document_title: In the Heat of the Night (TV series)

question_text: who did the music for in the heat of the night

text: In the Heat of the Night (TV series)

text: Premise[edit]

text: In the premiere episode, Philadelphia detective Virgil Tibbs has returned to his fictional hometown of Sparta, Mississippi, for his mother's funeral. By virtue of his relationship with William Gillespie, the white police chief, from a previous murder investigation in which he assisted, Tibbs is persuaded to remain in Sparta as Chief of Detectives. Gillespie wants him to be part of his effort to help overcome the local squad's reputation of being racist and underskilled. 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 hometown, the two men prove highly effective in enforcing the law.

text: Tibbs takes a leave of absence, moving to Jackson, Mississippi, to complete his law degree on a compressed schedule. Upon his return to Sparta, he and his wife Althea have separated, and they later divorce. She moved back to Philadelphia with their twins to be near her parents. Through the hard work of Harriet Delong, Tibbs was able to retire and keep his city pension, although he was two months shy of the qualifying period. He began practicing law when he accepted a position in Ben Taylor's law office. Rollins' final appearance on the series was February 2, 1994.

text: Meanwhile, the Sparta city council dismissed Gillespie as Police Chief. They select Hampton Forbes (Carl Weathers), the town's first African American in that position. Gillespie finds a new post of equivalent authority as County Sheriff. The two senior police officers find they get along in excellent fashion, both in the professional and personal spheres.

text: Themes[edit]

text: The show dealt with a variety of issues, including racism, police brutality, hate crimes, drug abuse, alcoholism, rape, AIDS, misogyny, incest, child abuse, anti-Semitism, prostitution, government corruption, domestic violence, gambling, mental disorders, dysfunctional families, suicide, poverty, homophobia, and drunk driving.

text: Season-by-season overview[edit]

text: First season[edit]

text: The first season of the show was filmed in Hammond, Louisiana. This locale was selected by executive producer Juanita Bartlett and was supposed to represent the small southern town of Sparta, Mississippi. In practice, they had difficulty in finding filming locations that were usable, because other, more modern structures were close enough to be picked up in the images.[1] A total of eight episodes were filmed, the two-hour pilot movie and six regular one-hour episodes. The series premiered on March 6, 1988, with the season finale airing May 3, 1988.

text: Many conflicts arose between Juanita Bartlett and series star Carroll O'Connor over the writing of the series. At first, she allowed him to consult on the series per his contract. After the pilot, however, she ordered scripts from her writers. O'Connor described these as “recycled material from other crime shows”. He was disappointed in the writing, feeling that the writers were taking big city stories and imposing them on a small town. He believed that the key to this show's success was to express its small-town locale and characters through the stories.[2] Scripts would be given to him marked FINAL: NO REWRITES, but O'Connor often rewrote scripts anyway. This angered the production staff members, which felt they were burning up fax machines with the changes.[2] O’Connor described Bartlett as a very arrogant person.[1]

text: In the early episodes, there was an emphasis on featuring grisly murders or crimes, rather than the lives of the New South-era characters, for which the series later became known. Storylines included the pride of Sparta County getting her head bashed in, a man and his wife’s distant cousin having an affair, the affair of a black man who was attempting to buy Sparta’s newspaper and a rich white woman ending up dead in the local newspaper plant, after an argument with the woman and her husband. In a two-part episode “Blind Spot”, a rich businessman and ex-friend of Tibbs, who stole a scholarship from him in high school, has promised to bring prosperity back to Sparta. But he is caught in a game of murder and drug dealing, using one of Sparta’s richest mansions as his home base. The season closed with Scooter going with his uncle, Althea and Virgil to discuss the possibility of having children.

text: Anne Marie Johnson, who played Althea, summed up what it was like to film the show in the little town of Hammond. She said, "My high school was bigger than this town".[citation needed]

text: Second season[edit]

text: Season two began airing in December 1988 due to a writers strike. The series had a new look and a new set of executive producers. On-location shooting was moved from Louisiana to Covington, Georgia. The season premiere was aired as a two-hour TV-movie, “Don’t Look Back”; the plot revolved around a copycat murder of one that Gillespie had investigated 20 years earlier. It introduced two new regular characters—Joanne St. John (played by Lois Nettleton), the chief’s sometime-girlfriend and owner of the local diner, "The Magnolia Cafe"; and Officer Wilson Sweet (played by Geoffrey Thorne), fresh out of the Police Academy. This episode also introduced the first of several new recurring characters, including Doctor (or, "Doc") Robb, the county coroner (played by veteran actor Dan Biggers). The episode "The Creek" saw the introduction of the first new police character, and the second prominent Georgia performer to claim a regular role on the series, "Officer Randy Goode" (1988–1993) played by Randall Franks, who was cast following the show's move to Covington, Georgia.

text: Other episode plots in this season included a prominent citizen being murdered due to sexual abuse and incest in his family; Virgil’s ex-partner and Althea’s ex-lover (Michael Warren from Hill Street Blues) coming to visit for a reunion that no one would ever forget; Chief Gillespie's having to face his own bigoted past when he arrests a close friend (played by Ed Ames)—who is also the sheriff of the neighboring county—for committing a racially motivated murder (In truth, Ames is Jewish.); Bubba's getting caught up in a murderous love triangle; Althea’s niece "Nicole" visiting, and with new friend "Bobby Skinner" (Bubba's nephew) stumbling upon criminal malfeasance in the episode "City Mouse Country Mouse." Mary Crosby and Judith Chapman stir up trouble when the sisters are implicated in their father's murder. It is truly a sibling rivalry with a murderous twist. A bitter strike leads to murder, but not all is as it seems when a new manager takes over Thail River Mill and drives the union to strike after only three months — it is snowing in Sparta and "Mississippi is Burning."

text: During the filming of the episode "Walkout," Carroll O'Connor began to experience fatigue. After being checked by the set doctor, it was discovered that he needed sextuple heart bypass surgery, due to years of heavy smoking. During the last four episodes of the season, Joe Don Baker was brought in as Tom Dugan, a replacement for Chief Gillespie, who was said to be away at a police training conference at Quantico. Dugan was appointed acting chief by Councilwoman White, but he was actually working undercover for the FBI in an attempt to stop the assassination of a civil rights preacher. The season finale titled "Missing" has the Chief being kidnapped by two men in pig masks. Carroll O'Connor wanted the chief to be undergoing heart surgery in the story line, but the husband and wife producing team came up with this story line instead. It was the final straw in a long line of complaints, and they were fired at the end of the season. Carroll O'Connor took over as executive producer for season three.[1]

text: Note: When Jeri Taylor and her husband decided to do the show, she was quoted as saying, "I was one of those in the '60s that was out marching for civil rights," and "I was one of those who thought the major work had all been done. When we (Taylor and her husband, Moessinger) decided to do the show, we took research trips to the South, and we saw that there had been an enormous amount of change. But we also came back with a renewed vigor and the realization that there is still a lot more to be done. There is still this deeply entrenched racism. And addressing that became a much larger element in our thinking about the show."

text: "What makes race relations a constant in our show is the two lead characters -- one is white and one is black," Moessinger said. "Whether they are angry at each other, whether they're happy or sad, we're showing the interaction of two men who are trying to do the best in life. If we never put one race issue into it, if we never said one word about it, the message is there because it's showing how people ought to interrelate, how they ought to work together, how they ought to get along."[3]

text: Third season[edit]

text: In the third season, Carroll O'Connor took complete control of the show, after firing husband and wife executive producing team David Moessinger and Jeri Taylor.

text: The third season saw a number of changes to the show. The character of Joanne St. John was eliminated to make room for councilwoman Harriet Delong. Althea grappled with the effects and aftermath of rape, after she was raped and attacked by the music teacher at Sparta High School. We learn that Parker was a Vietnam veteran, and someone abandons a baby on Bubba's doorstep. Dee Shaw also joined the cast as officer Dee Sheppard. Parker almost crosses the line between police ethics and love when he falls for Kate Morell and her daughter J.C. A former boxer that used to run for the mob tries to blackmail them. The chief tries unsuccessfully to save him telling Althea "The FBI wants to buy what King Baylor knows before the mob kills him and the mob wants him dead before the FBI can buy him. It's that simple". Althea's reply was "Chief, I believe that is the coldest thing I have ever heard you say". There is a murder at a nursing home, and a race riot almost erupts in Sparta when a white cab driver who got a black girl pregnant in the bottoms is found dead and $1,500 is missing. Gillespie and Tibbs take opposite sides in the case creating some very tense drama. When Althea's girlfriend from high school visits from Philadelphia and quickly takes an interest in Sweet things end tragically after she commits suicide in his apartment. The chief must also save a young girl from being tried as an adult after she is charged with killing her parents and hiding their bodies.

