Bane dropping knowledge part 2

[AtiliusRegulus]

Hollywood earns its profits by appealing to the fantasies of its audience, including women; if the product fails to strike the audience's imagination, it flops. Some lessons about what female audiences like can be drawn from the early career of Clark Gable. The film that made him a star was "A Free Soul" (1931), in which he played a gangster who pushes Norma Shearer around to let her know who's boss.
As a fan site puts it, previous male leads had been 'suave and svelte, romantic and tender' Gable's character,
was supposed to be the villain, the evil corrupt criminal that you are supposed to root against -- its Leslie Howard you are supposed to hope Norma ends up with -- plain vanilla Leslie Howard. Well, the fans spoke up and spoke loudly -- the 1931 women didn't want plain vanilla and powder puff men with style hair and ruffles on their shirts -- they wanted a real man, a rough man, a man who was a bit dirty and not afraid to put them in their place.
Gable followed up this role with that of a sinister chauffeur who knocks Barbara Stanwyck out cold with one punch in 'Night Nurse.' These were the last supporting roles he was ever to play. Bushels of fan mail began arriving at the studio. Some breathless women are said to have offered to let Gable hit them!
F. Roger Devlin
Sexual Utopia in Power -- pg. 161-162