Ladybug Ladybug is a 1963 American docudrama film directed by Frank Perry and written by Eleanor Perry. The film is a commentary on the psychological effects of the Cold War, the title deriving from the classic nursery rhyme. It marked the film debuts of William Daniels, Estelle Parsons and Jane Connell.The film was inspired by a McCall's magazine story about an actual incident at a California elementary school during the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis.