile about that line?

Yeah? And why why would you Why would Sidney Poitiers at that point smile like the guy has been nearly the whole time an absolutely asshole to him. Yeah, Like, wouldn't you maybe just give a begrudging nod like you might get something. I think that's what it was that didn't work for me. It was a smile. Yeah, Okay, not the line so much. Yeah, because I guess it is believable that Gillespie would feel indebted to him and start to like, you know, it is believable that he would now like him a bit.

Yeah, and respect him. He's seeing he's cracked the case. Yeah, that he wouldn't have I don't think quite clearly.

I like how he keeps, he keeps finding suspects and going, no, this is the one, this is the one.

It's almost like just if you stop being it's a perfect thing to say, just stop being racist, stopping racist, because if you went racist, you would just let this guy, you know, this case for you. Yeah. Yeah, And then but he gets on going, no, this is it, We're done. You're in jail, Like I get him out of Joe.

We need leaving town. That don't leave town. We actually do need you. And then he ever gets to the point where like one of the he's like, oh, actually no, it's one of the it's one of my cops. This guy, well, this is the thing as well about it.

I'm not sure if I still understand how the crime got solved.

And I have a few questions about that. Yeah, but I'm not a forensics guy. But one of the things is, and it happens in a lot of movies, right, and I guess those CSI shows and stuff. It's like he looks at the body and he goes, this could not have this donk on the head. It was at seventeen degrees at the back of the head or something, and therefore could not have been done by a Was it a right handed man or a left Yeah, a right

I do think I do think that probably there are ways you can still measure how it could have happened, because yeah, obviously you you have the account of maybe a witness or the positioning of the body where they can try to work out or ascertain which direction of blow came in, Was it front or back?

Was it potentially well, he doesn't have posision of the body in this case because the body's moved anyway.

So but I think, I think what happens in movies is they work that very quickly.

Yeah, okay, which I'm grateful for. Yes, Yeah, let's not let's not change cinema too much.

We don't need anymore through our films. So what they do really well is what other questions did you have?

Okay, another question I have? This is my biggest question. So it's revealed that he the comp calls up Sidney Poitiers Superior to find out if his story is true, right, and quickly betray is how kind of racisty is down the phone and whatever, and then he hands the phone over to Sidney Poitier and you don't hear the other end of the conversation, but Sidney Poitiers chief back home in the North, has basically said you should help these guys solve this yep, this case. Now my question is

So now I'm confused, Johanni, do you want longer films or shorter films? Come home, get out of there.

I want him to just refuse the call to adventure. It is like, what I do want is what, regardless of their length, is a believable movie.

Yes, yeah, yeah, I do think movies of this era takes some shortcuts that we don't see as much anymore. Like maybe now we would need this a bit more justification why it was important for that chief to be without one of his best men.

Yeah, he's depriving himself of his best man. I do have a I do have a possible reason that I had to make up just so I could move on, And that is the chief hearing the tone of Rod Steiger's character and how much of an ars he is hearing that, He's thought, No, we need to prove this guy he's an asshole. We need to prove this guy wrong, that Sidney Poitier is a great detective and that you know, to help you not be racist anymore. So the chief has like a little motive, and we don't know. We

Somebody who's progressive, you know, it probably is.

I mean, he believes in TIBs, even if he's white. He obviously believes in TIBs because he works with him and possibly appointed him as detective or you know whatever.

Yeah, and what we know, not that the chief knows, is but what we know as the audience is this the police force is not going to solve this case, you know, and they will probably I mean the fact that Timms gets basically arrested without any questioning. Yeah, yeah, you know, he based on the fact that the color of his skin and he's got money in his wife.

But that's probably quite It's not just how incompetent they are, though, isn't it. It's like how racist that exact part of the world was.

Yes, yes, the incompetency is on full show, like pretty quickly when when they find the body and there's a discussion about how long the body's been dead for. Oh yeah, and they're like, now maybe half. They're clearly guessing that even the doctor doesn't doesn't know. Yeah, So there's I think they do a good job of making you believe that tips does have.

To absolutely And I was very satisfied with that bit of police work about rigamortis. And I can't remember the details, but that all felt really solid to me.

Yes, and there is one and when Tims goes back, and obviously there's quite a few arguments with Gillespie, but it does bring up maybe the most iconic moments in the film. There's two particular arconic moments, and this is the nice arconic line in the film.

