Only Saps Work (1930)
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.
Directors:
Cyril Gardner, Edwin H. Knopf.
Writers:
Percy Heath, Sam Mintz, Joseph L. Mankiewicz.
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Leon Errol as James Wilson |
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Richard Arlen as Larry Payne |
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Mary Brian as Barbara Tanner |
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Stuart Erwin as Oscar |
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Anderson Lawler as Horace Baldwin |
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Charley Grapewin as Simeon Tanner |
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Clarence Burton as Sergeant Burns (uncredited) |
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Nora Cecil as Mrs. Partridge (uncredited) |
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George Chandler as Elevator Operator (uncredited) |
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G. Pat Collins as Rafferty (uncredited) |
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Clifford Dempsey as Detective Smith (uncredited) |
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Charles Giblyn as Dr. Jasper (uncredited) |
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Charlie Hall as Waiter (uncredited) |
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George Irving as Dr. White (uncredited) |
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Fred Kelsey as Murphy (uncredited) |
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Jack Richardson as Chef (uncredited) |
| Writing | Percy Heath | Screenplay |
| Writing | Sam Mintz | Screenplay |
| Writing | Joseph L. Mankiewicz | Screenplay |
| Sound | Earl S. Hayman | Sound |
| Directing | Cyril Gardner | Director |
| Directing | Edwin H. Knopf | Director |
| Camera | Rex Wimpy | Director of Photography |
| Editing | Edward Dmytryk | Editor |
| Writing | Owen Davis | Theatre Play |
| Writing | Sam Mintz | Adaptation |
| Writing | Percy Heath | Adaptation |
| Writing | Joseph L. Mankiewicz | Adaptation |
| Sound | Ballard MacDonald | Songs |
| Sound | Dave Dreyer | Songs |
| Sound | Earl S. Hayman | Sound Engineer |
| Sound | Leo Reisman | Music Director |
| Crew | Adolph Zukor | Presenter |
