Once upon a time ago, Pam Grier – with her name proudly resting ABOVE the titles – could sell a movie. Hell, she WAS the movie. What a powerful time in movie history that was; an African-American woman selling an action flick. Such is the case with William Girdler's Sheba, Baby, a movie which has no reason to exist without the involvement of the always ready-to-go-steady Grier.
The always lovely and energetic Grier kicks high, aims low, and isn't afraid to pavement tackle the dudes who want her dead. She earned her reputation for being badass and it is here, in 1975's Sheba, Baby, that she proves she's better than the Blaxploitation do's and don'ts around her.
Grier's once again, like her Coffy role from two years before, riding the revenge circuit as Private investigator Sheba Shayne. After the loss of her father, Andy (Rudy Challenger), and the thorough trashing of his loan business, Sheba takes the law into her own hands and, alongside Brick Williams (Austin Stoker), goes after loan shark Pilot (D'Urville Martin) and his henchmen.
Yet when that fails to bring her any satisfaction, she sets her sights on mob kingpin Shark (Dick Merrifield) for an aquatic showdown between yacht and rowboat. Of course, Sheba is the victor. You can't sell a ticket without being able to root for her but, without much of the mojo that made her earlier work kick, Sheba, Baby is a genuine disappointment.
Filmed in Kentucky and situated in Girdler's hometown of Louisville, Sheba, Baby is the final film Grier made for American International Pictures. It is also, unfortunately, the weakest. This is due, in large part, to its PG rating. The family-approved message runs opposite to the foul-mouthed and sex-centered exploits of her previous offerings and its absence is abysmally noticeable. Without all that noise, this Blaxploitation offering simply lies there like a wounded and homeless dog.
With one memorable chase on foot through the Kentucky Fairgrounds, Sheba, Baby is more a history lesson in fashion than it is a movie with substance. The film is now newly remastered from Shout! Factory and included in their latest release, Blaxploitation Classics, Volume 1, which includes Coffy, Across 110th Street, Black Caesar, Hell Up In Harlem, and Truck Turner.
4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray Edition
Home Video Distributor: Shout Factory
Available on Blu-ray - May 20, 2025
Screen Formats: 1.85:1
Subtitles: English; English SDH
Video: HDR - Dolby Vision, HDR10
Audio: English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono
Discs: 4K Ultra HD; Blu-ray Disc; Twelve-disc set
Region Encoding: 4K region-free; blu-ray lokced to Region A
Pam Grier (Foxy Brown) is hotter than dynamite and just as deadly in this hard-hitting thriller that leaps from one death-defying scene to the next. Sheba Shayne (Grier) is a private eye summoned to her old stomping grounds to help her father keep the mob from moving in on his business. But she gets too close to the fire, narrowly escaping the blast of a car bomb. Gunning for justice, Sheba vows to take revenge. Packing a .44 Magnum, a machine gun, and a few extra surprises to blow the bad guys away, Sheba leaves a blazing trail of blood in her wake, putting the mob on the defensive ... until she's lured into a plot that could flatten her curves once and for all.
VIDEO
Presented in 1.85:1, Shout Factory gives audiences a great look at Sheba Baby. The detail and clarity of the picture is impressive and the color grading, which really makes the deep reds pop off the screen, does well in really showing off the atmospheric grime of a version of Los Angeles which no longer exists. Black and brown levels are solid throughout as Coffy goes about getting drugs and thugs off the street.
AUDIO
Blasting away at the walls, the 2.0 Mono (Dual Mono) gives us a strong sense of the power of grindhouse cult classics. It won’t win any awards, mind you, but the front-loaded power on display is far from weak.
Supplements:
Commentary:
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See Special Features for the details.
Special Features:
From the drive-in to 4K and Blu-ray, the heavy-duty action of the '70s subgenre known as 'Blaxploitation' has thrilled and captivated audiences for decades. Shout Select is proud to present an explosive six-film collection of some of the coolest movies to ever hit the streets. Featuring genre legends Pam Grier, Fred Williamson, Isaac Hayes, and Yaphet Kotto, these tough-as-nails and unbelievably hip classics of the subgenre — presented here on both Blu-ray and 4K Ultra High Definition — are a tremendous entry point into the world of Blaxploitation for newcomers as well as must-haves for discerning fans of genre cinema.
DISC NINE: SHEBA, BABY (1975 - 4K UHD):
- NEW 4K Scan/Restoration From The Original Camera Negative
- Presented In Dolby Vision (HDR-10 Compatible)
- Audio: English DTS-HD Master Audio Mono
- Audio Commentary With Screenwriter David Sheldon
DISC TEN: SHEBA, BABY (1975 - BLU-RAY):
- NEW 4K Scan/Restoration From The Original Camera Negative
- Audio: English DTS-HD Master Audio Mono
- Interview With Screenwriter David Sheldon
- Audio Commentary With Screenwriter David Sheldon
- Trailer
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Composite Blu-ray Grade
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MPAA Rating: PG.
Runtime: 90 mins
Director: William Girdler
Writer: William Girdler
Cast: Pam Grier; Austin Stoker; D'Urville Martin
Genre: Action | Crime
Tagline: Hotter 'n Coffy, Mean 'n Foxy Brown!
Memorable Movie Quote: "Why don't you try looking once in awhile, getting up off of that fat fanny of yours and going out into the world?"
Theatrical Distributor: American International Pictures
Official Site: https://shoutfactory.com/products/blaxploitation-classics-vol-1
Release Date: March 26, 1975
DVD/Blu-ray Release Date: May 20, 2025.
Synopsis: A Chicago private detective returns back home to Louisville, Kentucky, to help her father fight mobsters.
