Plot

That Tender Touch focuses on the twisted break up of lesbian lovers Marsha and Terri who share a contented life together before dissatisfaction invades their Southern California wood-paneled apartment.

This rediscovered camp gem is a classic example of the lesbian exploitation genre, or what's been called Dykesploitation. That Tender Touch focuses on the twisted break up of lesbian lovers Marsha (Bee Tompkins) and Terri (Sue Bernard) who share a contented life together before dissatisfaction invades their Southern California wood-paneled apartment and Terri runs off to have a normal suburban married life with Ken. But poor Marsha can't quite let go. When she shows up destitute on Ken and Terri's doorstep they agree to let her stay with them. Suddenly it seems every female in the neighborhood is hot for Marsha - the neighbor lady and her precocious teenage daughter, and the sexy British maid. But Marsha only has eyes for Terri. Described by Variety as "One more variation on the Lesbian thing," this wildly entertaining melodrama stars minor cult figure Sue Bernard as Terri (Bernard was Playboy's Miss December 1966 and co-star of the Russ Meyer classic Faster Pussycat. Kill. Kill!). Bee Tompkins plays the lesbian ex-lover and babe-magnet, Marsha. Like most LGBT-themed films of the era, That Tender Touch does not have a happy ending. Nevertheless, its entertainment value is tremendous while it also gives contemporary lesbian audiences a Stonewall-era lesbian snapshot. That Tender Touch has entertained audiences at LGBT film festivals around the globe since being unearthed by queer film historian Jenni Olson.

Terry, a young orphan, is befriended by Marsha Prentis, an older woman. Traumatized by a rape attempt on her, Terry is drawn into a lesbian relationship with Marsha that continues until Ken Manning, unaware of her affair with Marsha, convinces Terry that all men are not like the one who attacked her. Terry and Ken marry, but the young bride cannot bring herself to tell him about Marsha. The two women meet again at a party, and Marsha desperately tries to win back her young lover. Dodie, the maid; Jane, a neighbor; and a teenager, Wendy Barrett, all attempt to divert Marsha's attention, but she remains interested only in Terry, who refuses her advances.—matt-282