Only Saps Work
About Only Saps Work
James Wilson cannot stop stealing. He moves from pockets to a bank. His friend Lawrence Payne is pulled into one of the jobs and lands in trouble with the police. Before Wilson can get Payne clear, for the sake of Barbara Tanner, he spends a stretch posing as a private detective and teaching bellboy Oscar how to spot a crook.
Cast & crew
More about Only Saps Work
Cyril Gardner and Edwin H. Knopf directed. Owen Davis, Percy Heath, Joseph L. Mankiewicz, and Sam Mintz wrote it, from a play by Owen Davis. Paramount released it on 6 December 1930. It is Leon Errol's first starring talkie. Edward Dmytryk edited.
Themes
Notes
- Leon Errol plays James Wilson. Richard Arlen plays Lawrence Payne. Mary Brian plays Barbara Tanner. Stuart Erwin plays Oscar.
- Anderson Lawler is Horace Baldwin. Charley Grapewin is Simeon Tanner. George Irving is Dr. White.
- Other billed players include Nora Cecil, Charles Giblyn, Fred Kelsey, G. Pat Collins, George Chandler, Jack Richardson, Clarence Burton, and Clifford Dempsey.
Scenes
- Wilson's pocket-picking turns into a bank robbery.
- Payne is left holding the blame for a job he stumbled into.
- Wilson, posing as a detective, coaches Oscar on how to recognize a thief.
Influenced by
- A play by Owen Davis
Also available
- Wikimedia Commons (Only Saps Work (1930).webm)
