"Fowl Owl on the Prowl" - Travis and Boomer (1967)

This is one of my favorite Halloween songs. The film “In the Heat of the Night” actually takes place just before Halloween- look at the calendars on the wall of the diner and at the Police Station. That’s why the chief wears a jacket in some of the scenes; it’s late autumn.

This song still has lots of fans- I just received this comment the other day, showing that the song is still very much appreciated.

MandocrucianOctober 27, 2015 at 11:27 AM

“The scene was filmed to the music of "Little Red Riding Hood" by Sam The Sham & The Pharoahs. Somehow the movie couldn't get synchronization rights for the song (for some stupid reason, the song publisher would only OK using the melody, not the lyrics), so Quincy Jones whipped up a substitute with the same groove and lyric idea. Sounds like Sam The Sham meets Buck Owens & Don Rich.”

Here is the original post which I have re-posted several times over the past few years.

This is one of my favorite scenes in the movie “In the Heat of the Night” which was released in 1968 and starred Sidney Poitier, Rod Steiger and Lee Grant along with a host of other character actors. The film won an Academy Award and has been a favorite of mine since its release. But this scene, and the accompanying song, “Foul Owl on the Prowl” has stuck with me since. It’s a satirical country song, with the music written by none other than Quincy Jones, and the lyrics by Alan and Marilyn Bergman, a husband and wife team who went on to pen some of the best theme songs on TV sitcoms.

In this scene, Ralph, the night cook at the diner in Sparta, Mississippi where the story takes place, pries open the jukebox to avoid paying a nickel to hear his favorite song. His almost comical role in this scene belies the true nature of the man, as the film bears out.

The song is almost inaudible in certain portions of the scene, and it would be about 20 years before I would hear the entire lyrics to the song, but it’s worth a listen. The lyrics concern a man, described as an owl, who is on the prowl for his next victim in the dark of night. Using various birds and rhymes, Mr. and Mrs. Bergman crafted a very clever lyric to go along with Mr. Jones’ music.

But the real surprise to me has always been that Quincy Jones, the contemporary genius of jazz, was able to write this melody, which is so far afield from his usual genre. It serves to underscore the sheer musical talent inherent in the man. You either have it, or you don’t. Clearly, Mr. Jones has it.

If you have never heard the full recorded version by Boomer and Travis, then here is your chance. Just hit the link below and listen to Boomer and Travis perform this quirky little number which has quite a cult following; including me. The lyrics are printed below the link.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7HqIEtAhE7I

"In the Heat of the Night" - Season 1 (1988)

One of the gifts I got for Christmas was the First Season DVD collection from the TV series “In the Heat of the Night”, which was based on the 1967 film of the same name starring Rod Steiger as local sheriff in Bill Gillespie the town of Sparta, Mississippi. In that film a police detective by the name of Virgil Tibbs;by Sidney Poitier; is passing through Sparta on his way home to Philadelphia. While awaiting the 4:30 AM train he is picked up for the murder of the town’s biggest employer who is about to open a factory. The most often remembered line of the film occurs when Tibbs is called boy by the Sheriff and he replies with the stinging rebuke, “They call me Mr. Tibbs!”

The film was so iconic of the times that I never really paid much attention to the TV spinoff starring Carrol O’Connor; Archie Bunker from TV’s “All in the Family”; figuring that aside from the name of the series, there wasn’t much potential there. And, aside from that, what could ever top the scene where Tibbs; played by Sidney Poitier; smacks back the town’s oldest revered segregationist in his very own green house? Howard E. Rollins Jr. plays Virgil Tibbs in a very convincing manner, while never making you feel as if he is trying to emulate Poiter’s treatment of the role.

