 In contrast to Davis' success, her husband Ham Nelson had failed to establish a career for himself, and their relationship faltered.In 1938, Nelson obtained evidence that Davis was engaged in a sexual relationship with Howard Hughes, and subsequently filed for divorce, citing Davis' "cruel and inhuman manner".Davis was emotional during the making of her next film, "Dark Victory" (1939), and considered abandoning it until the producer Hal B. Wallis convinced her to channel her despair into her acting.