Ladybug Ladybug (film)
Ladybug Ladybug is a 1963 American motion picture directed by Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Frank Perry. The film is a commentary on the psychological effects of the Cold War, the title deriving from the classic nursery rhyme.[1] It marked the film debuts of William Daniels, Estelle Parsons and Jane Connell.[2]
| Ladybug Ladybug | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Frank Perry |
| Produced by | Frank Perry |
| Written by | Eleanor Perry Lois Dickert (story) |
| Starring | Jane Connell William Daniels Nancy Marchand Estelle Parsons Alice Playten |
| Music by | Bob Cobert |
| Cinematography | Leonard Hirschfield |
| Edited by | Armond Lebowitz |
Production company | Frank Perry Films Inc.
(as Francis Productions Inc.) |
| Distributed by | United Artists |
Release date |
|
Running time | 82 min. |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
The film was inspired by a McCall's magazine story about an actual incident at an elementary school.[3]
Plot
During the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis, teachers at a secluded countryside elementary school are asked to accompany the pupils to their homes after a nuclear bomb warning alarm sounds. Unsure whether or not the alarm was false, the teacher and children walk through the countryside with a slowly building sense of doom about the upcoming nuclear holocaust.
When the children finally gain access to a bomb shelter, they do not allow a female fellow student join them, claiming there is not enough room. The girl frantically searches for shelter and finds an abandoned old refrigerator to hide inside; she is not seen again and her fate is never explained. After a boy from the shelter fails to find her, we hear a loud whining noise overhead. The boy cowers in the shadow of planes passing in the sky above and yells "Stop!" repeatedly as the camera moves closer to his face, goes out of focus and then fades to black.
Cast
- Miles Chapin as Joel
- Jane Connell as Mrs. Maxton
- William Daniels as Mr. Calkins
- James Frawley as Truck driver
- Richard Hamilton as JoAnn's Father
- Kathryn Hays as Mrs. Forbes
- Judith Lowry as Grandmother
- Nancy Marchand as Mrs. Andrews
- Estelle Parsons as JoAnn's Mother
- Alice Playten as Harriet
See also
References
- "Reviews for Ladybug Ladybug". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved February 24, 2018.
- Trivia for Ladybug Ladybug, IMDb.com; retrieved April 28, 2015.
- Dickert, Lois (April 1963). "They Thought the War Was On!". McCall's.
External links
- Ladybug Ladybug at The Internet Movie Database
- Ladybug Ladybug at All Movie Database
- Ladybug Ladybug at Rotten Tomatoes