Hughes's best-known film is probably "The Outlaw" starring Jane Russell, for whom Hughes designed a special brassière.

"Scarface" and "The Outlaw" received attention from industry censors; "Scarface" for its violence, "The Outlaw" for Russell's physical charms. He signed an unknown actor David Bacon in 1932 to play Billy The Kid. Bacon's murder the following year sparked an investigation which brought to light allegations of a supposed sexual affair between Bacon and Hughes which may have indirectly led to Bacon's death.
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Hughes was a notorious philanderer. He had affairs with many famous women including Katharine Hepburn, Bette Davis, Jean Harlow, Ava Gardner as well as a long list of minor starlets. He kept his wife isolated at home for weeks at a time and, in 1929, she returned to Houston and filed for divorce.