The monumental staircase in the film still exists; it is in the Silver Lake district of Los Angeles, between 923 and 935 Vendome Street. There are 131 steps.
The mansion at the top of the stairs was not really at the top of the stairs, but was a set on the Hal Roach Studios lot. The actual stairs led to a cul-de-sac.
This film won the Oscar as "Best Short Subject" of 1932, the only such honor bestowed on a Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy film, and it also was the first short to be so honored.
The crate that Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy wrestle with was empty. An upright piano weighs between 500 and 1000 pounds. The one shown sliding down the staircase did need some weight added to it for velocity and stability. Muffled sounds and key notes were added later for realism, and humor.
A special police squad was on duty at the Vendome Street staircase over the course of the four-day location shoot to keep more than 3,500 onlookers and fans from interfering with the production. During their lunch breaks, Laurel & Hardy reportedly signed about 2,000 autographs.