I have listened to.

This the virgire chief. He thinks that Harvey citizen.

I be damn.

Could I talk to you about it in private?

You can't talk to me about in privacy because I got COVID wallet right here in my hand. We took it from Harvey obits. You don't think he gave it to him, do you.

I don't know.

But Oberst could have come along after the crime found it, picked it up.

I don't know.

That's what the boy said he did.

I'm sorry, man, but I said different.

When I examined the deceased, it was obvious that the fatal blow was struck from an angle of seventeen degrees from the riot, which makes it almost certain the person who did it is right handed.

So what all, Harve's left handed? Chief, but in town those.

That yeah, that's what we figured out. Chief Harvey's lefty. Uh huh.

You're pretty sure yourself? Int your Virgil?

Virgil, It's a funny name for a bigga boy to come from Philadelphia.

What did they call you up there?

They call me mister Tips?

Mister Tips, Well, mister Wood take Bester.

Tips, take them down to the depot.

I mean, boy, like, now.

I'm glad you left that silence in there, because that silence that I mean, it's you got to watch it. But he's the camera stays on Poritier in that moment, and he goes through quite a few little emotions there. It's a I mean, he's this is the thing. This is my discovery for that film. He's probably a really dumb discovery. But I always knew he was good. But I've only ever I think I've only ever seen him do like bid parts in like films in the nineties

Yeah, and and to put it in context of the time, like he was pretty much the only black leading actor in America and this was the Selma kind of like wow, two years earlier Martin Luther King, I think it's assassinated. A year after this, there was some you know, kind of racial kind of a quality bills that were being kind of passed and and to the point where Sidney Poititier refused to kind of shoot down in the South

He also had because he'd been there.

Down in the South, I think a years earlier with Harry Belafonte trying to register voters and they were nearly killed by the ku Klux Klam. So an understandable reluctance to shoot a movie in the South, so they shot most of it in Illinois.

The other thing he did, which is a very movie move, was in that scene. So there's a scene where he's pretty sure that the plantation owner is responsible for the murder. Yes, and the plantation owner is racist in a really creepy way. You haven't listened to that, so yeah, let's have that thing. Let's have a listen.

So they've gone to this year White Plantation, obviously a massive house or in a greenhouse with orchards, and a conversation happens, which leads to a moment that was referred to as the slap that was heard across the world.

Why did you two come here to ask you about Colbert? Let me understand these.

You two came here to question me.

Well, your your attitudes, mister Undercott, your points of view are a matter of record.

Some people.

Well, let us say that people who work for mister Colbert might reasonably regard you as the person least likely to mourn his passing.

We were just trying to clarify some of the evidence.

Was mister Colbert ever in this greenhouse say last night about midnight.

Goodness be.

Yeah, you saw it?

I saw it. Where do you go to do about it? I can't.

I remember that.

There was a time, but I could have had you shot.

So for those who haven't seen the film, we obviously heard you too. Watch the film, but the first slap you heard was and the cot slapping TIBs and then immediately Tim slaps him back, and everyone says shocked. Absolutely, and only the actors in the in the in the in the room, and in the characters, and also audiences were shocked. This is something that Sydney Pottier, he has been on the record of saying. He insisted on.

Yeah, that's why, That's why I said, you know, he's he He's a movie star in that sense. I want to I want to have a stake in this. I'm not just an actor hired. I want to I'm important as a storytelling part of this movie. And I did he say, I only want to do things I believe I would actually do when I play roles, which is a really interesting stands for an actor.

Because he could have he would have been understandable if he just took it. He's a police officer, he's also a black man in the South. Knowing that the chain of events, the domino effect this could have, that could be extremely you know, put him in peril. You know, Martin Luther King was famously a pacifist, so the Mattman King response would have been probably to yes, an the

I think that makes him really human. Yeah, absolutely, And his humanity is kind of the reason he's there because he sees this plantation owner and he's like, you're the murderer, you know, because he has he already has, like he's lying, like you're the you're the person least likely to mourn, you know what I mean. Like he really does bring his own stuff to it. And clearly the guy is awful. You know, I could have had you shot.