Well, last night (actually a few nights ago by the time you read this) I decided to check the series out, beginning with the 2 part Pilot episode, which sets up the whole series based upon the movie. I was pleasantly surprised. The hardest part of adapting any type of movie or show to another genre; particularly television; can be a road fraught with pitfalls.  It’s so easy to take something millions of people have come to love in its original form and screw it up.  However, I was pleasantly surprised at the way they adapted this story for the pilot. I still haven’t begun the rest of the series, but the pilot is really well done.

To begin with, picking Carroll O’Connor for the role of Gillespie was a great choice.  And the way they bring Tibbs back to Sparta for his mother’s funeral is fairly believable. The only real discrepancy is that in the film Tibbs was visiting his mother in a neighboring town, hence the need for the train connection. In the series she appears to have been a longtime resident of the town, which raises all kinds of questions about why he was portrayed as a stranger passing through in the film.

These differences aside the pilot is beautifully executed. They even have a scene where Tibbs gets to reiterate that they call him Mr. Tibbs after being called boy by Deputy Bubba Skinner; played by Alan Autry. This is good because it gets that whole image out of the way and allows the series to take on its own flavor. They must have done something right as the show ran from 1988 through 1995 drawing praise for the entire run. What can I say; sometimes it just takes me a while to catch on to something good.

"Foul Owl On the Prowl" - Quincy Jones (1968)

This is one of my favorite scenes in the movie “In the Heat of the Night” which was released in 1968 and starred Sidney Poitier, Rod Steiger and Lee Grant along with a host of other character actors. The film won an Academy Award and has been a favorite of mine since its release. But this scene, and the accompanying song, “Foul Owl on the Prowl” has stuck with me since. It’s a satirical country song, with the music written by none other than Quincy Jones, and the lyrics by Alan and Marilyn Bergman, a husband and wife team who went on to pen some of the best theme songs on TV sitcoms.

In this scene, Ralph, the night cook at the diner in Sparta, Mississippi where the story takes place, pries open the jukebox to avoid paying a nickel to hear his favorite song. His almost comical role in this scene belies the true nature of the man, as the film bears out.

The song is almost inaudible in certain portions of the scene, and it would be about 20 years before I would hear the entire lyrics to the song, but it’s worth a listen. The lyrics concern a man, described as an owl, who is on the prowl for his next victim in the dark of night. Using various birds and rhymes, Mr. and Mrs. Bergman crafted a very clever lyric to go along with Mr. Jones’ music.

But the real surprise to me has always been that Quincy Jones, the contemporary genius of jazz, was able to write this melody, which is so far afield from his usual genre. It serves to underscore the sheer musical talent inherent in the man. You either have it, or you don’t. Clearly, Mr. Jones has it.

If you have never heard the full recorded version by Boomer and Travis, then here is your chance. Just hit the link below and listen to Boomer and Travis perform this quirky little number which has quite a cult following; including me. The lyrics are printed below the link.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7HqIEtAhE7I

"Foul Owl On The Prowl"

(Quincy Jones – Alan and Marilyn Bergman)

There's a foul owl on the prowl tonight.

 Hey, little lark, get outta the dark,

 Foul owl on the prowl.

 Hey little jay, stay out of his way,

 Foul owl on the prowl.

 You just might be the quail he'll tail,

 Foul owl on the prowl.

 You just might be the swallow he'll follow,

 Foul owl on the prowl.

 If you hear him hoot, scoot,

 If you pass his tree, flee,

 If you catch his eye, fly,

 Don't wait to say goodbye.

 He's got a yen for a purty little hen,

 Foul owl on the prowl.

 He's hungry for a chick, so get home quick,

 Foul owl on the prowl.

 If you hear him hoot, scoot,

 If you pass his tree, flee,

 If you catch his eye, fly,

 Don't wait to say goodbye.

 He's got a yen for a purty little hen,

 Foul owl on the prowl.

 He's hungry for a chick, so get home quick,

 Foul owl on the prowl.

 Foul owl on the prowl.

 Foul owl on the prowl.

 Foul owl on the prowl.

 Foul owl on the prowl.

 Foul owl on the prowl.