The 24 May 1928 FD announced Riley the Cop as a forthcoming release for Fox film Corp.’s 1928-29 season. The original story was written for Fox by Fred Stanley and James Gruen, as indicated in the 11 Jul 1928 Var. The picture was produced with sound effects and a musical score, but no dialogue.
       The 2 Jun 1928 Exhibitors Herald and Moving Picture World reported that Farrell MacDonald would play the title role and John Ford would direct. The story was set in New York City and Paris, France, and Ford was in Europe at that time, procuring “authentic atmosphere.”
       The 23 Jun 1928 ^Motion Picture News referred to the picture using a comma in the title as Riley, the Cop, and added Warren Burke as a cast member.
       Principal photography began on 6 Jul 1928 at Fox Studios in Hollywood, CA, according to the 11 Aug 1928 Exhibitors Herald and Moving Picture World. On 25 Aug 1928, another report indicated that filming had been completed in mid-Aug 1928. The 20 Sep 1928 Exhibitors Daily Review stated that the picture was currently “in the cutting room.”
       Although an advertisement in the 18 Jun 1928 FD listed an anticipated release date of 7 Jan 1929, the picture was released earlier, on 25 Nov 1928, according to the 15 Dec 1928 Exhibitors Herald and Moving Picture World. The national release unusually occurred before the New York opening at the Roxy Theatre on 1 Dec 1928, as indicated in the 5 Dec 1928 Var review.
       Var deemed Riley the Cop a “mildly amusing comedy.” The Jan 1929 Motion Picture Magazine noted that viewers would not be disappointed with the picture and could expect “loud laughs” and a “sentimental tear or two.”
       Riley the Cop was fully restored by The Film Foundation, an organization founded in 1990 by director Martin Scorsese.