text: In "First Girl", Gillespie hires Christine Rankin, the Sparta PD's first female black officer. Her life is tragically cut short, making room for her replacement, Luanne Corbin, played by Crystal R. Fox. Luanne would remain a prominent character throughout the rest of the series, although Crystal Fox was listed in the ending credits as a guest star until season seven where she finally appeared in the opening credits.

text: In the two-part episode, "Citizen Trundel", written by O'Connor, Cynthia Deming and William J. Royce, Harriet DeLong's sister, Natalie, is murdered by her secret lover, multi-millionaire V.J Trundel. The murder case caused Harriet a tremendous amount of grief—not only because of Natalie's murder, but by Gillespie and Tibbs not being able to implicate Trundel in the crime, much less charge him for it. In Part Two, it was shown out that Norman Luft and Jessica Franks, two of Trundel's most trusted employees facilitated not only Natalie's murder, but the murder of the man they hired to kill her. Jessica was arrested and Luft was apprehended attempting to leave Sparta by private plane with Trundel. Gillespie confronted Trundel with the knowledge that even though he has escaped a murder charge, he would still have to live with the burden of having his lover and the mother of his son, Eric Delong murdered and the risk that Eric would one day confront him over it. Unable to bear the weight of his guilt, Trundel committed suicide by crashing the plane only minutes after taking off. This episode was of special significance to series co-star Denise Nicholas. Ten years before, her real life sister had been murdered and the culprit never caught. When Carroll O'Connor approached Denise about the story line, she had to write him a note explaining the situation. He offered to have her not appear in the episode but she chose to do so to bring closure for her and her family. Only Carroll O'Connor and director Leo Penn knew the truth during filming. This is the first episode in which we see Bill and Harriet's relationship begin to gel.[4]

text: Howard Rollins' drug and alcohol problems[edit]

text: During the second half of season 3, Howard Rollins, took six weeks off when he entered a drug and alcohol rehab program to battle his addiction issues.[5] The episodes he missed included King's Ransom, Triangle, Hello in There, December Days, and An Angry Woman. MGM worked around his rehab schedule. Episodes were not necessarily aired in the order they were filmed which explains why Tibbs was present one week and not the next. To explain his absence he was said to be in New Orleans working for the FBI. He also considered committing suicide shortly before Christmas, 1989, prompting his stay in rehab.[5] Carroll O'Connor even threatened to sue a tabloid which published a story saying that MGM and Carroll had fired Rollins for being absent from the set due to his problems.[5] Denise Nicholas who played Harriet Delong said "Carroll set the standard for loyalty. If he liked you, he really liked you and would be there for you" [TV Guide, July 2001].

text: Fourth season[edit]

text: Cynthia Deming and William J. Royce were made story editor(s).

text: The season begins with a two-hour movie titled "Brotherly Love" and the birth of Virgil and Althea’s twins. William and Sarah Tibbs were welcomed into the world on September 18, 1990. While Althea was waiting to go into labor, Tibbs′ friend from the Philadelphia police force is murdered, and Tibbs heads up to the “big city” to clear his friend's name, only to be framed for murder himself. It is now up to Chief Gillespie to find out the truth, clear Virgil’s name, and make it home in time for the twins' birth. Other stories include a mild-mannered teacher's being accused of child molestation, only to commit suicide due to inflammation from the press. In "Family Matters," Virgil's cousin is a suspect in a string of robberies. Virgil promises his Aunt Ruta that he wants to be a family again and that Ty will not get hurt. When the boy ends up fighting Virgil for the gun used in the robberies and shoots himself, Ruta cuts herself off from the rest of the family. There is a Christmas clip show, a bounty hunter, and a storyline in which the Sparta P.D. has to save a wrongly-convicted man from death row, among many other story lines.

text: Harriet DeLong’s ex-husband Vic returns to Sparta plotting to rob his former employer in a revenge scheme. Three men, on a misty Sunday morning, shoot a security guard at the Lambry plant and steal a bundle of money waiting to be paid out on Monday morning. Harriet’s son Eugene also gets involved when he tries to assist his father and almost loses his life. The case brings Bill and Harriet closer together, while it drives a wedge between Harriet and Eugene. Eugene reminds his mother that "Aunt Natalie was killed by a white man," while Bill brushes off Eugene's fool notions about him and his mama for now. Virgil, on the other hand, is not buying it and can see the relationship between Bill and Harriet developing quite nicely.

text: The season closes with Althea close to a breakdown over the stress of Virgil’s job on the police force after he is almost killed by a stray bullet and does not tell her about it. She is also worried that her children will grow up without their father; she begs him to try something different. Chief Gillespie burns up the wires and gets Virgil on his way to law school, and Althea apologizes for not being more understanding as she, Virgil, and Chief Gillespie share a glass of wine together.

text: Fifth season[edit]

text: The fifth season begins with the revelation that Chief Gillespie has a daughter by the name of Lana Farren, played by Christine Elise (formerly of Beverly Hills, 90210). The Chief is now good friends with her mother, Georgia Farren, played by legendary actress Stella Stevens. Georgia Farren is asking Bill to help her put some of her affairs in order, and to keep all of her "boyfriends" as well as her ex-husband away from her assets which she intends to leave to Lana. Bill immediately puts Ted Marcus on the case to assist Lana in obtaining the property meant for her by her mother, Georgia Farren. In the meantime, Georgia returns to Gulfport and is murdered. The chief takes this very personally and sets out to find her killer, Ken Farren, who evidently learns that Bill Gillespie is Lana's true father. At the end of the episode, Lana finds out that Bill is her real father but does not want to have anything to do with him because of his non-existence in her life for 20 years. This cuts deeply into Bill, and he has a hard time dealing with it. Note: The character of Lana will not be seen again until the season six episode "Random’s Child."

text: Other storylines include a taxidermist who is obsessed with a school teacher, a game of high stakes poker that ends in murder, Bubba's finding out that Sheriff McComb's deputy is growing pot on the side, Sweet's finding out the truth about the murder of his grandfather in 1948, a story based on Medgar Evers, and a humorous episode in which a family reunion goes awry after the father returns to collect the money he stole in a bank robbery 15 years ago only to find out that the mother has remarried and invested/spent a good portion of his millions. Once the money is located, the insurance company wants it back, but Bill and Virgil keep the money as evidence — requiring the insurance company to sue the police department to recover the funds. In "Moseley's Lot," one brother wants the other dead after he drags gambling debts and two thugs from New Orleans home to Sparta. A once-promising family business is destroyed over drugs, money, and jealousy.

text: Season 5 also sees the return of Virgil's Aunt Ruta in "Ruta's Awakening", when she is the only witness to a struggle between Bubba and a young robbery suspect that ends in the young man's death. But her prejudice against the police—and Virgil clouds her memory of the incident. But after visiting her son, Tyrell in prison, whereupon he tells her that the shooting that left him hospitalized was not Virgil's fault, her memory of the incident returns and Bubba is exonerated. The episode ends with Virgil and Ruta happily reconciling.

text: In "Sanctuary" and "The Law on Trial," Sheriff McComb has Gillespie and Tibbs brought up on charges after an escaped prisoner is given sanctuary in a monastery. Judge Simms presides over the case (a recurring role as this judge plays many scenes throughout the run of In the Heat of the Night). After hearing both sides, the jury is not able to reach a verdict and Gillespie and Tibbs are freed. Ted Marcus represents Gillespie and Tibbs in the trial, and at times Althea fears if Virgil is charged, this is the end of his career as a cop and will hinder his chances of being an attorney later. Father DiMarco represents himself at trial and speaks to the courtroom and the judge, which has a great impact of the case being dismissed. The conflict between Sheriff McComb and Chief Gillespie lingers on through several more episodes, and that conflict affects every crossover dealing with subsequent interactions between McComb's deputies and Gillespie's officers. It isn't until the arrival of Chief Hampton Forbes (Carl Weathers) when we see Sheriff McComb and Gillespie as friends again.

text: The episode and season end with Althea and Virgil celebrating Virgil's being able to both attend law school as an attorney and remain on the payroll of Sparta Police Department; and with Bill and Harriet spending the night together.

