
Released
IMDb
Rubber-legged comedian Leon Errol made his talkie starring bow in Paramount's Only Saps Work. Based on a play by Owen Davis Sr., the film casts Errol as James Wilson, a kleptomaniac who starts with picking pockets and ends up robbing a bank. Wilson's friend Lawrence Payne (Richard Arlen) inadvertently aids our hero during one of his heists, ending up in deep doo-doo with the law. Before Wilson is able to extricate Payne from his dilemma for the sake of heroine Barbara Tanner (Mary Brian), he pauses long enough to pose as a private eye -- and even gives bellboy Oscar (Stu Erwin) tips on how to spot a crook! If only all of Leon Errol's feature films had been as consistently hilarious as Only Saps Work.
Keywords
robbery
detective
con man
stolen money
hypochondriac
crook
attraction
bank robbery
comedy routine
pre-code
landlady
meet cute
bellboy
rich snob
kleptomaniac
simpleton
former athlete
comedy
cheerful
pantry boy
social error
Casts

Leon Errol
James Wilson

Richard Arlen
Larry Payne

Mary Brian
Barbara Tanner

Stuart Erwin
Oscar

Anderson Lawler
Horace Baldwin

Charley Grapewin
Simeon Tanner

Clarence Burton
Sergeant Burns (uncredited)

Nora Cecil
Mrs. Partridge (uncredited)

George Chandler
Elevator Operator (uncredited)

G. Pat Collins
Rafferty (uncredited)

Clifford Dempsey
Detective Smith (uncredited)

Charles Giblyn
Dr. Jasper (uncredited)

Charlie Hall
Waiter (uncredited)

George Irving
Dr. White (uncredited)

Fred Kelsey
Murphy (uncredited)

Jack Richardson
Chef (uncredited)
Crews
Percy Heath
Screenplay
Earl S. Hayman
Sound
Sam Mintz
Screenplay

Joseph L. Mankiewicz
Screenplay
Cyril Gardner
Director

Edwin H. Knopf
Director
Rex Wimpy
Director of Photography

Edward Dmytryk
Editor

Owen Davis
Theatre Play
Sam Mintz
Adaptation
Percy Heath
Adaptation

Joseph L. Mankiewicz
Adaptation
Ballard MacDonald
Songs
Dave Dreyer
Songs
Earl S. Hayman
Sound Engineer
Leo Reisman
Music Director

Adolph Zukor
Presenter
Backdrops & Posters


