# Famous steps **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 7, 2022, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-steps/959069 "2022-02-07T20:36:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Dropo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ce7236/32.png) [@Dropo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dropo)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2022, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-steps/959069/21 "2022-02-08T01:34:47Z")
A sequence in _Funny Face_ (1957) features two famous French staircases. First up is the Opéra Garnier, Place de l’Opéra (made famous in Gaston Leroux’s 1910 novel, _The Phantom of the Opera_): [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/rLU3Mn90e_4/hqdefault.jpg "Funny Face (1957) photo shoot sequence.") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rLU3Mn90e_4) > **[Picture of the Day: The Paris Opera Grand Staircase](https://twistedsifter.com/2011/08/picture-of-the-day-the-paris-opera-grand-staircase/)** > >   THE PARIS OPERA GRAND STAIRCASE   Photograph by BENH LIEU SONG   The Palais Garnier, known also as the Opéra de Paris or Opéra Garnier, but more commonly as the Paris Opéra, is a 1… Followed by the Daru Staircase in the Louvre - [Funny Face (1957) photo shoot sequence. - YouTube](https://youtu.be/rLU3Mn90e_4?t=253) > **[Escalier Daru](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Escalier_Daru)** > > The Escalier Daru (Daru Staircase), also referred to as Escalier de la Victoire de Samothrace, is one of the largest and most iconic interior spaces of the Louvre Palace in Paris, and of the Louvre Museum within it. Named after Pierre, Count Daru, a minister of Napoleon, and initially designed in the 1850s by Hector Lefuel as part of Napoleon III's Louvre expansion, it received its current Stripped Classicism appearance in the early 1930s. Since 1883, its focal point has been the Winged Victor Th... ---
**Author:** ![Nyvaak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Nyvaak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nyvaak)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2022, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-steps/959069/22 "2022-02-08T01:56:03Z")
Early each day to the steps of St. Paul, the little old bird woman comes. ---
**Author:** ![Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/son_of_a_rich/32/5439_2.png) [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2022, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-steps/959069/23 "2022-02-08T02:15:00Z")
[![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/kGLy96472hQ/maxresdefault.jpg "Watch This Hybrid Range Rover SUV Climb 999 Steps Up A 45-Degree Angle Mountain In China") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kGLy96472hQ) ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2022, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-steps/959069/24 "2022-02-08T02:17:12Z")
Swayambhunath Stupa Kathmandu, Nepal [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/_tUW2lbvJcQ/maxresdefault.jpg "Climb Steps To Swayambhunath Stupa With a Panoramic View Of Kathmandu Nepal") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_tUW2lbvJcQ) (It is absolutely worth the climb!) ---
**Author:** ![Jeff\_Lichtman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jeff_lichtman/32/1531_2.png) [@Jeff\_Lichtman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeff_Lichtman)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2022, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-steps/959069/25 "2022-02-08T02:32:19Z")
The Filbert Steps in San Francisco are locally famous. They go up the steep side of Telegraph Hill on the bay side up to Coit Tower. > **[The Filbert Steps On Telegraph Hill In San Francisco](https://inspiredimperfection.com/adventures/filbert-steps/)** > > The Filbert Steps is one of two hidden San Francisco staircases that lead up Telegraph Hill from the Embarcadero to Coit Tower. The steep, narrow stairs take you through the gorgeous Grace Marchant Gardens and a beautifully landscaped neighborhood of... ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2022, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-steps/959069/26 "2022-02-08T04:46:51Z")
