MovieChat Forums > In the Heat of the Night (1967) Discussion > Who was the actress....

Who was the actress....

posted 10 years ago by hacker7-503-679471
9 replies | jump to latest

What's the name of the actress in the first few minutes of the movie that Sam (Warren Oates) is peeking at through the window from his patrol car? She's standing in front on the window nude. Thanks for your help.

[–] madmichael 10 years ago

Screen debut of Quentin Dean, character's name Delores Purdy who later accuses Sam Wood of being her baby daddy.

No IMDB citations after 1969.

[–] hacker7-503-679471 10 years ago

Thanks for the info. I looked her up, sorry to see that she died in 2003.

[–] hobokenart 10 years ago

She has the "nude" scene early, but her bigger role is at the end of the film. If you watch the whole thing she does a great acting job as a "typical" rebellious teen, though she gets in more trouble than usual.

Apparently she left acting in the late 60s/early 70s, and sadly died of cancer too early in 2003.

[–] hacker7-503-679471 10 years ago

Thanks for the info. She could've been an "A" lister just based on her looks alone, makes you wonder, huh?

[–] Times_Up 10 years ago

how about it! some pointy titis she had!

It's what people know about themselves inside that makes 'em afraid. - The Stranger

[–] gearhart 10 years ago

I thought she was terrible -- way overboard in delivery and body language. It might have been the direction or the clunky dialogue she was given though, especially the line about Officer Wood in his "big fancy car". It was a police car, for pete's sake.

[–] hammer4 9 years ago

The character,(Delores Purdy) was a rather broad sterotype of "poor white trash". I agree though that her "big scene" didn't come off well. The actress definitely had an appealing physical presence though.

[–] tropicaldiver2001 7 years ago

I disagree. She comes off well as young, stupid, and rebellious against her brother. A believable role.

I enjoyed the scene of experienced cop Gillespie interrogating her about her alleged statutory rape by Sam Wood. "Did he force you?"

You see later in the movie that she is lying like a rug about Sam being the father of her kid. Nowadays it would be too politically correct to show an "alleged" female victim actually lying since as we are told time and again "women never lie about a thing like this." But cops know that people do lie about allegations for various reasons.

[–] liscarkat (16692) 7 years ago

I saw In the Heat of the Night in a theater in the late '60s, and when Oates was watching her through the window, there was an instant when her breasts were fully visible, nipples and all. I saw the movie recently on TCM and it didn't happen; the nipples were always hidden behind the edge of the window frame. I don't know why TCM edited it, they've shown nipples before in other movies of that period.