'In the Heat of the Night' (1967)

Released near the height of the civil rights movement, 'In the Heat of the Night' tells the story of a Philadelphia homicide detective (Sidney Poitier) who -- after initially being a suspect -- helps a racist Mississippi police chief (Rod Steiger) solve a murder and learn tolerance in the process. The film won Best Picture and gave Steiger a Best Actor trophy. (Poitier, surprisingly, wasn't nominated.) 'Night' is also famous for featuring one of the most well-known lines of dialogue in movie history: "They call me Mister Tibbs!" This was familiar territory for Poitier: nearly 10 years earlier he appeared with Tony Curtis in 'The Defiant Ones,' a thriller about two convicts who must work together to escape despite their racial differences. How 'The Defiant Ones' hasn't officially gotten a remake yet is somewhat shocking.