text: Sixth season[edit]

text: At the beginning of Season 6, In the Heat of the Night moved from NBC to CBS. Originally, CBS opted only to pick up the series for a set of six two-hour movies. However, it was eventually picked up for a full 22 episode order. The first two episodes of the season saw the affair between Gillespie and DeLong intensify, only to be interrupted by a crack war waged on Sparta involving Eugene Glendon. Eugene is Harriet DeLong's son from her first marriage to Vic Glendon, a convict who came back to Sparta to rob the mill and former workplace of his employer where a cop was murdered during the attempt to apprehend the robbers. Vic Glendon is later convicted and sent to Parchman Prison on death row. Althea Tibbs saw new trauma this season as she witnessed the suicide of one of her students, Garth Watkins (played by Walton Goggins), causing her to suffer a near mental breakdown. Garth is so obsessed with his girlfriend, who has long broken up with him and taken to older, married men, that Garth steals the boots and gun of his girlfriend's stepfather and travels to Pervis Lake and sits in wait for Megan Fowler (the girlfriend) and Lyle Ridley (the older married man) and fatally shoots Lyle while he and Megan are chasing each other outside the cabin that belongs to Lyle Ridley and his wife. Parker and Dee suffer the dreaded task of traveling to the Ridley residence to tell Mrs. Ridley that her husband was shot at their lake home and was with a young 17-year-old girl, Megan Fowler.

text: Other highlights this season included the return of Luanne’s brother (played by Designing Women's Meshach Taylor), a faded country music singer (played by Robert Goulet) who ends up committing murder, Bubba's being stalked by an obsessed admirer, Sweet's being falsely accused of accepting a bribe, and a two-part episode directed by Larry Hagman involving the white supremacy[6] that still exists in the new South. Additionally, there was another two-part episode written by O'Connor and Cynthia Deming, titled "Even Nice People" (1) and "Lake Winahatchie" (2) in which the mob, led by their real estate connection Lewis Alvin Epp, tries to force Lana off her farmland first by trying to buy it and then by torching it in an arson fire so that they can build the "Sparta South Development."

text: Howard Rollins' Firing from In the Heat of the Night[edit]

text: Rollins was fired due to health reasons and three outstanding warrants in Rockdale County and the city of Covington, GA.[7] He was replaced for season seven by Carl Weathers when filming began on April 28, 1993. Rollins had not been seen on the set since January 1993, when season six wrapped. Despite numerous attempts by the media to contact Rollins, who was believed to be living in New York City, only series star Carroll O'Connor was in contact with Rollins during this period. It was hoped that Rollins would get his legal and personal issues resolved and return to the series full-time, serving in his capacity as attorney at law and assisting the Sparta P.D. with cases. But sadly, this was not the case.

text: After season 6, Anne-Marie Johnson and Geoffrey Thorne left the series. Rollins would return occasionally as a guest star, while Johnson took a starring role on Fox’s In Living Color. Thorne left to pursue a career as a novelist and screenwriter. Thorne's character simply vanished from the series without any explanation.

text: Seventh season[edit]

text: Season 7 began with Bill Gillespie being forced out of office and former Memphis, Tennessee Police Department Inspector Hampton Forbes hired as the new police chief. After nearly three decades on the Sparta police force, Gillespie does not receive a new contract from the city council because of his open relationship with Harriet DeLong. However, Gillespie is soon appointed as the acting Sheriff of Newton County when Nathan McComb suffers a heart attack and is too ill to continue his duties. Bill's first case as Sheriff is to solve the murder of one of the richest families in Sparta — the Barons. Wade Hatton, played by Stacy Keach, is a lawyer from New Orleans who has returned to his native Sparta to revisit his childhood memories and romance Sarah Hallisey. The prime suspect in the case is a 16-year-old black youth, played by Wayne Brady with an intellectual disability. Gillespie eventually solves the case with the help of Hatton, Hallisey, and Judge Cully — much to the dissatisfaction of District Attorney Darnell, who feels the prisoner is being treated in a privileged status due to his disability. Meanwhile, Chief Forbes is escorted on a driving tour of Sparta by Bubba Skinner and Officer Covey. Forbes gets to see both the finest street in town, along which Bubba indicates that he has solved many major crimes, as well as "The Bottoms." Chief Forbes soon realizes that Sparta is no different from Memphis, and he and Gillespie will need to work together to keep the town safe from the criminal elements. Howard Rollins returns in his new capacity as attorney Virgil Tibbs and assists on three of the Sparta PD's cases after having moved into Ben Taylor's law office.

text: Other cases involve a friend of Bubba Skinner's being given the AIDS virus from a lover who knew he had it, a nine-year-old little girl being killed because of a drunk driver (Hagman-directed), a young inter-racial couple being stalked by a white supremacist (Brent Lunay), first seen in the episode "Odessa," written by Denise Nicholas. Other cases include Parker's being accused of police brutality, and the return of Daddy Roy and Miz Rhoda. Both Anne Meara and Jerry Stiller make special guest appearances in two separate episodes. Gillespie must once again confront his racist past when a new synagogue moves into Sparta and the Rabbi detests Gillespie for being an anti-Semite back in the 1960s. This both angers and shocks Harriet. Lana Gillespie also makes one final appearance as Bill's daughter in the Hagman-directed episode "A Love Lost," in which he must protect her from a former boyfriend who is involved in a gun running scheme with someone in Sparta.

text: In the episode "Ches and the Grand Lady," Bobby Short reprises his role as the blues musician from "Sweet, Sweet Blues." The episode also guest stars Jean Simmons as the dying grand dame of Sparta who also happens to be Ches's old flame and the overbearing great-aunt of Lonnie Jamison. Another episode involves the return of Maybelle Chesboro (played by Elizabeth Ashley), the ex-madam. She has returned to operate a legal phone sex business. One of her employees tries to blackmail one of Holly Colmer's friends and ends up getting shot. Chesboro decides to give up working in the business for good, but not before visiting Gillespie and attempting to get romantic with him.

text: Finally, in "Dangerous Engagement," Gillespie and DeLong tie the knot at the same sanctuary involved in the sanctuary case from season five. Father DiMarco has since died, but the new Monk agrees to marry them. Chief Forbes serves as best man. In the meantime, a newspaper misprint makes Gillespie the target of an escaped killer from Texas whose father Sheriff McComb sent to death row. His son is now seeking revenge.

text: The season and the TV series wraps up with the two-hour movie of the week, "Give Me Your Life," starring Peter Fonda as Appfel. The story (by O'Connor and written by Cynthia Deming & William J Royce) is loosely based on the real-life drama unfolding in Waco, Texas with David Koresh and his followers.

text: TV movies[edit]

text: Four made-for-television movies were produced during the 1994-95 season. Once released on DVD, these movies combined were considered to be the eighth season of the show.[8] The movies were:

text:
A Matter of Justice
Who was Geli Bendl? (directed by Larry Hagman)
By Duty Bound
Grow Old Along with Me

text: Series co-star Hugh O'Connor committed suicide two months before the fourth film aired. When the film was broadcast in its original, two-hour format, a black screen was added in between the intro tag and the opening title; it read "In memory of Hugh O'Connor: 1962–1995".

text: Writing staff[edit]

text:
Carroll O'Connor (1989–95) as Matt Harris
Mark Rodgers (1989–90)
David Moessinger (1988–89)
Jeri Taylor (1988–89)
Edward Deblasio (1989–90)
Nancy Bond (1988–90)
William J Royce (1989–94)
Cynthia Deming (1990–94)
Robert Bielak (1990–91)
Mitch Schneider (1990–94)
Joe Gannon (1991–94)
Denise Nicholas (1992–95)
Terri Erwin (1989–91)
Bill Taub (1991)

text: Cast[edit]

text:
Actor
Role

Carroll O'Connor
Starred in the lead role of William O. "Bill" Gillespie. Gillespie was a tough but honorable small city police chief. At first somewhat resentful of Virgil Tibbs, Gillespie would later become very close to Virgil and the rest of the Tibbs family. It should be noted that their relationship in the TV series is much less adversarial than it is in the film version. For the first six seasons he was the chief of the Sparta Police Department until he was fired by the city council at the beginning of the 7th season. He would then become interim County Sheriff after the previous Sheriff became too ill to continue his duties. Gillespie would become the permanent Sheriff by the end of the series. Chief Gillespie was a World War 2 Veteran and identified himself as serving with a colored man in the 227th Military Police (it is assumed the 227th was a colored unit and Gillespie was the commanding officer). Gillespie had a penchant for wearing high-powered sidearms such as the Colt Python and later a brushed chrome Desert Eagle. Gillespie was married at one time to Anna, his Italian war bride whom he brought home from his WWII service in Italy. Anna became pregnant - both she and their son would die in childbirth. He also had an older daughter Lana, played by Christine Elise. Gillespie eventually fell in love with Harriett DeLong. Throughout the series run, O'Connor was one of the actors to appear in every episode of the series on both networks (NBC) and (CBS), with the exception of four shows near the end of the 1988-89 season that he missed while recovering from open heart surgery.

