Jack Buetel (September 5, 1915 – June 27, 1989) was an American film and television actor.

Life

John Alexander Beutel was born in Dallas, Texas. He moved to Los Angeles, California, in the late 1930s with the intention of establishing a film career, changing his name to read Buetel. Unable to find such work, he was employed as an insurance clerk when he was noticed by an agent who was impressed by his looks. Introduced to

Howard Hughes Howard Robard Hughes Jr. (December 24, 1905 – April 5, 1976) was an American Aerospace engineering, aerospace engineer, business magnate, film producer, and investor. He was The World's Billionaires, one of the richest and most influential peo ...

, who was about to begin filming ''

The Outlaw ''The Outlaw'' is a 1943 American Western film directed by Howard Hughes and starring Jack Buetel, Jane Russell, Thomas Mitchell and Walter Huston. Hughes also produced the film, removing original director Howard Hawks and replacing origi ...

'', Buetel was signed to play the lead role as

Billy the Kid Henry McCarty (September 17 or November 23, 1859July 14, 1881), alias William H. Bonney, better known as Billy the Kid, was an American outlaw and gunfighter of the Old West who was linked to nine murders: four for which he was solely res ...

, with the previously signed David Bacon being dropped from the film. Hughes also signed another newcomer,

Jane Russell Ernestine Jane Geraldine Russell (June 21, 1921 – February 28, 2011) was an American actress, model, and singer. She was one of Hollywood's leading sex symbols in the 1940s and 1950s and starred in more than 20 films throughout her career. R ...

, for the female lead, and realizing the inexperience of his two stars, also signed veteran actors Thomas Mitchell and

Walter Huston Walter Thomas Huston ( ; April 6, 1883 or 1884 – April 7, 1950) was a Canadian actor and singer. Huston won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in '' The Treasure of the Sierra Madre'', directed by his son John Huston. He ...

. Buetel was signed to a standard seven-year contract at $150 per week and was assured by Hughes that he would become a major star. Filmed in late 1940 and early 1941, ''The Outlaw'' officially premiered in 1943 but was not widely seen until 1946. It was notable for suggesting the act of

sexual intercourse Sexual intercourse (also coitus or copulation) is a sexual activity typically involving the insertion of the Erection, erect male Human penis, penis inside the female vagina and followed by Pelvic thrust, thrusting motions for sexual pleasure ...

, uncommon in mainstream movies of the era, and for allowing characters to "sin on film", without a suitable punishment also being depicted, in violation of the

Production Code The Motion Picture Production Code was a set of industry guidelines for the self-censorship of content that was applied to most motion pictures released by major studios in the United States from 1934 to 1968. It is also popularly known as th ...

. Much of the publicity surrounding the release of the film focused on Russell, and she established a solid film career, despite critics giving her performance in ''The Outlaw'' poor reviews. Buetel's performance was also highly criticised, and he languished with Hughes refusing to allow him to work. The director

Howard Hawks Howard Winchester Hawks (May 30, 1896December 26, 1977) was an American film director, Film producer, producer, and screenwriter of the Classical Hollywood cinema, classic Hollywood era. Critic Leonard Maltin called him "the greatest American ...

tried to secure his services for the film '' Red River'' (1948), but after Hughes refused to allow Buetel to take part a much more capable actor,

Montgomery Clift Edward Montgomery Clift (October 17, 1920 – July 23, 1966) was an American actor. A four-time Academy Award nominee, he was known for his portrayal of "moody, sensitive young men", according to ''The New York Times''. He is best remembered f ...

, was chosen, who went on to an active film career. In 1951, Buetel appeared in '' Best of the Badmen'', his first film appearance in 8 years. Over the next few years he appeared in five more films and made infrequent appearances on television. In 1956, he landed the role of Jeff Taggert in

Edgar Buchanan William Edgar Buchanan II (March 20, 1903 – April 4, 1979) was an American actor with a long career in both film and television. He is most familiar today as Uncle Joe Carson from the '' Petticoat Junction'', '' Green Acres'', and '' The Bever ...

's syndicated western series, ''

Judge Roy Bean Phantly Roy Bean Jr. (c. 1825 – March 16, 1903) was an American saloon-keeper and Justice of the Peace in Val Verde County, Texas, who called himself "The Only Law West of the Pecos". According to legend, he held court in his saloon along ...

''. Others who appeared regularly in the 39-episode

color Color (or colour in English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth English; American and British English spelling differences#-our, -or, see spelling differences) is the visual perception based on the electromagnetic spectrum. Though co ...

series, set in Langtry,

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

, were

Jackie Loughery Jackie Loughery (sometimes credited as Evelyn Avery; April 18, 1930 – February 23, 2024), born Jacqueleen Virginia Loughery, was an American actress and beauty pageant titleholder who was crowned "Miss Rockaway Point" in 1949 before becoming c ...

X Brands X Brands (July 24, 1927 – May 8, 2000), sometimes credited as "Jay X. Brands", was an American actor of German ancestry known for his roles on various television series and in some films between 1956 and the late 1970s. His best-known recurring ...

, Tristram Coffin,

Glenn Strange George Glenn Strange (August 16, 1899 – September 20, 1973) was an American actor who appeared in hundreds of Western (genre), Western films. He played Sam Noonan, the bartender on Columbia Broadcasting System, CBS's ''Gunsmoke'' televisio ...

, and

Lash LaRue Alfred "Lash" LaRue (June 15, 1917 – May 21, 1996) was a Western motion picture star of the 1940s and 1950s. Early life and education Born Alfred LaRue in Gretna, Louisiana in 1917, he was reared in various towns throughout Louisiana, ...

. Buetel's last acting role was in a 1961 episode of ''

Wagon Train ''Wagon Train'' is an American Western television series that aired for eight seasons, first on the NBC television network (1957–1962) and then on ABC (1962–1965). ''Wagon Train'' debuted on September 18, 1957, and reached the top of the ...

''. He also appeared as himself in the 1982 '' Night of 100 Stars'' television special.

Personal life

Buetel was married to Cereatha Browning, and later Joann Jensen Crawford. He relocated to

Portland, Oregon Portland ( ) is the List of cities in Oregon, most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon, located in the Pacific Northwest region. Situated close to northwest Oregon at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, ...

sometime in the 1970s.

Death

Buetel died in Portland, Oregon, and was buried at Portland Memorial Mausoleum.

Filmography

References

* Higham, Charles : ''Howard Hughes - The Secret Life''. Putnam Berkeley Group, 1993.

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Buetel, Jack 1915 births 1989 deaths American male film actors Male Western (genre) film actors American male television actors Male actors from Dallas Male actors from Portland, Oregon 20th-century American male actors Burials at Portland Memorial Mausoleum