To increasing popularity, MGM frequently paired him with well-established female stars. Joan Crawford asked for him as her co-star in "Dance, Fools, Dance" (1931). This was his first starring role. The electricity of the pair was recognized by studio executive Louis B. Mayer, who would not only put them in seven more films but also began reshooting ""Complete Surrender"", replacing John Mack Brown as Crawford's leading man and retitling the film "Laughing Sinners" (1931). His fame and public visibility after "A Free Soul" (1931), in which he played a gangster who shoved the character played by Norma Shearer, ensured that Gable never played a supporting role again. He received extensive fan mail as a result of his performance; the studio took notice. "The Hollywood Reporter" wrote "A star in the making has been made, one that, to our reckoning, will outdraw every other star ... Never have we seen audiences work themselves into such enthusiasm as when Clark Gable walks on the screen."