# Stairs in film **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** movies\ **Created:** [December 26, 2016, 6:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stairs-in-film/775636 "2016-12-26T06:27:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2026, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stairs-in-film/775636/101 "2026-03-21T18:27:11Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > Believe it or not, there are documented instances of aircrew falling thousands of feet without a parachute and surviving. > > I remember reading about this when I was in high school. In particular, the tailgunner of a Lancaster bomber bailed out ‘chuteless after his plane was targeted by a German night fighter… > > If I recall correctly, the gunner finished the war as a POW and eventually published his story under the title _ **I Fell 20,000 Feet—and Lived!** _ Even more impressive: [Vesna Vulović - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vesna_Vulovi%C4%87) ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2026, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stairs-in-film/775636/102 "2026-03-21T18:32:42Z")
> [@PatrickLondon](#): > > _[A Matter of Life and Death](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Matter_of_Life_and_Death_(1946_film))_ (apparently released as _Stairway to Heaven_ in the US): shall a baled out bomber pilot (played by David Niven) return to life and the woman he’s fallen in love with, or climb the stairway to the other life? > > By an odd irony, Niven’s first wife died in an accidental fall downstairs around that time. Already mentioned _years_ ago. > [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > A hokey David Niven film called _A Matter of Life and Death_ featured an escalator between this world and the afterlife. The movie was sold in the US as _Stairway to Heaven_. ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2026, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stairs-in-film/775636/103 "2026-03-21T19:10:27Z")
Take a guess. I’m betting there weren’t a lot of Eisenstein fans in the audience. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2026, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stairs-in-film/775636/104 "2026-03-21T19:38:18Z")
> [@Guest-starring\_Id](#): > > Post two film examples where a set of stairs figure prominently, either advancing the plot at points, or having at least _some_ integral part in the film, and then a third example that’s considered more on the minutiae side, a kind of little zinger, that fleetingly adds atmosphere for maybe just one particular scene… Why all the rules? I had two examples, but not a third, so I’ll wait until I can find one more. ETA: Hmmm, I see a lot of others have ignored the “two, then one more” rule. Guess that’s what happens if people consider the parameters needless… … but I can’t! Damn my rule-following upbringing. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2026, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stairs-in-film/775636/105 "2026-03-21T21:06:09Z")
The [final action scene](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xopacUy4F0c&t=110s) of the entire _John Wick_ film series has Keanu Reeves fight a small army of European thugs up… and down… and up… and down… and up the Rue Foyatier stairs to Sacré-Cœur in Paris. ---
**Author:** ![SCAdian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scadian/32/3292_2.png) [@SCAdian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCAdian)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2026, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stairs-in-film/775636/106 "2026-03-21T21:17:53Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > In Vertigo they climbed the dizzying stair case to get to the top of the tower. > > Home Alone featured multiple gags involving the upstairs and basement stairs. > > Auntie Mame has a grand set of stairs in the main living area of the house where the party is. > > How’s that for a start? Am I confused? I could have sworn the OP said to post _two_ examples. But since no one else seems to have seen that bit, I’ll just add one more: The Spanish Steps, in _Roman Holiday_. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2026, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stairs-in-film/775636/107 "2026-03-21T21:33:14Z")
> [@SCAdian](#): > > Am I confused? I could have sworn the OP said to post _two_ examples. Eh, that was 9 1/2 years ago. Who remembers back that far? ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2026, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stairs-in-film/775636/108 "2026-04-01T18:23:48Z")
