Only Saps Work
“You Just Know It's Funny!”
Storyline
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.
Cast & Crew
Leon Errol
James Wilson
Lead
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)
What People Are Saying
“A staggering achievement of craft and ambition. Cyril Gardner's vision lands with breathtaking precision.”
“Every frame feels alive. Only Saps Work is the rare release that takes its audience seriously.”
