I actually remember watching this episode of In The Heat of the Night. This was one of the saddest scenes in the shows history. I actually cried at this scene. The late Howard Rollins played this well. You could hear the sadness in his voice. He and Carroll O Connor worked very well together in this show. RIP to Carroll O'Connor and Howard Rollins.
Very moving scene and you could feel his pain. Virgil speaking from his broken heart has me fighting tears. His wife has fallen out of love with him and he’s really done nothing wrong. Life just isn’t fair.
@Marcus Medlock I know it's a show but, looking at the dynamics of their relationship, it's obvious their temperaments are mismatched (I think A LOT of married couples who are miserable are miserable because of that) so, it might be just as well they were getting a divorce (granted, it would've been worse if it were real life, considering they had twins to raise).
@@thomasshort1784 oh yeah I don’t disagree. Virgil is as just as charged about the landscape of police work as Althea was about the landscape of education. Caused some heated arguments between them and that may be what ultimately drove them apart.
Carroll O'Connor had it re-written because of Howard Rollins' personal problems and behavior on and off the set. He looked out for Howard many and many of times, but I can give him an old school name- CAN'T GET RIGHT..
@@rondmc44 I don't know what would've been worse, having Althea divorce him, Althea being committed to a psychiatric hospital after all the trauma she experienced or if Althea passed away. Of course, in reality, Anne Marie Johnson was on another show at this point.
Remarkable scene! Heartbreaking but still incredible to watch! Carroll and Howard had such amazing chemistry and honestly they owned those roles completely. Btw did anyone notice that he called the Chief Bill? I don't think he ever called him by first name ever before in the series.
I understand Althea's point of view but, [and this is just my humble opinion] Virgil is a hardworking man who from the beginning of season one had to go through tuff experiences and Althea's father who is also a retired police officer from Philadelphia should of known what it was before even getting married or having children. I know in real life she went to in living color but character wise Althea should of stayed with Virgil and worked things out knowing that he tried to balance work with his family life too. Not many will agree with what I wrote but it's how I felt about that episode before good programming took a sharp nose dive. Shot out to Bubba Skinnier, Lonnie ,Parker and Wilson Sweet ! !
Did Althea ever get counseling? For the boy killing himself and for her continuous involvment in woman abuse including her own rape? I am not sure she ever did. Tibbs could not help her with those things and she had no other support systems at all. No one else in the department was even married. So she had no support except for Virgil's old mean-spirited and bitter aunt (who also was not married) And people always wanted her to know the answers. I felt sorry for Althea. Tragic character. I understand her leaving.
It is not like today. I am sure she and Virgil would have had marriage counseling, sexual assault counseling, a police wife group, a vacation now and then, another counselor working at the high school, self defense classes, a different perspective on how and when to use a gun, etc.. Poor lady. She had none of that. And that rape decimated her. She never got help. I did not like that about him, his not knowing that this rape all but killed his wife.
Fast forward to 0:58. He never ever got his wife any kind of help. She blamed herself for her own violent rape. Then he says she is not interested in making their marriage work. Well, was HE?
cartoonist1975 Totally agree with you. With the way their marriage was portrayed throughout the time Althea was in the series-strong, even though they had some troubles, it did not make sense to have them split up and later divorce. It would have been better for the actress to make occasional appearances as if their marriage was still together.
Hearing the cue score in this clip had me crying....gives me chills all of a sudden. This another favorite episode of mine despite some heartbreaks and challenges. Forever a lifelong fan of the TV series. I could feel the sadness and emotions of this
Howard and Carroll were always incredible together and Howard always killed scenes like this. Truly one of our greatest actors ever and deserves far more credit and recognition than he gets.
So true Meela234. I was so confused about that. I was also hurt when she did not want to make their marriage work, even if it meant Virgil moving back to Philadelphia.
@@shns3ma I know that’s what makes season 7 so painful to watch. Despite its dry acting and non-memorable episodes from that season it really was heartbreaking to see the one scene when Virgil returned and see an image of Althea with the kids and then they disappeared and he started to cry.
