MovieChat Forums > In the Heat of the Night (1967) Discussion > Did Endicott... spoilers

Did Endicott... spoilers

posted 10 years ago by dhmason6155
6 replies | jump to latest

... send Ralph to kill Colbert? We know he sent his thugs to beat or kill Tibbs after the slapping incident. And Ralph hitched a ride with Colbert as Colbert was returning from an angry, confrontational meeting with Endicott.

Endicott definitely had a motive. Just because Tibbs couldn't find any evidence against him doesn't mean he was innocent. A guy like him is good at keeping his hands clean. And if Ralph was working for him, he stood a pretty good chance of beating the rap.

Historically, in the old south, wealthy plantation owners like Endicott were the law. They had the power of life and death over practically anyone, and that definitely seemed to still be Endicott's attitude.

We got a job.
What kind?
...The Forever Kind.

[–] slokes 10 years ago

Endicott wouldn't entrust Ralph to make him lemonade, let alone kill a feared business rival.

Clearly Ralph was working for himself. Endicott was innocent because Colbert was seen driving away from his house. Also, his reaction to Tibbs' question has to be seen as the reaction of an innocent, if seriously disturbed, man. A guilty man would have been better prepared.

[–] dhmason6155 10 years ago

Makes perfect sense. In most murder mysteries, there's always a too-obvious first suspect before they catch the real culprit.

But I wouldn't underestimate Ralph. He looked stupid and harmless, but that's what made him dangerous. He was a stone killer.

We got a job.
What kind?
...The Forever Kind.

[–] thesnowleopard 10 years ago

"Stone killer" is right. His confession is a jaw-dropper of sociopathic blaming the victim: "I didn't mean to kill him." Sure, Ralph. You keep saying that all the way to the electric chair (though he probably beat that due to the temporary abolition of the death penalty a few years later).

Innsmouth Free Press http://www.innsmouthfreepress.com

[–] Ironman54 10 years ago

Ralph needed cash for the abortion. Colbert gave him a ride and Ralph opportunistically robbed him, mortally wounding him in the process.

[–] smitovsky 10 years ago

See my thread "How did Ralph get back to work?". You seem knowledgeable...can YOU come up with the timeline/sequence of events the night of the killing?

[–] redban (5202) 3 years ago

Nah ... Endicott was innocent. His involvement was just to throw us off, making us think he was the culprit until the end reveals otherwise.

Endicott’s character also served to show weakness in Tibbs. Tibbs simply wanted Endicott to be the killer for personal reasons (“I can get him off this hilll”). Tibbs’s pursuit of Endicott was his one major error as a policeman