> [@GreysonCarlisle](#): > > The staircase in the Loretto Chapel in New Mexico is fairly famous. > [@JKellyMap](#): > > The double-helix stairways in Chateau de Chambord, France. > [@penultima\_thule](#): > > The Forecourt Steps > [@blondebear](#): > > [16th Avenue Tiled Steps](http://www.16thavenuetiledsteps.com/) in San Francisco > [@elbows](#): > > Swayambhunath Stupa > Kathmandu, Nepal All very impressive, and famous, I’m sure. But remember that the point of this thread is stairs that are famous because they **appeared in movies** , or other works. What movies did these appear in? Alfred Hitchcock cameo in _I Confess_ is pretty well known, but I don’t know if the steps themselves are famous. I have spent a few minutes Googling, but I can’t identify them. Does anyone know? [![](https://res.cloudinary.com/ybmedia/image/upload/c_crop,h_1515,w_2000,x_0,y_0/c_scale,f_auto,q_auto,w_700/v1/m/d/0/d02f2f8feeb3fc109d0f57b02eea3a8b39283cbd/confess-1953.jpg) ](https://res.cloudinary.com/ybmedia/image/upload/c_crop,h_1515,w_2000,x_0,y_0/c_scale,f_auto,q_auto,w_700/v1/m/d/0/d02f2f8feeb3fc109d0f57b02eea3a8b39283cbd/confess-1953.jpg) > [@Nyvaak](#): > > Early each day to the steps of St. Paul, the little old bird woman comes. And for Doctor Who fans … [![](https://i0.wp.com/www.blogtorwho.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/DW-Cybermen-in-London.jpg?fit=1002%2C750&ssl=1) ](https://i0.wp.com/www.blogtorwho.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/DW-Cybermen-in-London.jpg?fit=1002%2C750&ssl=1) ---
**Author:** ![Slithy\_Tove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slithy_tove/32/18248_2.png) [@Slithy\_Tove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slithy_Tove)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2022, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-steps/959069/27 "2022-02-08T05:12:00Z")
> [@psychonaut](#): > > Again, let’s confine our search to steps that exist(ed) as permanent, functional objects in the real world, not ones that were conceived in the imagination of an author or artist, **nor ones that were constructed for the set of a movie** , TV show, or play. Too bad. Staircases are a complete subcategory of Buster Keaton gags. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2022, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-steps/959069/28 "2022-02-08T05:12:24Z")
> [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > Alfred Hitchcock cameo in _I Confess_ is pretty well known, but I don’t know if the steps themselves are famous. I have spent a few minutes Googling, but I can’t identify them. Does anyone know? L’Escalier Casse-Cou (Breakneck Steps), Quebec City [![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/15/Escalier_Casse-Cou_06.jpg/250px-Escalier_Casse-Cou_06.jpg) ](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/15/Escalier_Casse-Cou_06.jpg/250px-Escalier_Casse-Cou_06.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2022, 5:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-steps/959069/29 "2022-02-08T05:23:01Z")
> [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > L’Escalier Casse-Cou (Breakneck Steps), Quebec City Are we sure about this? I did find that name in my search, but they don’t look the same to my eyes. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2022, 6:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-steps/959069/30 "2022-02-08T06:07:30Z")
Look at the gallery on the wiki page. The photo from 1892 is similar to the perspective in the Hitchcock film (which was filmed in Quebec City). > **[Breakneck Stairs](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breakneck_Stairs?wprov=sfti1)** > > Pages for logged out editors learn more > > The Breakneck Stairs, or Breakneck Steps (French: Escalier casse-cou), is Quebec City's oldest stairway, built in 1635. Originally called escalier Champlain ("Champlain Stairs"), escalier du Quêteux ("Beggars' Stairs"), or escalier de la Basse-Ville ("Lower Town Stairs"), they were given their current name in the mid-19th century, because of their steepness. The stairs, which connect Côte de la Montagne in the "Upper Town" to the corner of Rue du ... ---
**Author:** ![mordecaiB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mordecaib/32/7725_2.png) [@mordecaiB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mordecaiB)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2022, 7:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-steps/959069/31 "2022-02-08T07:04:41Z")
> [@penultima\_thule](#): > > Now that looks a rather brilliant example of urban amenity … but wouldn’t they be bloody slippery, if not lethal when they got wet? The tiles are only on the vertical part (risers) of the steps, the steps themselves are still concrete. ---
**Author:** ![psychonaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psychonaut/32/4655_2.png) [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2022, 7:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-steps/959069/32 "2022-02-08T07:47:32Z")
> [@Slithy\_Tove](#): > > Too bad. Staircases are a complete subcategory of Buster Keaton gags. Well, my motivation in creating this thread was to get a list of famous locations that one could visit and say, “Hey, I saw these steps in a movie!” That’s kind of hard to do when the stairs existed only for a few days of filming before being broken up. But if any of Keaton’s gag stairs are preserved in a museum somewhere, feel free to mention them. ---
