Only Saps Work
Seen it?1930 | 77 min | Comedy, Crime
Monday Morning Maybeearly ratingWhy it’s a Monday Morning Maybe
With almost no lasting buzz and soft box office, this one could be a tough watch. Keep your phone handy.
Based on critics, audiences, awards, box office and buzz. Details below.Is it for you?
- Who'll love it
- Made for crime fans and anyone who wants a laugh. If you loved The Ladykillers or Thunderbolt and Lightfoot, start here.
- The mood
- Light and funny.
- The pace
- Breezy, at 1 hr 17 min.
- What might put you off
- Made in 1930: an older pace and style.
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.
How it earned its rating
- CriticsNot counted
Not enough reviews on record yet
- AudiencesNot counted
Not measured yet: not enough ratings
- AwardsNot counted
No major awards or nominations
- Reach & staying powerBelow par
Streaming release that reached a small audience so far; still draws a steady audience long after release
- Buzz & cultural impactWeak
About 1K people sought it out in the past year
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Cast & crew
Directed by Cyril Gardner, Edwin H. Knopf
- Leon ErrolJames Wilson
- Richard ArlenLarry Payne
- Mary BrianBarbara Tanner
- Stuart ErwinOscar
- Anderson LawlerHorace Baldwin
- Charley GrapewinSimeon Tanner
- Clarence BurtonSergeant Burns (uncredited)
- Nora CecilMrs. Partridge (uncredited)
- George ChandlerElevator Operator (uncredited)
- G. Pat CollinsRafferty (uncredited)