In 1967, America was at the height of the civil rights movement and the country's biggest star was Sidney Poitier. With the release of three films that year: TO SIR WITH LOVE, IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT and GUESS WHO'S COMING TO DINNER?, he was at the top of his game. #BlackHistoryMonth #LetsMovie | Turner Classic Movies: TCM

This famous "slap heard 'round the world" scene from IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT ('67) marked the first time an African American man had ever slapped a white man on screen before, which Sidney Poitier insisted on. | Turner Classic Movies: TCM

6.9K views · 578 reactions | Sidney Poitier in A WARM DECEMBER ('72) #TCMEssentials | Turner Classic Movies: TCM | Facebook

In the '70s, Sidney Poitier transitioned behind the camera and had a successful career as a director, including the London romance, A WARM DECEMBER ('73). In his autobiography, Poitier described the film as “an old-fashioned romance with a twist — the protagonists are Black.” | Turner Classic Movies: TCM

A Warm December (1973). Directed by Sidney Poitier. Starring Sidney Poitier, Ester Anderson, Yvette Curtis, George Baker, Johnny Sekka, Earl Cameron, Hilary Crane On a trip to London with his daughter (Yvette Curtis) for some dirt-bike races, Dr. Matt Younger (Sidney Poitier) meets beautiful dignitary Catherine Oswandu (Esther Anderson) and quickly falls for her. But something is amiss -- strange men seem to be following her wherever she goes, and Younger assumes she's at the center of some poli