Howard Rollins
Starred in the lead role of Virgil Tibbs. Virgil had grown up in Sparta but later moved north and became a police detective in Philadelphia, PA. He would later return to Sparta after being offered a job as chief of detectives and the rank of Captain with the city police department. At first Tibbs and Gillespie butted heads, but would soon become close friends - Gillespie even became Godfather to Virgil and Althea's twins. Tibbs also initially clashed with Bubba early in the series, but after helping Bubba clear his name during a case where he was falsely accused of rape, they became good friends as well. Even though some city council members wanted to make him chief, Tibbs firmly rebuffed their offers, preferring to work with Gillespie. After continued legal problems, Rollins was dropped from the series in 1993, and Tibbs was written out of the series as having left the community following his graduation from law school and becoming an attorney in private practice. Rollins would return as a guest star several times during the 7th season in his new profession, attorney at law.

Alan Autry
Played Virgil Lawrence "Bubba" Skinner. At first Bubba was something of a redneck. Intimidating and physically powerful, he was never afraid to use force when needed, but despite his rough exterior, he was a good man deep down. He was also a sort of ladies' man around Sparta, as he always seemed to have a new girlfriend. He was known to turn female heads - including that of Althea Tibbs who refers to him as a "hunk." Bubba was deeply resentful of Virgil's presence on the police force at first, clashing with him on several occasions. He eventually became close friends with the Tibbs family, particularly after Virgil helped clear his name in a false allegation of rape. As the series progresses, Bubba is shown to be a brave and honorable man who is more complex and intelligent than people give him credit for. Through the course of the series, Bubba became more racially tolerant, referring to bigots and racists as "knotheads." Bubba was also from a large family, and was shown several times during the series to be an expert shot with a rifle. When the Sparta police needed a sniper (such as when Captain Tibbs's wife Althea was taken hostage in the episode ".......And then you die,") it was Skinner who took the shot with a scoped rifle kept in the trunk of his squad car. Bubba carried a Smith & Wesson Model 10 revolver in his belt holster like most of the other Sparta police officers. In Season 1, Bubba's rank seemed to be patrolman but was never explicitly stated. By Season 2's premiere he was a Sergeant. Eventually he rose to the rank of Captain before Gillespie left the Sparta Police. In Season 5, it is revealed that Bubba's first and middle initials are V.L. Bubba also always wore "white socks" with his uniform. Bubba usually was the one who was asked to arrest the tougher suspects due to his large size and immense strength.

Anne-Marie Johnson
Starred as Virgil's wife, teacher and counselor Althea Tibbs. She starred in that role for six seasons. Althea's life in Sparta was difficult—she was raped at the beginning of the third season, and later suffered a mental breakdown after witnessing the suicide of one of her students. Althea did not reappear for the 7th season, and her character was written out as Althea had been separated from Virgil and moved back to Pennsylvania.

Lois Nettleton
Played Joanne St. John from 1988 to 1989. She was the owner of the Magnolia Cafe, a popular eatery in Sparta (as seen in the show's opening). After it was revealed that Joanne was once a prostitute, she eventually left Sparta.

David Hart
Played Parker Williams. He was a very perceptive character. He genuinely loved the people of Sparta whom he had sworn to serve and protect, and he often sensed when someone was hurting. Parker knew everybody in town and was able to get through to them because of his kindness. Parker generally sat behind the dispatcher's desk, handling the telephone and radio, although he also was assigned to patrol duty. In 1994, he rose to the rank of Senior Sergeant. Parker was a Vietnam veteran, as explained in the episode "My Name is Hank." As a comic relief, Parker always had a Mason jar of sweet tea on his desk, including when he was at the Tibbs's house for Christmas in the episode "Blessings." Parker can be seen holding his tea jar with a Christmas bow stuck on it.

Christian LeBlanc
Portrayed Junior Abernathy, a patrolman seen only during Season 1. Junior was a young and inexperienced policeman who often was chastised by Detective Tibbs or Chief Gillespie for not knowing proper police procedure. However, Junior often rose to the occasion to assist in arrests or at other incidents in Sparta.

Geoffrey Thorne
Joined the cast as Wilson Sweet in 1988. Aside from Tibbs, Sweet was one of the first black men to join the force. His ambition was to rise in the ranks of the Sparta police force and become Sparta's first black Police Chief - a part which was eventually played by Carl Weathers. The character disappeared in Season 7 after Thorne left the show and was never mentioned again.

Hugh O'Connor
Played the role of Lonnie Jamison, an officer and senior investigator on the Sparta police force. Lonnie eventually rose to the rank of Lieutenant and Acting Chief of Detectives. Lonnie was a very capable officer and took his job seriously. He usually had a serious and straightforward personality, with a dry humor that always fit the moment, and he was an amiable and friendly person overall. One of the many facets of Lonnie's character was fierce, never-give-up loyalty to his friends. A prime example of that loyalty occurred over several episodes as Lonnie's friendship with Harriet DeLong's son Eugene. Lonnie was Eugene's track team coach at Sparta High, and it was Lonnie Jamison who was able to get through to the young man when Eugene's father was being tried for murder, episode "No Other Road." Later, in "A Small War," when Eugene's friend was killed in a drive-by at a drug pusher's house, Lonnie tried to convince Eugene to talk about what he had witnessed. Eugene resisted, testing Lt. Jamison's patience, but when Eugene agreed to help the police identify the shooter, it was Lonnie who drove him up to Jackson. Actually, Lonnie let Eugene drive, and they took Jamison's Corvette. That scene was another example of Lonnie helping to get through to Eugene. Lonnie was a crack shot with a rifle and was often selected by Chief Gillespie to handle a situation requiring a long range rifle shot, as in episodes "My Name is Hank," "An Eye for An Eye," and "CrackDown." Along with Bubba, the Sparta Police had a very lethal sniper team.

Carl Weathers
Joined the cast in the final season as Police Chief Hampton Forbes. He was picked to lead the department after the controversial firing of Bill Gillespie. Forbes was the first black chief of the department and a 20-year veteran of the Memphis, TN, police department, serving in one of the four police districts in the city of Memphis. He retired from the MPD to become the new Police Chief in Sparta. Forbes became friends with Gillespie and often worked closely with him when Gillespie became county sheriff.

Crystal R. Fox
Played Luanne Corbin. After the first black woman to join the force, Officer Christine Rankin, died in the line of duty on her first day on the job, Corbin was recruited to take her place. Crystal was featured in the episode "Singin' the Blues," which gave her the opportunity to display her talent as a singer as well as a fine actress. Her beautiful singing voice was also featured in the episode "Odessa," where she sang the Gospel song "Jesus Savior, Pilot Me."

Denise Nicholas
Played Sparta City Council woman Harriet DeLong. Harriet's relationship with Chief Gillespie was deeply adversarial in the beginning, and the two clashed often when she first appeared on the show. But over the course of the series, Harriet saw Gillespie's softer, more caring side and began to think more fondly of him. By the time Denise Nicholas became a series regular, Harriet and Gillespie were becoming a couple, much to the disapproval of her son, Eugene. In the two-part episode, "Citizen Trundel," Harriet's sister, Natalie was the mistress of conniving businessman, V.J. Trundel, who later had her murdered. They had a son named Eric from their illicit affair, and Harriet eventually gained custody of him after Trundel committed suicide by deliberately crashing his private airplane after a confrontation about the murder with Gillespie. Emily Trundel, V.J.'s estranged widow, attempted to gain custody of Eric in the following season, but only succeeded in gaining visitation rights, something Harriet deeply opposed.

Randall Franks
Played Officer Randy Goode (1988–1993) Randy Goode began his work on the series as a partner to Wilson Sweet in "The Creek;" he soon began driving Chief Gillespie and Detective Tibbs around.

Harvey E. Lee Jr.
Played Officer Ken Covey. (Joined the show in the sixth season.)

Mark Johnson
Played Officer Luke Everett. (Joined the show in the sixth season.)

text: Recurring cast[edit]

text:
Actor
Role

Maureen Dowdell
Played Nurse Tracey Boggs, Bubba's girlfriend. Also played Nurse Jill and Lydia Kinsey.

Thom Gossom Jr.
Ted Marcus

Fran Bennett
Virgil's aunt Ruta Gibson

Karen Carlson
Sarah Hallisey

Rugg Williams
Eugene Glendon

Wallace Merck
Colmer

Christine Elise
Lana Farren - Gillespie's daughter by Georgia Farren as the result of a long-ago love affair. They had no relationship while Lana was growing up.

Adair Simon
Emily Trundel

Bob Penny
Alvin Epp

Scott Brian Higgs
Randy Calhoun

Wilbur Fitzgerald
Dist. Atty. Gerard Darnelle

Afemo Omilami
Jimmy Dawes

Burgess Meredith
Judge Cully

Stuart Culpepper
Judge Henry Sims

Joe Don Baker
Captain Tom Dugan - A retired Mississippi Highway Patrol police captain, Dugan appeared on the last four episodes of the second season. Baker was brought in as a stand-in for Carroll O'Connor while O'Connor was recovering from open heart surgery. Dugan was placed in the department by the FBI to uncover a plot by white supremacists to assassinate a civil rights leader. Dugan was murdered by these same white supremacists at the end of the second season. Dugan's godson, who had become involved with these people, later agreed to help the police.