Yeah, So when he cries, he leaves, so Tibbs and Gillespie leaves. I mean the line and this is where Gillespie really has to he has to choose a side, you know, it is what are you going to do about it?

Yeah?

And I love the fact that he says, I don't I don't know, he doesn't do anything about it. Yeah, but he doesn't make a speech or he doesn't you know, I don't know.

He's shocked. I think that rings true to where he's at.

He leaves, and then you've got the butler who kind of shakes his head at Endicott and then Endicott breaks down.

He's shaking his head at Endicott. That butler, I well, I think that's I thought he was shaking his head at Sydney point here.

Well, it's interesting I read it. I think it's open for interpretation. Yeah right, I actually saw it as he kind of shook his head at end the cop and end the Cock could have read that differently and all that. But then and the cock breaks down in tears. What did you think the tears meant?

I think the tears are about someone who has suddenly actually actually actually it reminds me of succession. Are you watching Succession at the moment. Are we're allowed to talk about that. I'm not up to date. I can't talk about it because jungle. But anyway, what I like about it is it feels like, you know, you go through your life having a certain view of the world and

In his own house, in his green house, which is probably his happy place. He loves his orchids, he loves his orchards, and yeah, I see it as a man realizing that a time times are changing. Yeah okay, and and things may happen in the future that don't run his way. And the fact the fact that he's been slapped by an African American in his in his own house and the police officer just do not do anything

And it's crazy to think how that your life could be such that your active your activism is so like intrinsic to your art. You know, I like to be in that. I can't really imagine that personally.

Well, and they're obviously worried about how this would play in cinemas in the South. Apparently there were no reports of violence in cinemas. I don't know exactly how it was. I mean, did it get screened in the South.

I think it did. I think it did.

But apparently in the North, like in towns like Philadelphia and you like, there were cheers.

When this happened. Yeah, right. It's a great It's also a great scene because the way Endicott starts out in that scene is he's being racist, but it's he's using metaphors and I think he's talking about the plants and he's got a twinkle in his eye and he's like you your scarm and everything. But he's not saying it. He's kind of being a southern gentleman in inverted commas.

Yeah, they did it in two takes. They gave him two takes to get that right. Apparently Norman Jewis and the director gave I think Sidney Poitier a couple of rehearses on him. The one of them get it right, and you know, that's pretty cool. There's another point where, again there's this constant tussle of like leaving and should he leave? And sometimes it's it's Tims who wants to leave. Other times it's the town that want has gone. The town certainly want ham gone. And I like the fact

I thought that was a really important bit of the plot, wasn't it, Because it's like, why wouldn't he Yeah, why wouldn't he leave or why wouldn't they if they hate him so much, why wouldn't they just take him off the case or whatever. Yeah, it's a really portant You do need it, definitely needs her to at her foot down and go because she's a powerful woman. She basically owns the factory.

Now it's basically saying, I'm packing up the factory and leaving, and your town is basically farked.

Yeah. If Tibbs doesn't stay on the case. Yeah, so, and I like that that comes from because I think, as discussed earlier, she's not necessarily a non racist herself, but she can clearly go, oh, I know this guy actually knows how to do it. Yeah, Like she can see what the audience can see is that this police force are incompetent, and Tibbs is the opposite of that.

He knows what he's doing, and it's really important. I did think a couple of times, what doesn't he ever gun? He's a police officer, he's going to the south. Well, he's not on judy, he's.

Not on juty of it. I just think I have a gun. You've seen too many movies, whereas I know all about the real world. Yeah.

Yeah, in America, they don't have guns at all, and the stakes get high. We have that the chase with the Confederate flags, his number of plates, and that scene in the what is it like an old railway warehouse almost, and so they they really let it play out. Yeah, Like it's a long time where there's a lot like ducking and weaving and like you know, flinching and and.

It doesn't really go where you expect, does it. Like there's a moment where they're sort of in you can see they're in the distance and it's sort of a standoff but from a distance, and then they come much closer and then it ends up being basically hand to hand combat or you know, the the verge of hand to hand combat. I really like, I wasn't quite sure where that was going that scene. Yeah, she's great, it was.

A good one, but sorry, I wasn't going to play the scene where he was This is where Tis has decided to leave and right and Gillespie goes to him and he actually it's maybe the best piece of work Gillsbie does as.

A reading the room and maybe human behavior.

