and Joe track the bug's progress with the help of military and civilian observers. One night, Joe drives Marge home, stopping briefly for a kiss. They are distracted by reports of numerous unexplained wrecks in the area. A woman leaving a bus sees the mantis, and all emergency personnel are put on alert. The mantis is sighted in Washington, D.C. Joe is one of the pilots who attempt to drive the mantis toward the sea, but a dense fog throws him off course, and he flies directly into it. As the wounded mantis drops to the ground and crawls into the Manhattan Tunnel, Joe safely parachutes to the ground. Ford leads a team that seals off the tunnel, filling it with smoke to provide cover for Joe and his special unit, who enter the tunnel armed with rifles and three chemical bombs. They shoot at the mantis, but it lumbers on, forcing them backward. Joe throws a bomb in its face, and it collapses, dead. Ford, Ned, Joe, and Marge enter the tunnel to examine the bug. Marge photographs its face. Joe sees the mantis' leg move and runs to protect Marge. Although Ned explains that the movement was merely an autonomic reflex, Joe takes the opportunity to pull Marge into an embrace. Cast Craig Stevens as Col. Joe Parkman William Hopper as Dr. Nedrick 'Ned' Jackson Alix Talton as Marge Blaine Donald Randolph as Gen. Mark Ford Pat Conway as Sgt. Pete Allen Florenz Ames as Prof. Anton Gunther Paul Smith as Corporal, Parkman's Clerk Phil Harvey as Lou, Radar Man Floyd Simmons as Army Sergeant Paul Campbell as Lt. Fred Pizar Helen Jay as Mrs. Farley Production The Deadly Mantis was the first science fiction film made by director Nathan Juran, who has said that he came up with the idea for the opening sequence. A massive papier mâché model of a mantis was built for the movie, fitted with a hydraulic system. It measured long and high, and had a wingspan of . Two smaller models were also created, one long and another long; these were used for the scenes where the mantis walked or flew. Shots of a real praying mantis were used for the scene in which the deadly mantis climbs the Washington Monument. The Deadly Mantis utilized stock Air Force footage taken from short films such as "Guardians All", "One Plane– One Bomb", and