The famous scene of Tibbs slapping Endicott is not present in the novel. According to Poitier, the scene was almost not in the movie. In the textbook "Civil Rights and Race Relations in the USA 1850-2009 (Access to History)", Poitier states: "I said, 'I'll tell you what, I'll make this movie for you if you give me your absolute guarantee when he slaps me I slap him right back and you guarantee that it will play in every version of this movie.' I try not to do things that are against nature." Poitier's version of the story is contradicted by Mark Harris in his book, "Pictures at a Revolution". Harris states that copies of the original draft of the screenplay that he obtained clearly contain the scene as filmed, which has been confirmed by both Jewison and Silliphant. Nevertheless, Poitier is correct that Tibbs slapping Endicott was not originally envisioned. After Endicott’s slap, Silliphant’s initial step-outline reads: “Tibbs has all he can do to restrain himself. The butler drops his head, starts to pray. ‘For him, Uncle Tom’, Tibbs says furiously, ‘not for me!’” Tibbs’ counter slap first appears in Silliphant’s revised step-outline.