Oh yeah, he kind of I guess strokes or recognizes the ego of TIBs let's let's have a listen to that.

What would you say if I, uh, I asked you to state for a while.

Noah, this kind of needs a factory Vernon.

COVID come down in Chicago to build it, right hear? They're gonna hire a thousand men, having them be colored.

You know what that means?

Probably got him killed.

That's what missus Koba thinks.

She wants us to catch her killer. No killer, no factory. Well, it's a lot of jobs for a lot of colored people.

You follow me.

Going home? Man, Now, your people, not mine, yours. You made this scene. What do you want to do?

You want me to beg you?

Is that what you ask No, I've had your town up to here.

Boy, it would give me a world of satisfaction.

A horse whip you virgil? Yeah, my father used to say that, even did once.

It well, not enough to suit me.

Now you listen to me just once in my life. I'm gonna hold my temper. I'm telling you that you're gonna stay here. You're gonna stay here if I have to go inside and call your chief of police and have him remind you of what he told you to do. But I don't think I have to do that, you see, no, because you're so damn smart. You're smarter than any white man.

Everything he's saying is true as far as is like, you know, you'll be beter than us. You are actually better than us. Yeah, yeah, everything I bounce you is better. I'm not going to say that, but I know I'm going to say that. I know you think you are, and I'm not going to say whether I agree. Yeah, but yeah, yeah, deep down he knows it's a very clever piece of work.

Actually, and I did.

We mentioned a couple of times, trying to get rid of him and then realizing you're needing back. It's because you do in like all filmsical lookin I guess buddy films, and this is a buddy film to an extent. They you do need things that keep these unlikely characters together. Yeah, I know, like you know in the film, you know I made I love you too. We have Peter Dinklie and Brendan Coal who were kind of strangers, and Brendan

I really like the scene between them. It's pretty close to the end, I think, in Rod Steiger's house and they start drinking together and they start they get pretty friendly, and you're going, okay, you know, this is all pretty standard buddy movie type yeah type stuff. You know, finally we understand each other. But then there's a turn and I can't remember what brings it on, but Rod Steiger is like, don't you pity me? Yeah, And it's a great turn.

Do a really good job of not letting You can't turn Gillespie away, Like who's a racist? Yeah, not necessarily the worst racist in town, but still a racist. It never goes far away, even though he's changing, Yeah, they never completely get rid of it. Yeah, Like it's still there in him and he's maybe learning to not be racist, but it takes a long time for a man to change.

I imagine in the American South in ninety sixty seven. And you're not because it's not just about you changing, it's about because you then have to relate to all the forces around you that haven't changed yet. Yes, Like so it's a big it's not yeah, it's not something and that's why the final line is a bit kind of disappointing, you know, yeah, because you want to see that change, but you just want to see a little you know, yeah, and this little little moments.

And I said, I like your idea of almost removing the dialogue or even if if it was Leslie saying hey, I'll give you a call of it, you know, if another mood of one guy, or feel free to drop by again, like something that's kind of not a joke but kind of like well, and they tend to joke from his character. Yeah, not necessarily it's going to make us laugh, but it kind of can give something that deserves the reaction that Sidney Potier gives, which is which

I think there's some convenient police work going on.

Yeah, that tips I don't know how it necessarily he got to the end, but it was. It is the creepy guy at the cafe Dinah, Yeah, he was responsible. Dolorous, the girl who likes to be naked, is kind of involved. Yeah, there's a weird scene where she talks about the tombstone sex if you yeah, engaged with the tombstone sexy.

But I do kind of relate to that. I just want to say, you have asked me, so now I'm going to answer. I do kind of. I have always liked like a stainless steel sort of surface. I don't necessarily mean in a sexual way, but I like, you know, like when you're sick and you want to just lie on a cold ground, you had that experience.

No, but I can kind of I can kind of get where you're going, you know, as someone's you know, a surface is good and if it's cool, that's good.

Yeah, Like I wasn't I wasn't thrown when she said it, which symmeteries if you had sex. Let's get to the bottom of this. No, I really like that. It's a great detail. It's a great and it's a good sort of it's because it's so specific it kind of throws you off the plot too, Like about who does why does she go to a police station? Oh, I guess her brother does. Why does her brother haul her into a police station to say, my sister's been raped? Like? Why? Why?

