The FTA Tour ("Free The Army"), a play on the troop expression "Fuck The Army", which in turn was a play on the army slogan "Fun, Travel and Adventure") was an anti-Vietnam War road show designed as a response to Bob Hope's USO tour.
It was first organized in April 1970 by activist Fred Gardner, and actors Jane Fonda and Donald Sutherland.
The tour, referred to as "political vaudeville" by Fonda, visited military towns along the West Coast, with the goal of establishing a dialogue with soldiers about their upcoming deployments to Vietnam. Barbara Garson was also a contributor to the show.
The resulting dialogue was turned into a film called F.T.A., directed by Francine Parker, and released into theaters in 1972. Footage and discussion of the FTA Tour is included in the 2005 documentary film Sir! No Sir!.
Since then, the director of Sir! No Sir!, David Zeiger, has been involved in resurrecting the original documentary film F.T.A.. It was shown publicly in Los Angeles in early 2009 at the American Cinematheque with a panel that included two of the original performers in the show. F.T.A. also had its broadcast premiere on the Sundance Channel on February 23, 2009. The DVD of F.T.A. is now sold on the Sir! No Sir! website.
Famous quotes containing the words free, army and/or tour:
“Women want to serve, and this is where their happiness lies: but the free spirit does not want to be served, and this is where his happiness lies.”
—Friedrich Nietzsche (1844–1900)
“I thought when I was a young man that I would conquer the world with truth. I thought I would lead an army greater than Alexander ever dreamed of. Not to conquer nations, but to liberate mankind. With truth. With the golden sound of the Word. But only a few of them heard. Only a few of you understood. The rest of you put on black and sat in chapel.”
—Philip Dunne (1908–1992)
“Left Washington, September 6, on a tour through Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, and Virginia.... Absent nineteen days. Received every where heartily. The country is again one and united! I am very happy to be able to feel that the course taken has turned out so well.”
—Rutherford Birchard Hayes (1822–1893)