**Author:** ![penultima\_thule](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penultima_thule/32/3833_2.png) [@penultima\_thule](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/penultima_thule)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2022, 8:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-steps/959069/33 "2022-02-08T08:48:10Z")
> [@mordecaiB](#): > > The tiles are only on the vertical part (risers) Noted. Makes sense. Much obliged. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2022, 9:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-steps/959069/34 "2022-02-08T09:52:28Z")
The steps in “The Music Box.” > **[Critic's Choice: Music Box Steps Day celebrates Laurel & Hardy](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2019-10-10/critics-choice-music-box-steps-day-laurel-and-hardy)** > > A celebration of the classic short "The Music Box" and its Silver Lake location where it was shot. ---
**Author:** ![APB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8e8cbc/32.png) [@APB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/APB)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2022, 10:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-steps/959069/35 "2022-02-08T10:58:20Z")
The [main staircase of the royal palace at Caserta](https://www.reggiadicasertaunofficial.it/videos/palace-movies/)has featured in countless films. The main staircase of the Palazzo Madama and the steps of the Gran Madre di Dio in Turin are two of [the most memorable locations in the car chase in the original version of _The Italian Job_](http://www.theitalianjob.com/the_film_locations_italy.htm). The [199 Steps in Whitby](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whitby_199_steps)were made famous not by a film but by a novel - _Dracula_. ---
**Author:** ![psychonaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psychonaut/32/4655_2.png) [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2022, 11:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-steps/959069/36 "2022-02-08T11:00:38Z")
That’s a brilliant example, if I don’t say so myself! (Oh, wait a minute… maybe I already did…) ---
**Author:** ![psychonaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psychonaut/32/4655_2.png) [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2022, 11:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-steps/959069/37 "2022-02-08T11:08:16Z")
Here’s another example: there’s a huge cliff at Friars Bay, Peacehaven, East Sussex with several flights of stairs cut into it. These stairs were the filming location for the very first episode of _Mr. Bean_, in which the title character laboriously descends them and then goes to great lengths to avoid exposing himself to another beachgoer when changing into his swimming trunks. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/ZGKfQ2val_Y/maxresdefault.jpg "Mr Bean Filming Location: Beach Cliff Steps at Peacehaven, Sussex") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZGKfQ2val_Y) A lot of _Bean_ fans have visited the steps and posted photos and videos online. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2022, 11:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-steps/959069/38 "2022-02-08T11:16:56Z")
> [@psychonaut](#): > > Others have fame thrust upon them through depictions in movies, TV shows, books, paintings, and other media. Can we make a list of those in this latter category? The Escadaria Selarón in Rio. Especially in music videos and Amazing Race shows, but also appeared in _The Incredible Hulk_ > **[Escadaria Selarón](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Escadaria_Selar%C3%B3n)** > > Escadaria Selarón, locally known as the 'Lapa Steps' (Escadaria da Lapa) for being situated at the "Lapa" neighborhood, is a set of world-famous steps in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. They are the work of Chilean-born artist Jorge Selarón who claimed it as "my tribute to the Brazilian people". > In 1990, Selarón began renovating dilapidated steps that ran along the front of his house. At first, neighbours mocked him for his choice of colours as he covered the steps in fragments of blue, green and yello... ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2022, 11:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-steps/959069/39 "2022-02-08T11:48:16Z")
The steps at Swayambhunath Stupa, have definitely been in films. I’ve spotted it a couple of times but couldn’t name the films. Not sure that qualifies, or if you’re only meaning steps that were a big part of the film. ---
**Author:** ![psychonaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psychonaut/32/4655_2.png) [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2022, 12:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-steps/959069/40 "2022-02-08T12:04:59Z")
I’m not so interested in steps that have merely been used in shooting locations, but rather ones where the depiction is so famous that the steps have become a sort of tourist attraction as a result. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-steps/959069.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-steps/959069.md?page=3)