Touched by Love (1980)

User Rating:

6.8/10   

Director:

Gus Trikonis

Writers:

Hesper Anderson (writer)
Lena Canada (story)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

A young nurse becomes determined to reach an unresponsive teenage cerebral palsy patient by encouraging her to write to her favorite rock singer, Elvis Presley. |

Plot Keywords:

Cerebral Palsy | Elvis Presley | Based On Short Story | Pen Pal | Independent Film

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe. Another 2 wins & 2 nominations

Cast

Diane Lane	...	Karen
Deborah Raffin	...	Lena Canada
Michael Learned	...	Dr. Bell
John Amos	...	Tony
Cristina Raines	...	Amy
Mary Wickes	...	Margaret
Clu Gulager	...	Don Fielder
Twyla Volkins	...	Monica
Clive Shalom	...	Topper
Jason Bates	...	The Children
Joseph John Bondok	...	The Children
Beverly Chapman	...	The Children
Jennifer Collins	...	The Children
Cathy Corns	...	The Children
Rhonda De Jong	...	The Children

Also Known As:

To Elvis, with Love

Runtime:

USA:95 min

Country:

USA | Canada

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:L | USA:PG

Filming Locations:

Banff, Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada

Company:

Rastar Pictures

Trivia:

This is a real story about young disabled girl who had correspondence with Elvis Presley up to 1963 when she died.

Soundtrack:

Love Me Tender

Didn't anybody else see this?

I was surprised to find only one other comment about this movie. I remember watching this on HBO many times in the 80s. It's a tearjerker-type movie for sure, but the fact that it's a true story saves it from being just a cheap manipulation of the viewer's emotions.

The plot concerns Lena (Deborah Raffin), a nurse who befriends a young girl, Karen (Diane Lane) who has a handicap. I believe it was Cerebral Palsy, although I'm not 100% sure. In any case, Karen is a unique individual, and Lena forms a special bond with her. Karen is a big fan of Elvis Presley, and she decides to write him letters. Karen fully expects Elvis to write back, despite the fact that Lena tries to explain to her that the volume of Elvis's fan mail is enormous and that she will probably never hear from her idol personally. Karen remains undaunted, until some time goes by and she still finds her letters unanswered. Karen becomes despondent because she takes this personally, and Lena becomes frustrated when she sees Karen's spirit slipping.

Suddenly the entire situation is completely reversed when Elvis really does start to respond to Karen. He gives her an alternate address to write to where she can reach him personally, and he begins to send her gifts and letters quite frequently, remembering her birthday and holidays as well.

Now this is where my memory begins to slip. I am not sure if Elvis was really writing to her, or if it was someone Karen knew. I know it wasn't Lena, because I remember Lena's surprise when the letters from Elvis began to come. I guess you'll have to watch the movie to find out.

The reason I remember this movie so fondly is that it was not really about Elvis, but about Karen, and how she made a much bigger difference in the lives of the people who loved her. The 70s was rife with these kinds of 'tearjerker' dramas, but this one is based on reality, and that makes it all the more meaningful. Check this one out if you get the chance, it's more than just a passable time filler.