His career was, for all intents and purposes, killed by
Howard Hughes. Like his co-star
Jane Russell, many producers wanted to borrow Buetel after the infamy
and box office success of
The Outlaw (1943). Hughes, however, would not
allow Buetel to work on projects for the remainder of their exclusive
contract. By the early 1950s when Buetel was free to explore his
options, Russell was a legitimate star and he was already little more
than a footnote in film history. Neither man ever gave details about what motivated Hughes to make such a poor business
choice.
