The Female Animal is a 1958 American CinemaScope drama film directed by Harry Keller and starring Hedy Lamarr, Jane Powell, Jan Sterling and George Nader.

A cut on his arm is attended to and Vanessa invites him to dinner at her Malibu beach home, where she clearly has designs on him for a night of romance.

Vanessa begins having Chris as her escort in public, but endures disapproving looks as well as snide remarks from Lily Frayne, another aging actress out with a younger man.

When she's shooting a dangerous scene and while being "drunk again", Vanessa sees Chris and Penny standing together on the set and finally realises that they are having an affair.

The "aging actress" (Hedy Lamarr) was 44, her youthful lover (George Nader) 36 and her precocious daughter (Jane Powell) 29 when the movie was shot.