@@a.b.sproductionsllc I remember that scene and seeing that image. I cried myself. Even Aunt Etta missed Althea and those kids also. To me, that house was never the same.
In reality I guess Anne Marie Johnson wanted to do more comedy like she used to because she landed on In Living Color not long after leaving In the heat of the night. On a lighter note I used to love when Virgil would laugh in a scene. Howard Rollins had one of the greatest laughs of all time.
I believe during that period on Fox, In Living Color had just come out and the actress playing Mrs. Tibbs (Anne-Marie Johnson) wanted to go on the Fox show. I think that also Heat had moved from NBC to CBS so maybe a change of direction also happened. Plus I think Howard Rollins kept getting in trouble with drugs.
Walter Schivo Actually, Anne-Marie Johnson joined the cast of “In Living Color” in the last and may I add the least funniest season. Which was 1993-94. The same year “Heat” entered its 7th season.
@@a.b.sproductionsllc I wonder if her character on that show was as nosy(or if she screamed and whined) as her previous one on In The Heat of the Night?
I loved this show. My parents (both of them) got me into this show. ☺️ I felt terrible for Tibbs. I wanted to give him a hug and comfort him. I can't imagine going through something like that. Where you feel like you didn't do enough for the other person and feel like it's your own fault. Poor Tibbs. I felt terrible for him.
As disappointing as this is, I'm really not surprised. Virgil and Althea move to a whole new state and town, and then in no time at all, Althea gets brutally raped, and then one of her students commits suicide right in front of her. And to top it all off, with all the crime that occurs in Sparta Mississippi, Virgil barely has any time for Althea
@@timmycollins2149 - well she appeared to have the sweet and simple life Philadelphia. She moved to a new state and town. She gets brutally raped by a teacher at the same school that she works at. Then a student blows his head off in front of her in a cemetery that they are both in. Those are two traumatic experiences that are difficult to overcome. That is why her decision is not surprising. My heart broke for both of these characters. Virgil and Althea. Howard Rollins and Anna Marie Johnson. Two outstanding actors
I could only imagine how worse it would've been if Virgil had to see Althea in a straight jacket at a psychiatric hospital due to the trauma she faced.
2019 and im still watching this on Amazon prime and metv..wish they will remake this show just as the same , just rehash some old character s and do things in 2000s ..man so much story line it could do now.
I remember watching this when it came out. I was traumatized. How could this happen? How could it ever happen? I was quiet for a while. It literally shook my stability. Like these were real people in my life. Lololol
I watched this when it was on NBC and CBS. Seasons 1 thru 5 (1988-1992), Season 6 (1992-1993), Season 7 (1993-1994), Season 8 (1994-1995) the 4 TV movies speaks for itself anyway. I have watched in repeats in local syndication, TNT, WGN America, ThisTV, and NewsNation and currently, Bounce TV.
There was also the episode"And Then You Die" where she was taken hostage by a deranged escaped con, with nothing to lose, and his girlfriend (played by a very young Mariska Hargitay, of Law & Order SVU), who would help rescue Althea at the end.
It's truly sad that Howard Rollins couldn't gain control of his drug addiction that ultimately took his life. If not for that, this scene would have never been created, and the show would have probably lasted longer. Carroll O'Connor was the sole reason Rollins lasted as long as he did on the show, especially realizing his own son, Hugh O'Connor had the exact same drug addiction, what a sad ending to a great show.
I fully agree. They had gone through A LOT together, and it felt like they went through all of those things for nothing. It was really surprising, but at the same time, kind of understandable. I never was big on the constant Althea bashing by people. She wasn't as nosy as people made her out to be. She was just trying to do her job, which a lot of times crossed paths with law enforcement. On top of that, her husband was a detective. Not trying to downplay the rape or anything she experienced, but it kind of came out of nowhere when Virgil told the Chief that they separated. I mean, she was a driving force behind Virgil becoming a lawyer in the first place, and just leaves him. Virgil and Ironjaw didn't get along well, and it was clear that Ironjaw wanted Althea and the kids in Philadelphia. Maybe just saying that they were visiting or something. There were episodes where Virgil was absent due to Rollins' issues, so why not do the same with Johnson, even though she was outright done with the show. Still, I wonder if they took this route to kind of display how poor choices can have such a big effect. It not only hurt the actor and others in real life but the character and others in the show. Rollins was a phenomenal actor, and the man played the heck out of every role he touched. There really was something about him and the way he put his soul into those roles.
@@ocktowi5317 The writers uniquely scripted it that way because they were preparing the audience for a Virgil exit from the show. That show had the potential to last much longer, but with Marie Johnson removed from the show due to Howard Rollins drug addiction, it literally killed the show. But like you said, it affected other actors careers as well.
- in the early years of the show, you could notice that Carroll O'Connor brought a lot of Archie Bunker through the character of Chief Gillespie. I personally noticed that a lot
I love these old shows! Love the fact that knew how to speak English without inserting several curse words into every sentence..Love the fact that writers in that era and earlier had more imagination..One didn’t feel like one was watching the same show over, and over again, but with different actors...The same goes for movies. Most of what’s out there today is pure garbage, in my opinion...No class, no intellect, no morals, no imagination...It’s really sad..I guess they’re a reflection of the current culture we live in, which makes it sadder.
Loved this show. I’ve been wanting to go to Covington Ga to see if I can recognize any movie spots. I’ve posted a few fun clips of bubba. Some guy comments and complains that people post these…get over it! Just fun movie memory clips. Thanks for posting this!!
You will. I live there and you will recognize many places from this show, The Vampire Diaries, The Originals, and Dukes of Hazard. I love living here. Very nice and calm community
Her leaving him like that would just be wrong and wouldnt make any sense. The writers just needed something however weak a plot to write her out of the script.
Once Anne-Marie and Howard left the show and they tried replacing them with Carl Weathers, it ruined what made the show work. No disrespect to Carl in any way, but when two of the main characters leave, it's hard to keep that same level of success intact.
Be honest Seasons 1 thru 5 was at its peak, Season 6 was a hit and miss, Season 7 was dreadly painful but wasn't the same despite misconceptions, unresolved issues, unresolved problems, challenges and setbacks. Season 8 e.g. the four TV movies speaks for itself. No disrespect towards me saying this, only speaking for myself and to know several people could relate. This show never had a happy ending despite it's ups and downs as did several TV shows in the past and present.
I just wanted to say that Jesus loved you very much and died for you. You can accept Jesus as your savior anytime. As you all saying goes he is only a prayer away. So I hope and pray that today you will accept Jesus as your savior pray God bless you very much.
Yesss This show Won a Emmy..Carol O'Connor very Gifted.. Howard Rollins As Well and He was A Chocolate Hunk of A man in several roles...I Agree one of the Best Shows to Come out !!! I enjoyed almost every Episode I loved The show and characters...Althea as Well... So much I wanted to be Apart of their lives as though I was appearing on Episode With THEM!!! Archie Bunker came A long Way..So proud of him... They both are Icons and Will be missed..Hats Off and blessings
I think in his last appearance as a guest on this show, it was mentioned that they divorced. When it was mentioned by his aunt that she missed out on his success as an attorney, he said, it was her loss. On another episode, when they were regulars, they had a fight about her father interfering with their lives in Sparta, Virgil told her that she can grow up and move to Sparta. Virgil can become a swinging bachelor now that she left.
To me this didn't make sense. Althea loved Virgil and she may not have liked the fact that he was a police officer, but she knew that when she married him. Then all of a sudden she hated living there and was still dealing with the details of her sexual assault? She said at the end of the episode that she was was going to join a support group, and Virgil agreed to go with her. Also the student's suicide? The writers could have come up with a better way to write her out of the show than this.
MzJanuary I agree her character wasn't the type who would just abruptly leave her husband, not even with those excuses. I know the actress went to another show, but the writer's got too lazy and quickly through anything in there.
They should have just written that she was there, the two stilled married and did special appearances. Althea didn't have to be shown every show. Yes, howard rollins was in and out of trouble towards the end but they would have written that he was doing work somewhere else. Never believed Altheas character would have left Virgil. Hell, lieutenant Colombo did years of episodes we never saw his wife, Mrs. Colombo.
