The Deadly Mantis (1957)

Director:

Nathan Juran

Writers:

Martin Berkeley (screenplay)
William Alland (story)

Release Date:

May 1957 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Romance | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

This Was the Day That Engulfed the World in Terror!

Plot:

A giant prehistoric praying mantis, recently freed from the Arctic ice, voraciously preys on American military at the Dew Line and works its way south.

Plot Keywords:

Military | Praying Mantis | Arctic | Iceberg | Paleontologist

Cast

Craig Stevens	...	Col. Joe Parkman
William Hopper	...	Dr. Nedrick 'Ned' Jackson
Alix Talton	...	Marge Blaine
Donald Randolph	...	Gen. Mark Ford
Pat Conway	...	Sgt. Pete Allen
Florenz Ames	...	Prof. Anton Gunther
Paul Smith	...	Corporal, Parkman's Clerk
Phil Harvey	...	Lou, Radar Man
Floyd Simmons	...	Army Sergeant
Paul Campbell	...	Lt. Fred Pizar
Helen Jay	...	Mrs. Farley

Also Known As:

The Giant Mantis
The Incredible Praying Mantis

Runtime:

79 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Finland:K-12 | USA:Approved

Filming Locations:

Universal Studios - 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, California, USA

Company:

Universal International Pictures (UI)

Trivia:

The first stock footage of the aircraft carrier is the USS Antietam, CV-36. The operations clip is of the CV34 USS Oriskany the first US carrier with an angled deck. The take off scene was from the deck of the USS Philippine Sea CV47.

Goofs:

Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): A Canadian officer speaks with a British accent.

Quotes:

Col. Joe Parkman: Maybe there's an ordinary explanation to what happened, but I wouldn't take any bets.

Movie Connections:

Edited into The Deadly Mantis (1966)

Pray Tell, Not Bad!

Although the intricacies of the plot are forever unbelievable, this film works very well both as a suspense film and also as a creditable "Giant Bug" film, so typical during the 50's Golden Age of Science Fiction. A giant Praying Mantis is preserved in the ice of the Artic Ocean, only to be dislodged by man's environmental meddling. The bug flies over various places in the Artic eating human beings as it makes its way toward the Equator. The task of destroying the giant insect befalls to three protagonists: Craig Stevens the military man(and romancer), William Hopper as the dedicated paleontologist, and Alix Talton as the hungry reporter/photographer/necessary female character so that main character can fall in love. The three manage to find the mantis and well....let's just say the poor creature didn't say his prayers TOO often. The film is tight, has lots of action, and is a great entertaining diversion.