Backdrop image for movie Only Saps Work

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.

  • Comedy
  • Crime

Top billed cast

  • Photo of Leon ErrolLeon ErrolJames Wilson
  • Photo of Richard ArlenRichard ArlenLarry Payne
  • Photo of Mary BrianMary BrianBarbara Tanner
  • Photo of Stuart ErwinStuart ErwinOscar
  • Photo of Anderson LawlerAnderson LawlerHorace Baldwin
  • Photo of Charley GrapewinCharley GrapewinSimeon Tanner
  • Photo of Clarence BurtonClarence BurtonSergeant Burns (uncredited)
  • Photo of Nora CecilNora CecilMrs. Partridge (uncredited)
  • Photo of George ChandlerGeorge ChandlerElevator Operator (uncredited)
  • Photo of G. Pat CollinsG. Pat CollinsRafferty (uncredited)

Similar to Only Saps Work

Backdrop image for movie Sleuth

Sleuth (1972)

A man who loves games and theater invites his wife's lover to meet him, setting up a battle of wits with potentially deadly results.

  • Thriller
  • Mystery
  • Crime
  • Comedy
Backdrop image for movie Point Break

Point Break (1991)

In Los Angeles, a gang of bank robbers who call themselves The Ex-Presidents commit their crimes while wearing masks of Reagan, Carter, Nixon and Johnson. Believing that the members of the gang could be surfers, the F.B.I. sends young agent Johnny Utah to the beach undercover to mix with the surfers and gather information.

  • Action
  • Thriller
  • Crime
Backdrop image for movie Hollywoodland

Hollywoodland (2006)

When Hollywood superstar George Reeves dies in his home, private detective Louis Simo is hired to investigate his death and gets caught in a web of lies involving a big studio executive's wife.

  • Crime
  • Drama
  • Mystery
  • Thriller
Backdrop image for movie Lonely Hearts

Lonely Hearts (2006)

In the late 1940s, a murderous couple known as the 'The Lonely Hearts Killers' kills close to a dozen people. Two detectives try to nab the duo who find their targets via the personals in the paper.

  • Drama
  • Thriller
  • Crime
  • Romance
Backdrop image for movie Torrente 2: Mission in Marbella

Torrente 2: Mission in Marbella (2001)

For this second film in the cult comedy series Torrente takes our fat police officer from Madrid to Marbella in Spain to investigate a villain’s plot to destroy the city with a missile. This James Bond style slapstick comedy became the most successful box-office film in Spanish film history beating out only the first Torrente film.

  • Comedy
  • Crime
Backdrop image for movie Torrente 3: The Protector

Torrente 3: The Protector (2005)

A popular and beautiful politician plans to expose the evil-doings of a multinational corporation. Hoping to silence her, the corporation's top executives decide to hire the most incompetent detective they can find to act as her bodyguard.

  • Comedy
  • Crime
Backdrop image for movie Picture the Steal

Picture the Steal (2018)

Rip and Seb are college students from very different backgrounds. Rip is from a working class family and has had to fight for everything he has. Seb is from an upper class background and has been surrounded by privilege his entire life until now. Both Rip and Seb wish to go to university. Unfortunately, neither can afford to go. Despite their differences, an unlikely friendship forms between the two and they plan to burgle a house to raise money. However, everything changes when they realise the house they are trying to steal from is owned by a gangster.

  • Crime
  • Comedy
Backdrop image for movie Clean, Shaven

Clean, Shaven (1995)

Peter Winter is a young schizophrenic who is desperately trying to get his daughter back from her adoptive family. He attempts to function in a world that, for him, is filled with strange voices, electrical noise, disconcerting images, and jarringly sudden emotional shifts. During his quest, he runs afoul of the law and an ongoing murder investigation.

