The Penis Unsheathed
with Camille Paglia

A Rapido TV production for World Without Walls, Channel 4, London.
Produced by Peter Stuart. Directed by Peter Murphy.
Aired March 1, 1994.

The Penis Unsheathed, a 1994 Rapido TV production for Channel 4’s World Without Walls documentary series, examined cultural attitudes toward the male body alongside cultural critic Camille Paglia. Jack Fritscher appeared in three segments, offering commentary on art history’s uneasy relationship with the penis, broadcast standards around nudity, and the cultural anxieties underlying reverence for femininity versus masculinity. The documentary aired on Channel 4, London, on March 1, 1994.

Segment 1  (00:03:55 – 00:04:20)
Speaker: [Jack Fritscher]

“In art history, it’s very difficult to find a favorite penis without going back to ancient times, where they very frankly portrayed beautiful penises. We get into a period of Western culture where there’s a terrible fear of penis. They’re not allowed to be, I think, above a larger size than small. They just don’t become the man, and as a result, they don’t have a lot of appeal.”

Segment 2  (00:14:50 – 00:14:59)
Speaker: [Jack Fritscher]

“It seems ironic that here we’re doing a show about the penis, and we cannot show the erect penis. We can, however, show the penis that pees, but not the penis that gives babies their grace.”

Segment 3  (00:19:09 – 00:19:35)
Speaker: [Jack Fritscher]

I’m not saying that you just worship the penis. It’s just that we’re talking about penis and penis as being something that hasn’t been worshipped. Everybody’s falling on their knees and worshipping vaginas, in a sense, worshipping femininity. I mean, we have people just driven into groups because they want to get in touch with their feminine side. Well, hey, get in touch with your masculine side. You need to get a grip on your dick. Hold on to it, because if you don’t, it will be turned into a Bobbitt.