Ron Culbreth
Sheriff Nathan McComb - the former county sheriff. Culbreth appeared on nine episodes as Sheriff McComb. In the 7th season, McComb became too ill to continue his duties, and Gillespie was appointed as acting sheriff in his place. Prior to his appearances as McComb, Culbreth also appeared on the episode Missing in another guest role.

Pat Hingle
Roy Eversole - Parker Williams' step-father. Hot tempered, Eversole had a great deal of difficulty maintaining steady employment. Eversole was once a murder suspect after getting into a heated argument with a former employer, who was subsequently found dead a short time later.

Tonea Stewart
Virgil's aunt Etta Kibby

Dee Shaw
Officer Dee Shepard

Jen Harper
Dr. Day

text: Guest stars[edit]

text: During the series' 7½-season run, many familiar, unfamiliar, and longtime character actors and actresses have made guest appearances, and others were newcomers who went on to become well-known. Some of those appearing in The Heat of the Night episodes were: Ed Ames, Frances Fisher, Rod Masterson, Mel Stewart, Denzel Washington, Nana Visitor, Gail O'Grady, Peter Fonda, Don Galloway, Corbin Bernsen, Dana Barron, Marco St. John, Larry Black, Ted Lange, Mickey Jones, Mitchell Laurance, Laura Johnson, Jordan Vaughn, Martha Byrne, Walton Goggins, Maury Covington, Earl Holliman, Michael Beck, Randy Brooks, Wayne Brady, Art Evans, Nicolas Cowan, Lou Walker, Alan Arbus, Robert Goulet, Bobby Short, Iman, William Sadler, Michael Spound, Bill McKinney, Lisa Pelikan, Mark Rolston, Jennifer Bassey, Marc Macaulay, Jean Simmons, Thomas Jefferson Bird, Vanessa Bell Calloway, J.D. Hall, John Davis Chandler, George C. Scott, Joe Senaca, Stephen Root, Bruce Kirby, Lisa Rieffel, Marla Gibbs, Ernest Lee Thomas, Ken Marshall, Laurence Fishburne, Josh Lucas (as Joshua Lucas), Ted Manson, Mariska Hargitay, Jason Beghe, Meshach Taylor, Francesco Quinn, Jeffrey Buckner Ford, Gary Anthony Williams, Richard McKenzie, Fred Thompson, Craig Shoemaker, Stephen Nichols, Stacy Keach, Mitchell Anderson, James Best, Sonny Shroyer, Michael Warren, Byron Cherry, Whitman Mayo, Ken Curtis, Louise Fletcher, Victor French, among many others. Future Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman stars, Helene Udy, William Shockley and Chad Allen made guest appearances. Future Desperate Housewives star Doug Savant and veteran actor Kevin McCarthy also made their guest appearances on the two-part pilot episode, as well as O. J. Simpson, who made a cameo appearance.

text: Broadcast history and ratings[edit]

text: The series debuted as a midseason replacement for the short-lived NBC series J.J. Starbuck, premiering on March 6, 1988. The series ran on the network until May 19, 1992, then was shown on CBS until its finale after an eighth season, on May 16, 1995.

text:
Season
Time
Rank
Rating
Viewers

1987–88
Tuesday at 9:00-10:00 PM on NBC
19
17.0
15,639,200

1988–89
18
17.3
15,564,900

1989–90
19
16.9
13,871,900

1990–91
21
14.9 (tied with Major Dad)
N/A

1991–92
Tuesday at 9:00-10:00 PM on NBC (October 1, 1991 - January 7, 1992)
Tuesday at 8:00-9:00 PM on NBC (January 14 - May 19, 1992)
30
13.1 (tied with The Golden Girls)
N/A

1992–93
Wednesday at 9:00-10:00 PM on CBS
46
N/A
10,630,000

1993–94
Thursday at 8:00-9:00 PM on CBS (September 16, 1993 - January 6, 1994)
Wednesday at 9:00-10:00 PM on CBS (January 12 - May 11, 1994)
N/A
N/A
N/A

text: DVD releases[edit]

text: On August 30, 2012, TGG Direct released the first season on DVD in Region 1 for the very first time.[9] The eighth and final season was released on June 11, 2013.[8]

text: On October 23, 2012, TGG Direct released an 8-disc best-of set entitled In the Heat of the Night - 24hr Television Marathon.[10]

text: TGG Direct released seasons 4 and 5 onto DVD on December 10, 2013. However, due to licensing issues, the following episodes are missing from the box set: Brotherly Love, Shine On Sparta Moon, Sweet, Sweet Blues, Sanctuary, Law On Trial.[11][12]

text: TGG Direct released seasons 2 & 3 in a single boxed set onto DVD on March 11, 2014. However, due to clearance issues, the following episodes are excluded from Season 2 and Season 3 Season 2 Excluded Episodes: The Family Secret, The Hammer and the Glove, A Trip Upstate, Intruders, Sister Sister, Walkout Season 3 Excluded Episodes: Fairest of Them All, Crackdown, Anniversary, My Name is Hank, King's Ransom, A Loss of Innocence, Home is Where the Heart Is, Indiscretions, Citizen Trundel Part 1 and Part 2

text: TGG Direct also released seasons 6 and 7 in individual boxed sets onto DVD on March 11, 2014. However, due to clearance issues, the following episode is excluded from Season 6: Random's Child and the following episodes are excluded from Season 7: Singin' The Blues, Every Man's Family, Maybelle Returns, Ches and the Grand Lady, Dangerous Engagement.

text: Locations[edit]

text: The television series also took place in a fictionalized version of Sparta, Mississippi. While there is a real Sparta, the version of Sparta shown on television is very different from the real town. 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.

text: Soundtrack[edit]

text: The theme song, "In the Heat of the Night," was recorded by Quincy Jones, and 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.

text: Randall Franks and Alan Autry co-produced the cast CD "Christmas Time's A Comin'" for Sonlite and MGM/UA featuring the entire cast and a host of music stars and it was released Christmas 1991 and 1992 and was among the top holiday recordings of those years around the South and Midwest.


document_title: Corn flakes

question_text: what kind of rooster is the kellogg's rooster

question_tokens: what kind of rooster is the kellogg 's rooster

root

text: Corn flakes

text: Description[edit]

text: Corn flakes are a packaged cereal product formed from small toasted flakes of corn, usually served cold with milk and sometimes sugar. Since their original production, the plain flakes of corn have been flavoured with salt, sugar and malt, and many successive products with additional ingredients have been manufactured such as sugar frosted flakes and honey & nut corn flakes.[1] Corn flakes are produced in significant quantities at the Trafford Park factory in Manchester, England, which is the largest cereal factory in the world.[2]

tag: p

text: History[edit]

text: The legend of corn flakes goes back to the late 19th century, when a team of Seventh-day Adventists began to develop new foods to adhere to the vegetarian diet recommended by the church. Members of the group experimented with a number of different grains, including wheat, oats, rice, barley and corn. In 1894, John Harvey Kellogg, the superintendent of the Battle Creek Sanitarium in Michigan and an Adventist, used these recipes as part of a strict vegetarian regimen for his patients, which also included no alcohol, tobacco or caffeine. The diet he imposed consisted entirely of bland foods. A follower of Sylvester Graham, the inventor of graham crackers and graham bread, Kellogg believed that spicy or sweet foods would increase passions.[3]

text: This idea for corn flakes began by accident when Kellogg and his younger brother, Will Keith Kellogg, left some cooked wheat to sit while they attended to some pressing matters at the sanitarium. When they returned, they found that the wheat had gone stale, but being on a strict budget, they decided to continue to process it by forcing it through rollers, hoping to obtain long sheets of the dough. To their surprise, what they found instead were flakes, which they toasted and served to their patients. This event occurred on August 8, 1894, and a patent for "Flaked Cereals and Process of Preparing Same" was filed on May 31, 1895, and issued on April 14, 1896.[4][5][6]

text: Dr. Kellogg introduced Kellogg's Corn Flakes in hopes that it would reduce dyspepsia and, in accordance with the practices of the Seventh-day Adventists, masturbation and excessive sexual intercourse.[7]

text: The flakes of grain, which the Kellogg brothers called granose, were a very popular food among the patients. The brothers then experimented with other flakes from other grains. In 1906, Will Keith Kellogg, who served as the business manager of the sanitarium, decided to try to mass-market the new food. At his new company, Battle Creek Toasted Corn Flake Company, he added sugar to the flakes to make them more palatable to a mass audience, but this caused a rift between his brother and him. In 1907, his same company ran an ad campaign which offered a free box of cereal to any woman who winked at her grocer.[8] To increase sales, in 1909 he added a special offer, the Funny Jungleland Moving Pictures Booklet, which was made available to anyone who bought two boxes of the cereal. This same premium was offered for 22 years. At the same time, Kellogg also began experimenting with new grain cereals to expand his product line. Rice Krispies, his next great hit, first went on sale in 1928.[9]