And then was at that stage is she accusing Sam? Would the police officer Warren oates, Yeah, not doing well. I guess if that's the case, that his reason is justice. You saying you should have kept the quiet.

Well, I'm just saying, like you probably would keep it quiet, like you don't want the whole town, Like I'm trying to be in that mindset of that time. You don't want the whole town to know that that your sister's been raped in that time. Yes, it's a different you know. Yes, the worst thing of all is that anyone knows that your sister's even had any kind of sex. And yeah, we know where it directly.

Sometimes these you know, these situations were handled, whether it be you know, through abortions or people women set away to have abortions. And yeah, is charging it to the police station with a head full oft theme? You know, because you know, once he says this in the police station, the whole town's going to know.

Yeah.

Yeah, it's interesting. I mean, I take that point. I can only imagine though he he has decided whether it's the right decision at that time for him and his sister.

But he wants justice, right, Okay, he might be misguided even who he thinks because in the end, was it now, in the end it was the cafe guy guy? Yeah, it was the murderer. Yes, And and why why would you why if you're the girl, do you want to say that it was the police officer and not the cafe guy just because he's higher on the social thing. Yeah, that's why I was a little bit or is she kind of like does she have a beef with him? She wants to sort of throw him under the bus for some other reason.

I got confused around thee and this I talk often about like a flawless movie, like a perfect film. Yeah, and that for me, the police case and the murder, who'd done it? The way it gets resolved.

Yeah, it's a bit fittly y. Yeah. I love this film a lot.

I think there's a lot to really admire and like about it, particularly the time it came out. But I feel like it falls over in the last ten to fifteen minutes. Yeah, that's You've got the Mexican stand off kind of where all the guns come out, they finally find their guns. Tis again doesn't have a gun. I don't think means he's just standing there.

But it's better that he doesn't have a gun. It is absolutely like you want him to have everything against him.

Right, Yes, it's like it's like me saying you should have a gun. You'd also say why didn't you identify yourself as a police officer at the train station. It's because we want that, we want that, we want that to be revealed.

But is it that stubborn thing of like I shouldn't have to tell you, well, I should be traded properly without having to tell you I'm a police. I think you can. I think you can justify that.

Like he knows, he knows he's got this get out of jail free carding.

Yeah, he's probably waiting for the to savor the moment of revealing it. Yeah you know, I know I would. Yeah.

Yeah. In the meanwhile, just killed yourself a white man, just about the most important white man we got around here, and picked yourself up a couple of hundred dollars.

I earned that money ten hours a day, seven days a week.

Coll it can earn that kind of money.

Boy, Hell, that's more than I'm making a month.

Now, where did you earn it?

Philadelphia, Mississippi, Pennsylvania.

Just what do you do with the little Pennsylvania earned a kind of money.

I'm a police officer.

A few interesting facts about this film. He had one hundred and twenty seven dollars on him, which today you might go with he did, Tims did. Yeah, you might go, how much money is that? Well, I can tell you it's one thousand and five dollars, So it's a significant amount of cash, you know, I mean less plastic back in those days. That's true, But I mean how long is he away for? He's on the way back, though, so you'd think he would have.

Obviously didn't take the biggest plot hole in the thing. That much money? Yeah, what did you do with your mom? Did you take out for a nice dinner? Tips? Did you plan to take her out for a nice dinner and then and then decide not to And then looked at his cash and went, oh, my gosh, I could really spend this another way.

Norman Jewison, the director, asked Rod Steiger came with the idea that he's a gum shot because he really did you notice how much he loves chewing his gum. He's like he's like an NFL coach. Like the gum chewing that's going on to the point where it comes through to micro like you hear it. I thought they could have toned it down, like even the sound of it, if he wasn't chew it that much. He went through two hundred and sixty three packets of gum.

Oh my god, that's a good stat I liked his glasses, Yeah, I want it. Do you know about those? So he wears these orange tinted glasses. What's what's with those tinted glasses?

I don't know, but I think I saw a copy of the book and then the book the cover and then weather it was a re release of the you know, once the movie was out and they re released it to kind of match what they did in the film that happens he did.