Television back then was like watching Shakespeare great dialogue great script writing storylines. Like tv classic knots landing Dallas . They just don’t make quality television like that anymore.
This was, and still is a very good show. It was always well written but, I did not like the way they wrote Althea off. She was a fighter and she would not have just walked away from Virgil or Sparta they should have sent her to take care of her parents or something but they were not true to her character at this point
I believe, sorry to say, if it wasn't for Howard Rollins personal problems, the show wouldn't have been re-written to show his or Anne Marie Johnson's (Althea) dismissal from the show..
The actress led the show so she could focus on a comedy show she wanted to be a part of . In Living Color . So they wrote her off , as having left Virgil
I wish that he wasn't introduced to cocaine, and he would've had gone to therapy and gotten some help, now it's too late, he left at an Young age of 46 due to Lymphoma.
Divorce is sometimes necessary (such as for domestic abuse, drug abuse, and, to a lesser extent, infidelity), but all too often it happens for the pettiest of reasons. It's way too easy to get one (thank politicians, lawyers (ikr) for that). Referring to another ITHOTN episode "Prisoners", Sheriff Ed Thompson, though he was a bad guy, had a point when he said the world was a better place 40 years ago. He said all you have are deaths and funerals anymore. I would add divorces to that, too.
That sounds so familiar... Not interested in making the marriage work... Especially in real life, there is no more "for better or for worse".. Now its" Ive lost interest, I dont feel like making it work anymore".. Just saying....
One of the best actors EVER.... They had to write him off the show, the drugs had gotten to him by then, there was nowhere to go with the Tibbs family anymore
I am hoping that the show will get an updated DVD Release. The original DVD releases from TGG Direct do not contain all episodes. That may be harder now that Amazon owns MGM but one can hope
She kicked his ass in the end though, when he tried to attack her again. Virgil also stomped a mud hole in him and Bubba wanted to as well. And the chief was ready to as well, if Ainslee didn't "get out of the Chief's sight". This was not only criminal, but very personal for Virgil, Bubba, and the Chief.
U know I feel bad for Virgil Tibbs. Because Althea left him ever since one of her students committed suicide in the last season, her and Virgil's marriage tried to work so much, but now she had recently moved back to her Philadelphia home place with their twins where her parents are.
A woman that I just met on Instagram left me right after I just met her! We had a great convo and everything and she fucking turned around and blocked me. I am over this shit
yeah in the show i dont think they got her the proper help she needed why she left tibbs. and also i think there was some under lying issues that wernt being dressed as a married couple
I really believe he liked police work much more than being a lawyer. You could tell in the one episode where he was supposed to defend the man who murdered his wife by removing her seatbelt before hitting a tree head-on. On a side note: That woman was a bitch.
@@josiahmitchell8594 ive watched seasons 1 thru 6 but didn't like seasons 7 n 8. Only episodes i like from season 7 was this episode n when bubba goes 2 Atlanta 2 c his nephew
Anne-Marie in real life was on "In Living Color" at the time this aired. I wish she had reappeared as a guest star when the sheriff and Harriet got married.
We just watched the end of Season 2 and it was a cliff hangar but when we went to Season 3 to find out what happened, there was no mention of it in the season opener. What happened?
Carroll O'Connor elected to have the premiere of the following focusing on Althea's rape by the time he got to become executive producer as well as starring on the show, while the resolution to the previous season ending cliffhanger was told in a later episode through flashbacks.
Do you think it would've been funny if she would've ended up in a psychiatric facility? Maybe with that Cochran fellow that punched out Bubba in the Junkyard, who wanted to see his head doctor.
Watch these reruns every day. Start my mornings on ME tv and stay the day with the programming. Tv today is just violent,trashy, and not even cute or funny. Called dumbing down the public.
I loved season one it was funny and delt with problems but season 2 it changed it no longer has the humor that it ones had.You can tell the writers were changed I also liked Bill and Joanne’s relationship but she left to.Tibbs and his wife I could never see get a divorce either.It could’ve been better had they tried to stay with the original way of season 1 instead it feels they were trying to please to many people at ones or to many writers were fighting over the direction