  • Drama
  • Crime
  • Thriller
Backdrop image for movie Thelma & Louise

Thelma & Louise (1991)

Taking a break from their dreary lives, close friends Thelma and Louise embark on a short weekend trip that ends in unforeseen incriminating circumstances. As fugitives, both women rediscover the strength of their bond and their newfound resilience.

  • Drama
  • Thriller
  • Crime
  • Adventure
Backdrop image for movie Singapore Sling

Singapore Sling (1990)

Singapore Sling is chasing after Laura, a romantic memory from his past. One night he finds himself in a mysterious villa, watching two women bury a body. He falls into their trap and, in an atmosphere of isolation and decadence, the trio act out insane pleasure games and a ritual of blood and murder.

  • Comedy
  • Horror
  • Drama
Backdrop image for movie Dirty Harry

Dirty Harry (1971)

When a madman dubbed 'Scorpio' terrorizes San Francisco, hard-nosed cop, Harry Callahan – famous for his take-no-prisoners approach to law enforcement – is tasked with hunting down the psychopath.

  • Action
  • Crime
  • Thriller
Backdrop image for movie Ocean's Twelve

Ocean's Twelve (2004)

Despite pulling off one of the biggest heists in Las Vegas history and splitting the $160 million take, each of the infamous Ocean's crew have tried to go straight, lay low and live a legit life ... but that's proven to be a challenge. Casino owner Terry Benedict demands that Danny Ocean return the money, plus millions more in interest. Unable to come up the cash, the crew is forced to come together to pull off another series of heists, this time in Rome, Paris, and Amsterdam – but a Europol agent is hot on their heels.

  • Thriller
  • Crime
Backdrop image for movie Saw

Saw (2004)

Two men wake up to find themselves shackled in a grimy, abandoned bathroom. As they struggle to comprehend their predicament, they discover a disturbing tape left behind by the sadistic mastermind known as Jigsaw. With a chilling voice and cryptic instructions, Jigsaw informs them that they must partake in a gruesome game in order to secure their freedom.

  • Horror
  • Mystery
  • Crime
Backdrop image for movie A Clockwork Orange

A Clockwork Orange (1971)

In a near-future Britain, young Alexander DeLarge and his pals get their kicks beating and raping anyone they please. When not destroying the lives of others, Alex swoons to the music of Beethoven. The state, eager to crack down on juvenile crime, gives an incarcerated Alex the option to undergo an invasive procedure that'll rob him of all personal agency. In a time when conscience is a commodity, can Alex change his tune?

  • Science Fiction
  • Crime
Backdrop image for movie Amélie

Amélie (2001)

At a tiny Parisian café, the adorable yet painfully shy Amélie accidentally discovers a gift for helping others. Soon Amelie is spending her days as a matchmaker, guardian angel, and all-around do-gooder. But when she bumps into a handsome stranger, will she find the courage to become the star of her very own love story?

  • Comedy
  • Romance
Backdrop image for movie Trouble in Paradise

Trouble in Paradise (1932)

Thief Gaston Monescu and pickpocket Lily are partners in crime and love. Working for perfume company executive Mariette Colet, the two crooks decide to combine their criminal talents to rob their employer. Under the alias of Monsieur Laval, Gaston uses his position as Mariette's personal secretary to become closer to her. However, he takes things too far when he actually falls in love with Mariette, and has to choose between her and Lily.

  • Comedy
  • Crime
  • Romance
Backdrop image for movie The Killing

The Killing (1956)

Career criminal Johnny Clay recruits a sharpshooter, a crooked police officer, a bartender and a betting teller named George, among others, for one last job before he goes straight and gets married. But when George tells his restless wife about the scheme to steal millions from the racetrack where he works, she hatches a plot of her own.

  • Crime
  • Thriller
Backdrop image for movie In China They Eat Dogs

In China They Eat Dogs (1999)

Arvid is an ordinary bank clerk who lives a rather unassuming life with his dear girlfriend. But his life is turned completely upside down when he bravely manages to avert a robbery against the bank where he works.

  • Action
  • Comedy
  • Crime