He had the orange glasses. So even in the book, the book is like a Southern cop thing, Like I feel like I've seen that in life in Chip well yeah, Jeff definitely in Chips Yeah, and definitely in the James Bond movie where he's where there's that cop, yeah, cop character South American, Southern and Southern American anyway. Yeah, I always thought people wore tinted glasses because when they're wearing

Okay, rodstigirl. So he was like legendary actor. If you know the Herder they Fall. He played the al Capone in al Capone. He's in the Longest Day. He was nominated for an Oscar for The Pawnbroker got the Zivago Mars Attacks, one of his more recent or later films, on the Waterfront, he was Charlie.

Charlie, Well, I haven't seen I don't I think I've seen one of those movies you've mentioned. So it was like a pretty new Rod Stagger experience. Yeah, I think I've got to get I've got to get into all the Sydney Poitier stuff. I don't think I've seen guests Who's Coming to Dinner or the school one. I don't think i've seen.

Well, Guess Who's Coming to Dinner was released the same year, so he that back to back. So when he was a year when he wasn't nominated for an Oscar. There is a case put forward that he may.

Have double split voting.

Yeah, which which is an explanation, but you know, there's you could also look at it in other ways.

Of course, but it was.

It was a strong year as far as movies made in the ninety sixty eight Oscars. It won and it beats check out these films. Guess He's coming for dinner to dinner, Cool Hand, Luke, The Dirty Dozen, Bonnie and Clyde.

Wow, and The Graduate Wow bad.

I imagine if this year's Oscar Best Film, we look back in thirty five years, forty years and think, bloody hell, it's almost sixty years.

It's approaching sixty years old. It's crazy. What which films kind of stick, isn't it? You know? And because the Graduate is just like an old timer?

Yeah?

Yeah.

Out of all those films, you do wonder which one? I think you can make a case almost any of them could have been a worthy winner.

Colleen Luke is an exceptional film. I don't think I've seen that either.

Man, Okay, you've got to pick so many films you have to come back next season. But yeah, also, this film was the first, it's quite a fascinating fact. Is the first major Hollywood film to be lit properly for an African American actor.

Right, So that's huge, isn't it.

Yeah, so they just kind of they just didn't They didn't either know or didn't care to or didn't realize that there.

Was a thing. It was a thing.

Yeah, different colored skin means the lights will do different things. So yeah, that's a And he does look like he looks he's a movie. He looks so good in it. There's a documentary on might be Netflix. It's called I think it's called Sydney. I think Oprah Winfrey was behind it, okay, and it looks at the life of Sidney Pointier. He came to America not knowing any English, wow, And he taught himself, and he deliberately taught himself to speak the way he does.

Like he's very well spoken.

Like he wasn't just enough learning English, he wanted to speak English.

Well, okay, right and proper. I always assumed that he was from Africa or something like that, because I'm not saying it wrong, but just from his accent, because it's not a particularly American accent that he has. But When I say that, I mean that he learned Englis is there. He came from the Bahamas, right, Like talk about a self made man. He really was.

And the documentary does an amazing job of painting his life and it's an extraordinary thing to watch. I'll have to sprink it on that wonderful new app called Spruk, which everybody should be on. And he was the first black man, black actor to win an Academy Award. Yeah, he's I feel like in the last ten years particularly has been like really celebrated. Denzel Washington may not exist if it wasn't for Sydney potyera, I mean speaking broadly.

Yeah, Sheffield last night it was Dens Washington.

He's brilliant.

He's a brilliant actor, and he's very good.

He's good.

Oh damn, I like him.

He's kind.

See he's not my favorite actor all the time, by the way. No, No, my favorite act of all time is mister Sidney Potio.

So all right, before we go, Yannie obviously, continue to do great work with Tripod and everyone. Whenever you get a chance to see trumpot on tour they come through your town, you should take that opportunity. Big borrow or steal a ticket or just pay the box office online. Yeah, you can do that. But you have a new projects called Minuscule Musical. It's a podcast.

It's a podcast and each episode it's like it's a limited six episode season. Smart and I regret not doing this episode series. Have you held yourself to a number of episodes twenty twenty per season, many seasons per year, usually two. That's a lot. It's a lot.

Goes longer too. Mine's only about half an hour. Yeah, this season might be shorter. It might might be shorter, but we'll see.

We'll see what makes it at the end. We'll see when we'll cut this one. How does Minuscule Musical work? Okay, fremous. So each episode is me and a guest writing a musical. We've written a short musical, like a ten to fifteen minute thing. It's a self contained little story, like a little radio play.