text: There have been many mascots of Kellogg's Cornflakes. The most popular one is a green rooster named Cornelius "Corny" Rooster, which has been the mascot since his debut. In early commercials, he would speak the catch phrase "Wake up, up, up to Kellogg's Cornflakes!" Dallas McKennon and Andy Devine voiced him. Later, he stopped talking and simply crowed.[citation needed] The concept of using a stylized cockerel originated from a suggestion by family friend Nansi Richards, a harpist from Wales and a Welsh language proponent. The Welsh word for cockerel is ceiliog (pronounced keyeleeog or in some dialects keelog).[10][11]

text: Similar cereals[edit]

text: This section does not cite any sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (December 2013) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)

tag: table

text: A former patient of the Battle Creek Sanitarium, C. W. Post, started a rival company to create the other major brand of corn flakes in the United States, Post Toasties or Elijah's Manna. The Australian company Sanitarium Health and Wellbeing also manufactures their own brand of corn flakes called Skippy corn flakes. Many generic brands of corn flakes are produced by various manufacturers. In addition, Sainsbury's, Tesco, Morrisons, Asda Co-operative, etc. have brought out similar products based on cornflakes. A variety of corn flakes that is sold in the United Kingdom is one where honey and nuts have been added to the corn flakes, colloquially as "honey nut corn flakes" and as Crunchy Nut under the Kellogg's brand name.

text: In cooking[edit]

text: There are a wide variety of different recipes for dishes involving corn flakes and crushed corn flakes can even be a substitute for bread crumbs.

text: Honey joys are a popular party snack in Australia. They are made by mixing corn flakes with honey, butter and sugar and baking in patty cases or muffin cups.[12] A variant popular in the UK is chocolate corn flake cakes, made with corn flakes, dark chocolate, golden syrup and butter.[13] In New Zealand, corn flakes are a core ingredient in Afghan biscuits, a chocolate cookie made with corn flakes and topped with chocolate icing.[14][better source needed]

text: Images[edit]

text:
Corn flakes are usually served with cold milk (but it is sometimes warm or hot). Fruit is a popular addition. Sugar may be added to taste.

Corn flakes are sweetened, flavored with peanut butter and covered in compound chocolate to create the Butterfinger candy bar (and imitations).

Quinoa "corn" flakes

tag: ul


document_title: Orange County, New York

question_text: what cities are in orange county new york

text: Orange County, New York

text: History[edit]

text: This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (June 2008)

text: Orange County was officially established on November 1, 1683, when the Province of New York was divided into twelve counties. Each of these was named to honor a member of the British royal family, and Orange County took its name from the Prince of Orange, who subsequently became King William III of England. As originally defined, Orange County included only the southern part of its present-day territory, plus all of present-day Rockland County further south. The northern part of the present-day county, beyond Moodna Creek, was then a part of neighbouring Ulster County.

text: At that date, the only European inhabitants of the area were a handful of Dutch colonists in present-day Rockland County, and the area of modern Orange County was entirely occupied by the native Munsee people. Due to its relatively small population, the original Orange County was not fully independent and was administered by New York County.

text: The first European settlers in the area of the present-day county arrived in 1685. They were a party of around twenty-five families from Scotland, led by David Toshach, the Laird of Monzievaird, and his brother-in-law Major Patrick McGregor, a former officer of the French Army. They settled in the Hudson Highlands at the place where the Moodna Creek enters the Hudson River, now known as New Windsor. In 1709, a group of German Palatine refugees settled at Newburgh. They were Protestants from a part of Germany along the Rhine that had suffered during the religious wars. Queen Anne's government arranged for passage from England of nearly 3,000 Palatines in ten ships. Many were settled along the Hudson River in work camps on property belonging to Robert Livingston. A group of Dutch and English settlers arrived at Goshen in 1712. Additional immigrants came from Ireland; they were of Scots and English descent who had been settled as planters there.

text: In 1798, after the American Revolutionary War, the boundaries of Orange County changed. Its southern corner was used to create the new Rockland County, and in exchange, an area to the north of the Moodna Creek was added, which had previously been in Ulster County. This caused a reorganization of the local administration, as the original county seat had been fixed at Orangetown in 1703, but this was now in Rockland County. Duties were subsequently shared between Goshen, which had been the center of government for the northern part of Orange County, and Newburgh, which played a similar role in the area transferred from Ulster County. The county court was established in 1801. It was not until 1970 that Goshen was named as the sole county seat.

text: Due to a boundary dispute between New York and New Jersey, the boundaries of many of the southern towns of the county were not definitively established until the 19th century.[5]

text: Geography[edit]

text: According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 839 square miles (2,170 km2), of which 812 square miles (2,100 km2) is land and 27 square miles (70 km2) (3.2%) is water.[6]

text: Orange County is in southeastern New York State, directly north of the New Jersey-New York border, west of the Hudson River, east of the Delaware River and northwest of New York City. It borders the New York counties of Dutchess, Putnam, Rockland, Sullivan, Ulster, and Westchester, as well as Passaic and Sussex counties in New Jersey and Pike County in Pennsylvania.

text: Orange County is the only county in New York State which borders both the Hudson and Delaware Rivers.

text: Orange County is where the Great Valley of the Appalachians finally opens up and ends. The western corner is set off by the Shawangunk Ridge. The area along the Rockland County border (within Harriman and Bear Mountain state parks) and south of Newburgh is part of the Hudson Highlands. The land in between is the valley of the Wallkill River. In the southern portion of the county the Wallkill valley expands into a wide glacial lake bed known as the Black Dirt Region for its fertility.

text: The highest point is Schunemunk Mountain, at 1,664 feet (507 m) above sea level. The lowest is sea level along the Hudson.

text: National protected areas[edit]

text:
Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River (part)
Wallkill River National Wildlife Refuge (part)

text: Adjacent counties[edit]

text:
Ulster County – north
Dutchess County – northeast
Putnam County - east
Rockland County – southeast
Passaic County, New Jersey - southeast
Sussex County, New Jersey - south
Pike County, Pennsylvania – southwest
Sullivan County – northwest

text: Demographics[edit]

text:
Historical population

Census
Pop.

%±

1790
18,492

—

1800
29,355

58.7%

1810
34,347

17.0%

1820
41,213

20.0%

1830
45,336

10.0%

1840
50,739

11.9%

1850
57,145

12.6%

1860
63,812

11.7%

1870
80,902

26.8%

1880
88,220

9.0%

1890
97,859

10.9%

1900
103,859

6.1%

1910
116,001

11.7%

1920
119,844

3.3%

1930
130,383

8.8%

1940
140,113

7.5%

1950
152,255

8.7%

1960
183,734

20.7%

1970
221,657

20.6%

1980
259,603

17.1%

1990
307,647

18.5%

2000
341,367

11.0%

2010
372,813

9.2%

Est. 2016
379,210
[7]
1.7%

U.S. Decennial Census[8]
1790-1960[9] 1900-1990[10]
1990-2000[11] 2010-2013[1]

text: As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 372,813 people residing in the county. The population density was 444 people per square mile (171/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 77.2% White, 10.2% Black or African American, 0.5% Native American, 2.4% Asian, and 3.1% from two or more races. 18% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.[12] According to the 2000 United States Census, 18.3% were of Italian, 17.4% Irish, 10.2% German and 5.0% Polish ancestry. According to the 2009–13 American Community Survey, 76.57% of people spoke only English at home, 13.39% spoke Spanish, 4.03% spoke Yiddish and 0.83% spoke Italian.[13]

text: As of the 2000 Census, there were 114,788 households out of which 39.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.90% were married couples living together, 11.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.40% were non-families. 21.50% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.85 and the average family size was 3.35.

text: In the county, the population was spread out with 29.00% under the age of 18, 8.70% from 18 to 24, 30.00% from 25 to 44, 21.90% from 45 to 64, and 10.30% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 100.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.50 males.

text: The median income for a household in the county was $52,058, and the median income for a family was $60,355. Males had a median income of $42,363 versus $30,821 for females. The per capita income for the county was $21,597. About 7.60% of families and 10.50% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.80% of those under age 18 and 8.00% of those age 65 or over.

text: Despite its rural roots, Orange County has been among the fastest-growing regions within the New York City Metropolitan Area.[citation needed] and starting around the 1960s has developed a more suburban character.

