Stop One - The Three Stooges Stairs

Google Map for this location

Our first stop on the tour of Hollywood is the stairs where the classic "An Ache in Every Stake" was filmed. Located between 2257 and 2258 Fair Oak View Terrace, in the dead-end "cul-de-sac" of the street, the neighborhood looks quite different, with many more buildings and foliage, but the stairs are virtually unchanged.

We first drove into the cul-de-sac, but found that there was no parking. We parked a little down the street and walked back.

We then found ourselves at the foot of these tall stairs, much like the Stooges did. There was this feeling in the air, as if we were someplace really special. I mean, we've seen that short countless times over the years, and we were now standing at the very spot that it was filmed.

I, of course, had to climb the stairs. Halfway up, I thought I was going to die! There are a couple more buildings, and lots more foliage, but this is definitely the right place. I was climbing the same stairs as Curly did. Where's my ice tongs?

The area at the top of the stairs was nothing like what Curly found when he handed the customer the "free samples".

Going down was much easier than going up. I took a picture at each landing, and stopped a couple times to admire the view. If you look closely, you might see Stephie and Chris patiently waiting for me at the bottom of the stairs.

Unless I'm mistaken, this is the landing that you see at the end of the short, where the boys are sliding down the stairs after being chased out of the house. The sewer cover is barely visible through the shadow of the trees.

Going the rest of the way down...

It's not real clear, but it looks to me that the flat-topped house on the right side as you look down the hill is still there. It's clear in the screen caps from the film, but it's a little hard to make out through the trees on my shots. The cul-de-sac is definitely the same, as you can see from the shot I took at the bottom of the stairs.

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