I’m surprised no one mentioned the stairs in the Brady Bunch house…it was like another character in the show. [![](https://hookedonhouses.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/The-Brady-Bunch-family-on-the-staircase-SSN2.jpg) ](https://hookedonhouses.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/The-Brady-Bunch-family-on-the-staircase-SSN2.jpg) [![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJAeV57QHAy-jaC4k-g9w0deJ4CukmU46tk7GxDQt8ErMjmWdsZG4v_-2fQD3Z_FS2kl-y_wTtw4PV40YJXlLdWRno3Pq9TImrEdoPu2c3cymDaIy2dYoz39C7rXtiVQHbWEsaYxfjQ_Q/?imgmax=800) ](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJAeV57QHAy-jaC4k-g9w0deJ4CukmU46tk7GxDQt8ErMjmWdsZG4v_-2fQD3Z_FS2kl-y_wTtw4PV40YJXlLdWRno3Pq9TImrEdoPu2c3cymDaIy2dYoz39C7rXtiVQHbWEsaYxfjQ_Q/?imgmax=800) [![](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51PuWvdLbeL._AC_UF894,1000_QL80_.jpg) ](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51PuWvdLbeL._AC_UF894,1000_QL80_.jpg) [![](https://travsd.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/brady-bunch-family-getty.jpg) ](https://travsd.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/brady-bunch-family-getty.jpg) [![](https://www.ocregister.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Jasmine-Roth-A-Very-Brady-Renovation-staircase-whole-cast.-SCNG-Home-Garden-1-1.jpg?w=1600&resize=1600,900) ](https://www.ocregister.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Jasmine-Roth-A-Very-Brady-Renovation-staircase-whole-cast.-SCNG-Home-Garden-1-1.jpg?w=1600&resize=1600,900) ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2026, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stairs-in-film/775636/109 "2026-04-01T18:27:08Z")
> [@Omar\_Little](#): > > I’m surprised no one mentioned the stairs in the Brady Bunch house…it was like another character in the show. Someone did. > [@Drum\_God](#): > > Of course, the stairs in the Brady household were very important and prominent. But also, it’s a TV show and OP was looking for movies. ---
**Author:** ![MarkF2004](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5ac83/32.png) [@MarkF2004](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MarkF2004)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2026, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stairs-in-film/775636/110 "2026-04-03T23:33:15Z")
An American Werewolf in London. The stairs in the tube station… ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2026, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stairs-in-film/775636/111 "2026-04-03T23:37:28Z")
And the “Moscow” (really Helsinki) metro in _ **Firefox** _. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2026, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stairs-in-film/775636/112 "2026-04-04T00:52:12Z")
Does The Third Man count? There were lots of stairs in the tunnels. ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2026, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stairs-in-film/775636/113 "2026-04-04T13:22:27Z")
There were some impressive futuristic stairs in the 1936 _Things to Come_ [![](https://www.cocosse.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Things-to-Come-H.G.-Wells-William-Cameron-Menzies-1-768x551.jpg) ](https://www.cocosse.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Things-to-Come-H.G.-Wells-William-Cameron-Menzies-1-768x551.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![teelabrown](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/teelabrown/32/8412_2.png) [@teelabrown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teelabrown)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2026, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stairs-in-film/775636/114 "2026-04-04T13:35:07Z")
The staircase down which the creepy ghosts descended in _Poltergeist_ always unnerved me. ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2026, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stairs-in-film/775636/115 "2026-04-04T13:43:05Z")
The Small House of Uncle Thomas. Praise to Buddha! Praise to Buddha! ---
**Author:** ![Quondam\_Mechanic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quondam_mechanic/32/3404_2.png) [@Quondam\_Mechanic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quondam_Mechanic)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2026, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stairs-in-film/775636/116 "2026-04-04T14:00:14Z")
A mention here for Joaquin Phoenix’s dance down a street stairway in the Bronx in _Joker_. ---
**Author:** ![Guest-starring\_Id](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guest-starring_id/32/21736_2.png) [@Guest-starring\_Id](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guest-starring_Id)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2026, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stairs-in-film/775636/117 "2026-04-04T15:12:28Z")
> [@digs](#): > > … but I can’t! Damn my rule-following upbringing. Go nuts. Fill your boots. ---
**Author:** ![turtlescanfly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/65b543/32.png) [@turtlescanfly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/turtlescanfly)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2026, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stairs-in-film/775636/118 "2026-04-04T15:51:27Z")
Was reading through the he thread looking to see if this was mentioned. Very surprised to not see it mentioned earlier. Whoops, forgot to quote: I was referencing the scene from The Untouchables. ---
**Author:** ![Guest-starring\_Id](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guest-starring_id/32/21736_2.png) [@Guest-starring\_Id](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guest-starring_Id)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2026, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stairs-in-film/775636/119 "2026-04-04T17:25:05Z")
_The Office_’s Ed Ames getting quite understandably emotional over Jack Black getting ditched by a stair-lift user. https://www.tiktok.com/embed/v2/7491088069479746834 ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2026, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stairs-in-film/775636/120 "2026-04-04T17:26:28Z")
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