And then we for example, it could be write a musical about somebody from young Talent time.

Yeah, like that's a minuscule music off the top of my head, yep, you could totally do that. And so we've written a musical and then we and then we perform at it the Butterfly Club to a small crowd. So it's sort of like it's sort of like pitching a new it's like pitching a musical to a crowd. So does it all.

What elements going to making the plot of the of the musical? Do you do that in the studio? He's had all done in front of the crowd.

No, I know.

So it's pre written, like we've got together for a few days. Each one has taken a few days to put together, and we just sort of sit there and try and come up with an idea, pitch ideas to each other, and then and then we write it. And you know, it's very kind of restricted by the amount of time, Like how much story can you get in ten to fifteen minutes. I mean, if you're talking about Bev in the musical, you can get a lifetime.

Number thirty five, Hoddus one hundred in two thousand, I think was whatever. So are your guests or musical that they sing with you?

Okay, So the guests are like the Sammy Jay did one, Jude Pearl did one, Jillian Cosgriff did one. We're basically doing the whole thing Like it's usually like a keyboard or a guitar or a bit of both. And we're playing the characters, like we say, when we write it, we kind of got that and in mind, like, oh, you'll play this character. And they're usually kind of two hands. Sometimes we have an extra person if the story needs that. And then we like play it to the crowd and

Maybe it was just her. Maybe, yeah, she was the bad lunch chart. Yeah, and that's available now, get you good. Yeah your podcast?

Yes, yeah, minuscule and it's m I n U school musical. It's the old version of the spelling of that word. Don't ask what at a meeting with the meetings involved, now what? It just looks better like if you look at it on a page, it looks better than mini skill. Yeah, yeah, I agree. I agree. It was perhaps not a great marketing decision, but.

You'll find it minuscule spelled with a you, both minuscule and musical with a you. There are eyes in there as well. You work it out on mate. This podcast comes with homework.

I appreciate the time you've put in the watch this classic film. I'm glad you enjoyed it.

At always it always works, and now you can go off and you can say you've seen in the Head of the Night by normal Jewison with Sidney Potier, Thank you, thank you.

Sell my soul but yourself.

There we go, Yanni from Tripod. That was great.

I was nervous because I really got a little bit confused towards the end of that film. And I really loved it, but I thought it did fall away a little bit as far as the case and how it was solved goes compared to some of the standards, and there's so much crime drama and true crime and we kind of have a I think the bar has really gone up. So when you're watching a film in nineteen sixty seven where there are a couple convenient discoveries in this film, but I think it's more than that.

This movie. It is about the racial undertones.

And you know, I mean, imagine if Sidney Poitier did not do this role and it was simply it was Paul Newman. We were not talking about it today, I don't think so. It is a fascinating film and I hope you've enjoyed it. If you watched it. I want to thank everybody who continues to listen to this podcast.

We are growing and growing and growing.

If you want to reach out yasny podcast at gmail dot com you can find the speak Pipe through the links on the page. I love the community. We continue to grow. Yeah, keep watching movies. We'll try to get a live event going soon. I'm going away again for a little bit, so there might be a couple of reruns that we have to run. It is important because I do love doing this and I feel if I don't take breaks when I can, then I'll just burn

They kind of went.

Viral or they got a lot of traction that it was all part of the feel good story that year of the Western Bulldogs. But he's a fantastic comedian. Danny McGinlay will be my guest next week. He's a big cinephile. And we are going back. We are going back to nineteen forty four, and I'm excited because it's the first Billy Wilder film that we will be covering. Awesome director also directed A Boulevard, The Apartment, among others. I'm sure we'll get to those movies down the track, but this

Because it is a mystery, I do recommend watching it.

Obviously, some people like listen to the podcast, and hey, we live in a free country.

Do what you like. But I imagine, because it is a.

Mystery, spoilers will impact on your enjoyment of the film. So if you can track down Doublingdemnity, watch it. I can't wait to see it, and we'll be changing about that film, and I'm sure many more things with the very funny Danny Agin lay next week, and you ain't see nothing yet until then.

Take care.

And so we leave old Pete save Vansul and to our friends of the radio audience, we've been a pleasant good name.