text: Law and government[edit]

text: Originally, like most New York counties, Orange County was governed by a Board of Supervisors. Its board consisted of the 20 town supervisors, nine city supervisors elected from the nine wards of the City of Newburgh, and four each elected from the wards of the cities of Middletown and Port Jervis. In 1968, the board adopted a county charter and a reapportionment plan that created the county legislature and executive. The first county executive and legislature were elected in November, 1969 and took office on January 1, 1970. Today, Orange County is still governed by the same charter; residents elect the county executive and a 21-member county legislature elected from 21 single-member districts. There are also several state constitutional positions that are elected, including a sheriff, county clerk and district attorney. Prior to 1 January 2008 four coroners were also elected; however, on that date, the county switched to a medical examiner system.

text: The current County Officers are:

text:
County Executive: Steven M. Neuhaus (Republican)
County Clerk: Annie Rabbit (Republican)
Sheriff: Carl E. DuBois (Republican)
District Attorney: David M. Hoovler (Republican)

text:
Presidential Elections Results[14]

Year
Republican
Democratic
Third Parties

2016
50.4% 76,645
44.9% 68,278
4.7% 7,098

2012
46.5% 65,367
52.1% 73,315
1.4% 1,946

2008
47.4% 72,042
51.5% 78,326
1.1% 1,614

2004
54.7% 79,089
43.8% 63,394
1.5% 2,190

2000
49.7% 62,852
46.0% 58,170
4.4% 5,535

1996
40.1% 45,956
48.0% 54,995
11.9% 13,587

1992
43.7% 53,493
37.5% 45,946
18.8% 23,081

1988
62.4% 65,446
36.7% 38,465
0.9% 899

1984
67.8% 69,413
31.9% 32,663
0.3% 337

1980
56.7% 51,268
33.2% 30,022
10.1% 9,180

1976
54.8% 49,685
44.5% 40,362
0.7% 626

1972
71.0% 63,556
28.8% 25,778
0.2% 181

1968
56.1% 44,955
35.1% 28,122
8.8% 7,072

1964
38.8% 30,610
61.1% 48,244
0.1% 70

1960
60.7% 48,646
39.3% 31,471
0.1% 65

1956
77.5% 57,739
22.5% 16,722
0.0% 0

1952
71.2% 51,217
28.6% 20,585
0.1% 98

1948
62.8% 38,351
33.8% 20,638
3.3% 2,042

1944
61.7% 39,041
38.0% 24,059
0.3% 162

1940
58.4% 38,913
41.4% 27,632
0.2% 145

1936
54.4% 34,428
43.5% 27,528
2.1% 1,320

1932
56.4% 30,687
42.2% 22,971
1.4% 765

1928
64.1% 37,334
32.7% 19,047
3.2% 1,859

1924
67.7% 29,184
22.7% 9,765
9.6% 4,134

1920
66.1% 24,558
28.5% 10,567
5.4% 2,010

1916
56.1% 13,619
42.0% 10,198
2.0% 478

1912
43.1% 10,364
39.1% 9,404
17.7% 4,258

1908
57.0% 14,414
39.3% 9,938
3.7% 924

1904
56.9% 14,222
39.6% 9,882
3.5% 879

1900
57.1% 14,137
41.1% 10,180
1.8% 432

1896
59.5% 14,086
37.9% 8,971
2.6% 610

1892
48.7% 11,081
45.8% 10,421
5.5% 1,252

1888
49.5% 11,261
47.7% 10,852
2.8% 640

1884
48.3% 9,968
47.7% 9,841
4.0% 822

text: The County Legislature and its previous board of supervisors were long dominated by the Republican Party. However, since the late 20th century, the Democrats have closed the gap. During 2008 and 2009 the legislature was evenly split between 10 Republicans, 10 Democrats and 1 Independence Party member. In 2009, the legislature had its first Democratic chairman elected when one member of the Republican caucus voted alongside the 10 Democratic members to elect Roxanne Donnery (D)-Highlands/Woodbury to the post. At the November 2009 election, several Democratic incumbents were defeated. As of the convening of the legislature on January 1, 2012, there are 12 Republicans, 8 Democrats and 1 Independence member.

text:
Orange County Executives

Name
Party
Term

Louis V. Mills
Republican
January 1, 1970 – December 31, 1977

Louis C. Heimbach
Republican
January 1, 1978 – December 31, 1989

Mary M. McPhillips
Democrat
January 1, 1990 – December 31, 1993

Joseph G. Rampe
Republican
January 1, 1994 – December 31, 2001

Edward A. Diana
Republican
January 1, 2002 – December 31, 2013

Steven M. Neuhaus
Republican
January 1, 2014 – Present

text:
Orange County Legislature

District
Legislator
Party
Residence

1
Michael Amo
Independence
Central Valley

2
Melissa Bonacic majority leader
Republican
New Hampton

3
Michael Pillmeier chairman
Republican
Florida

4
Curlie Dillard
Democrat
Newburgh

5
Katie Bonelli
Republican
Blooming Grove

6
Patrick J. Berardinelli
Republican
Newburgh

7
Myrna Kemnitz
Democrat
Monroe

8
Daniel Castricone
Republican
Tuxedo

9
L. Stephen Brescia
Republican
Montgomery

10
Albert Buckbee
Republican
Warwick

11
Matthew Turnbull
Democrat
Hamptonburgh

12
Kevin Hines
Republican
Cornwall

13
Dennis W. Simmons
Republican
Port Jervis

14
James DiSalvo
Republican
Highland Falls

15
Christopher Eachus
Democrat
New Windsor

16
Leigh Benton
Republican
Newburgh

17
Mike Anagnostakis
Republican
Maybrook

18
Roseanne Sullivan
Democrat
Pine Bush

19
Michael Paduch
Democrat
Middletown

20
Jeffrey Berkman minority leader
Democrat
Middletown

21
Thomas Pahucki
Democrat
New Hampton

text: In 1970, the county switched from government by a Board of Supervisors, consisting of the elected heads of town governments, to having a 21-member elected county legislature and executive. The sheriff, district attorney and county clerk have always been elected. All serve four-year terms, with elections in the year following presidential election years, save the sheriff, whose election is the following year.

text: The current county executive is Steven Neuhaus, former town supervisor for Chester. Frank Phillips, Annie Rabbitt and Carl DuBois are the incumbent district attorney, clerk and sheriff respectively. All are Republicans, and as of 2012 the legislature has a 13–8 Republican majority.

text: Only one Democrat, Mary McPhillips, has served as county executive. She failed to win re-election after a single term in the early 1990s. For several years in the late 2000s, one Republican legislator's decision to become an independent and caucus with the Democrats led to a 10-10-1 effective Democratic majority, with Roxanne Donnery as chair. The Republicans regained their majority in the 2009 elections.

text: Transportation[edit]

text: The county is served by Stewart International Airport, located two miles west of Newburgh, New York. The airport serves Delta Air Lines, JetBlue Airways, American Airlines, Norwegian Airlines and Allegiant Air. AirTran Airways stopped providing service to the airport in late 2008. Norwegian Airlines began in 2017.

text: Ground transportation within Orange County is provided primarily by Leprechaun Lines, Monsey Trails, NJ Transit, Short Line Bus, and Metro-North Railroad's Port Jervis Line, as well as amenities such as senior citizen busing and car services, which usually restrict themselves to their respective town or city.[15][16]

text: Politics[edit]

text: George W. Bush won 54% of the Orange County vote in 2004 reflecting a solid Republican edge in county politics. However, Barack Obama carried the county by a 51% margin four years later. It was the first time a Democrat had carried Orange County when first elected to the presidency. That year the number of registered Democrats in the county exceeded Republicans for the first time.

text: The two presidential election results give the county a Cook PVI of R+2, consistent with county voters' willingness to sometimes elect Democrats, such as U.S. Rep. John Hall. From 2007 on, when Hall represented the 19th district, which covered most of the county, Orange's representation in Congress was exclusively Democratic, as Maurice Hinchey had represented the towns of Crawford, Montgomery and Newburgh and the city of Newburgh, all of which were in what was then the 22nd district, since 1988.

text: In the 2010 midterms, Hall was defeated by Nan Hayworth. In 2012, after Hinchey's former 22nd district was eliminated in redistricting following his retirement and all of Orange County was included in the current 18th district, Hayworth was defeated by Democrat Sean Patrick Maloney, a former adviser to President Bill Clinton and the first openly gay person to be elected to Congress from New York.[17] Maloney won a rematch against Hayworth in 2014; in 2016 he was again re-elected over Phil Oliva.

text: At the state level, Republicans have continued to hold onto Senate seats while Democrats have made inroads in recent years on the Assembly side. Two State Senate districts—the 39th, held by Bill Larkin and 42nd, held by John Bonacic—cover the county.

