Joker Stairs Explained

The "Joker Stairs" (also known as the West 167th Street Step Stairs) is the colloquial name for a step street connecting Shakespeare and Anderson avenues at West 167th Street in the Highbridge neighborhood of the Bronx in New York City.[1] Located near the 167th Street station on the New York City Subway's, the stairs served as one of the filming locations for the 2019 film Joker. The stairs also served as a filming location in April 2023 for its forthcoming sequel .[2] In the film, the character Arthur Fleck, the Joker (played by Joaquin Phoenix), is repeatedly shown walking up and down the stairs as part of his daily routine. Later, toward the film's climax, he dances down the stairs, wearing a brightly-colored suit and clown makeup, which represent a change in his character,[3] as the Gary Glitter song "Rock and Roll Part 2" plays in the background.[4] The stairs appear in a promotional poster for the film and have become a tourist destination; both the stairs and Phoenix's dance have inspired Internet memes.[5] [6]

Many visitors have re-enacted the scene from the film, sometimes in Joker attire,[7] [8] to the point that the stairs have become crowded with sightseers.[9] Bronx residents have complained that tourists cause crowding during their commutes while snapping pictures and wielding selfie sticks.[10] Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, U.S. representative for New York's 14th congressional district (which covers portions of the Bronx), asked visitors to stay away from the Joker Stairs to avoid causing problems for residents.[11]

India Today notes, "Even though the stairs have been around for years and to some of the most famous spots in New York [...] they were never really popular because of their association with crime in the area."[3] The New York Times notes that stairs used in the 2007 biographical crime film American Gangster, located in a South Bronx neighborhood, were originally to be used in the Joker scenes, but had been repaved and beautified too much to be aesthetically acceptable for the film.[12]

NBC New York notes that the Joker Stairs have joined "the ranks of well-known movie settings, like that of the steps at the Philadelphia Museum of Art" seen in the 1976 American sports drama Rocky.[13] In 2019, Burger King released a promotional video featuring the Joker Stairs, with a title card saying "We know clowns can be annoying", an innuendo directed at McDonald's mascot, Ronald McDonald.[14]

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Tourists Flood The 'Joker Stairs,' Frustrating Bronx Residents. Vad. Jesse. October 22, 2019. Gothamist. November 14, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20191114233027/https://gothamist.com/arts-entertainment/tourists-flood-joker-stairs-frustrating-bronx-residents. November 14, 2019. dead.
  2. News: Lady Gaga, Joaquin Phoenix Dance and Smoke on the 'Joker' Stairs While Filming 'Folie à Deux' (PHOTOS). Sharf. Zack. Variety. April 3, 2023. April 3, 2023. en. April 3, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230403191150/https://variety.com/lists/joker-2-set-photos/. live.
  3. Web site: Sreetama . Basu . Loved Joker's mad dance on NYC stairs? Take a virtual tour . India Today . October 22, 2019 . November 14, 2019 . October 23, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20191023204807/https://www.indiatoday.in/trending-news/story/loved-joker-s-mad-dance-on-nyc-stairs-take-a-virtual-tour-1611850-2019-10-22 . live .
  4. Web site: Asmelash . Leah . The 'Joker' stairs might be New York's latest tourist attraction . CNN . October 20, 2019 . November 14, 2019 . November 18, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20191118023225/https://www.cnn.com/2019/10/19/us/joker-stairs-bronx-trnd/index.html . live .
  5. News: Meme tourism has turned the world into the seventh circle of selfie hell Arwa Mahdawi. Mahdawi. Arwa. October 30, 2019. The Guardian. November 29, 2019. en-GB. 0261-3077. August 29, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200829080150/https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/oct/30/meme-tourism-has-turned-the-world-into-the-seventh-circle-of-selfie-hell. live.
  6. Web site: The Dance of Freedom. The Death Bells. The Meme-ing of the Joker. Alter. Rebecca. October 24, 2019. Vulture. en-us. November 29, 2019. May 1, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200501072316/https://www.vulture.com/2019/10/joker-dancing-meme.html. live.
  7. Web site: As tourists flock to the 'Joker' stairs, we rank Hollywood's other famous steps. Compton. Natalie B.. November 11, 2019. The Dallas Morning News.
  8. Web site: Laura M. . Holzman . 'Joker' fans flocking to a Bronx stairway highlights tension of media tourism . The Conversation . November 1, 2019 . November 14, 2019.
  9. Web site: Nate . Jones . The Joker Stairs: An Afternoon at NYC's Newest Attraction . Vulture . October 23, 2019 . November 14, 2019 . January 18, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210118171957/https://www.vulture.com/2019/10/the-joker-stairs-an-afternoon-at-nycs-newest-attraction.html . live .
  10. Ellis. Emma Grey. October 24, 2019. 'Joker Stairs' and the Problem With Meme Tourism. January 5, 2023. Wired. May 28, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240528014634/https://www.wired.com/story/joker-stairs-meme-tourism/. live.
  11. Web site: Michallon. Clémence. October 24, 2019. 'This is for us': Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez asks Joker fans to stay away from iconic Bronx steps. https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220614/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/alexandria-ocasio-cortez-joker-bronx-steps-aoc-a9168391.html . June 14, 2022 . subscription. live. December 20, 2021. The Independent.
  12. Web site: Julia . Jacobs . 'Joker' Stairs Become a Bronx Tourist Draw. Hope You're in Shape. . . October 30, 2019 . November 14, 2019 . February 17, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210217064947/https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/31/movies/joker-stairs-bronx.html . live .
  13. Web site: Move Over, Rocky! Bronx Steps in 'Joker' Movie Become a Tourist Attraction . NBC New York . October 29, 2019 . November 14, 2019 . November 14, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20191114233024/https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/New-York-City-Bronx-Steps-in-Joker-Movie-Become-a-Tourist-Attraction-564030541.html . live .
  14. Web site: Daniels. Karu. F.. January 8, 2020. Burger King offering free Whoppers for Bronx residents for tolerating 'Joker Stairs' tourist. December 20, 2021. New York Daily News.

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