Why did RKO give Orson Welles unusual creative control over his films?

RKO granted Orson Welles unusual creative control—including near-total autonomy and final cut on his films—primarily due to the significant national notoriety he had achieved through his successful work in theater and radio.1

By the late 1930s, Welles had gained widespread attention for his innovative stage productions with the Mercury Theatre and his radio dramas, most notably the 1938 broadcast of The War of the Worlds. This high-profile success brought him to the attention of Hollywood, leading RKO—a studio that often struggled for financial stability—to sign him to an extraordinary contract in 1939 in hopes of capitalizing on his fame.123