text: Democrats have made significant gains in the county's State Assembly seats. The 98th district, which includes the far western part of the county as well as the Town of Warwick, is represented by Annie Rabbitt, and the 101st district, which includes the Towns of Crawford and Montgomery, was until 2016 held by Claudia Tenney, both Republicans. After Tenney left her seat to run for Congress that year, Brian D. Miller, another Republican, was elected to replace her. The remainder of the county's Assembly districts are represented by Democrats: James Skoufis in the 99th district, Aileen Gunther in the 100th district, and Frank Skartados in the 104th district. Skoufis is the youngest New York State legislator currently serving.

text: Sports[edit]

text: Delano-Hitch Stadium in Newburgh has played host to various professional and amateur baseball teams from various leagues since opening in 1926. The stadium is currently home to the Newburgh Newts.

text: High school sports[edit]

text: High schools in Orange County compete in Section 9 of the New York State Public High School Athletic Association along with schools from Dutchess, Ulster, and Sullivan counties.

text: College sports[edit]

text: The Army Black Knights of the United States Military Academy in West Point field NCAA Division I teams in 24 different sports. The Orange County Community College Colts compete in the National Junior College Athletic Association. Mount Saint Mary College in Newburgh fields 15 teams in the Eastern College Athletic Conference and the Skyline Conference of NCAA Division III.

text: Orange County Youth Football League (OCYFL)[edit]

text: The Orange County Youth Football League (O.C.Y.F.L.) is a non-profit organization that allows youth age 6 through 14 to play competitive American football. The League encompasses 15 towns with over 100 teams in Orange County and surrounding areas including Chester, Cornwall, Goshen, Highland Falls, Marlboro, Middletown, Minisink Valley, Monticello, Newburgh, New Windsor, Pine Bush, Port Jervis, Valley Central, Wallkill, Warwick and Washingtonville.[18] It is composed of 4 Divisions, divided by weight restrictions, and a "Mighty Mite" Flag Football division for 6 & 7 year olds. In each division, there is additionally a complete cheerleading program for each team. There is a comprehensive annual schedule of play within each division for all teams, culminating in a divisional Championship game, often played in Michie Stadium or Shea Stadium at the historic United States Military Academy at West Point, New York.

text: Communities[edit]

text: Cities[edit]

text:
Middletown
Newburgh
Port Jervis

text: Towns[edit]

text:
Blooming Grove
Chester
Cornwall
Crawford
Deerpark
Goshen
Greenville
Hamptonburgh
Highlands
Minisink
Monroe
Montgomery
Mount Hope
New Windsor
Newburgh
Tuxedo
Wallkill
Warwick
Wawayanda
Woodbury

text: Villages[edit]

text:
Chester
Cornwall on Hudson
Florida
Goshen (county seat)
Greenwood Lake
Harriman
Highland Falls
Kiryas Joel
Maybrook
Monroe
Montgomery
Otisville
South Blooming Grove
Tuxedo Park
Unionville
Walden
Warwick
Washingtonville
Woodbury

text: Census-designated places[edit]

text:
Balmville
Beaver Dam Lake
Firthcliffe
Fort Montgomery
Gardnertown
Mechanicstown
Mountain Lodge Park
New Windsor
Orange Lake
Pine Bush
Salisbury Mills
Scotchtown
Vails Gate
Walton Park
Washington Heights
West Point

text: Hamlets[edit]

text:
Amity
Arden
Bellvale
Bullville
Carpenter's Point
Central Valley
Circleville
Highland Mills
Howells
Little Britain
Michigan Corners
Mountainville
New Hampton
Pine Island
Ridgebury
Slate Hill
Sparrow Bush
Sugar Loaf
Thompson Ridge
Westbrookville

text: In popular culture[edit]

text:
In and Out: Warwick
Heavy: Port Jervis
Super Troopers: Parts in Newburgh area
The Sopranos parts of season 6-b, Episode 1: Warwick and Tuxedo[19]
Michael Clayton: Moodna Viaduct (Cornwall), South Blooming Grove, and Stewart Airport (New Windsor/Newburgh area)[20]
The Human Footprint: parts filmed in the Hudson Valley region; aired on National Geographic Channel in 2008[21]
American Chopper: Montgomery, NY
Final Destination 1& 2: Parts of plot takes place in Otisville, NY and Greenwood Lake, NY - Shown by patches that police officers wear and television news program that is played.
The OA: Partially filmed in Central Valley, NY[22]

text: Points of interest[edit]

text: Points of interest in Orange County include the United States Military Academy at West Point; Brotherhood Winery, America's oldest winery, in Washingtonville; the birthplace of William H. Seward in Florida; the home and birthplace of Velveeta and Liederkranz Cheese in Monroe; the Harness Racing Museum & Hall of Fame in Goshen; the Times Herald-Record newspaper, the first cold press offset daily in the country, in Middletown; the Galleria at Crystal Run, in Wallkill; the Woodbury Common Premium Outlets in Monroe; and the Orange County Fair in Wallkill. The only state parks include Goosepond Mountain State Park, Harriman State Park and Sterling Forest State Park. It is also the location of Orange County Choppers, the custom motorcycle shop featured on The Discovery Channel television series American Chopper.

text:
Middletown

Newburgh

Port Jervis

Florida

Goshen

Maybrook

Monroe

Montgomery

Walden

Warwick

Washingtonville

Woodbury

text: Notable residents[edit]

text:
George Washington, 1st President of the United States, leader of the American Revolutionary War, from April 1782 until August 1783.[23][24]
William Seward, U.S. Secretary of State.[25][26]
Henry Wisner, Orange County delegate to the First and Second Continental Congress
David Mathews, Loyalist Mayor of New York City under the British during the American Revolution, may have been born but also lived in Mathewsfield (now Blooming Grove)
Willie the Lion Smith, stride jazz pianist
Denzel Washington actor, attended the now defunct Oakland Military Academy
Whoopi Goldberg, Academy Award-winning actress
Marisa Anderson, psychic who works with Police and CID; featured in Hans Holzer Books.
Paul Teutul, Sr., custom motorcycle builder of Orange County Choppers
Paul Teutul, Jr., custom motorcycle builder of Paul Jr. Designs
Geraldine Ferraro, 1984 U.S. Vice-Presidential Candidate, U.S. Congresswoman
Jay Westervelt, environmentalist
Brad Mehldau, jazz pianist
James Patterson, author
Al Sarrantonio, author
Spencer Tunick, photographer
Noah Webster, lexicographer, author[dubious – discuss]
Elizabeth Marie Pope, author of The Sherwood Ring
Stephen Crane, author of The Red Badge of Courage
Pierre Lorillard, tobacco magnate
Tony Gilroy, writer, producer, director.[27]
James Mangold, screenwriter, director.[27]
Armand Assante, actor
Emily Post, author
Barry Bostwick, actor
Saul Williams, musician, poet, actor and artist; was born and raised in Newburgh
Cage Kennylz, rapper was raised in Middletown
Derek Jeter, New York Yankees captain, purchased Tiedemann Castle in Warwick[28][29]
Cyndi Lauper, used to spend summers in Tuxedo Park
Greg Anthony, former New York Knicks player
Tim Hummel, former major league baseball player for the Cincinnati Reds.
Mike Aviles, baseball player for the Kansas City Royals and Boston Red Sox
Matt Morris, former baseball pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals and Pittsburgh Pirates
Joe Nathan, baseball player for the Minnesota Twins and Texas Rangers[30]
Dee Brown, former Major League Baseball and Nippon Professional Baseball player.[31]
Rob Bell, former Major League Baseball pitcher.[32]
Dave Telgheder, former MLB pitcher for the New York Mets and the Oakland Athletics.[33]
Brian Cashman, General Manager, New York Yankees
Scott Pioli, NFL executive, former General Manager of the Kansas City Chiefs[34]
Rose Thompson Hovick, mother of Gypsy Rose Lee and June Havoc
Nathaniel White, serial killer
Solomon Townsend, industrialist and State Legislator
J. Hector St. John de Crèvecœur, 18th century writer, author of Letters from an American Farmer
Frank Shorter, Olympic gold medalist
Emily DiDonato, fashion model, spokesmodel for Maybelline
General David Petraeus, Retired four-star general of the U.S. Army. Former Director of the C.I.A. and commander of U.S. forces in Iraq.[35]
Mel Gibson, attended school in Washingtonville the year before his family moved to Australia in the 1960s.[36]
Tomás Estrada Palma, first President of Cuba, lived in a home on Route 32 in Central Valley.
Benedict Arnold, revolutionary war general and defector
Andy Grammer, musician
Joel Teitelbaum, Grand Rabbi of Satmar Hasidic community, spent final years and is buried in Kiryas Joel
Aaron Teitelbaum, current Grand Rabbi of Kiryas Joel faction of Satmar Hasidic community.