'Smiler’s Point:' A Comedy Lovers Bucket List Stop Above Palm Desert

PALM DESERT, CA — Blink and you may miss it. Smiler’s Point, a brief overlook on California’s Highway 74 above Palm Desert made famous by a quirky 1960s film, has become a comedic pilgrimage. The point, a blip on Google Maps, commemorates the spot where Jimmy Durante’s character Smiler Grogan literally kicks the bucket after his car plummets off a cliff in the Oscar-winning film “It’s A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World.”

Highway 74, dubbed the Palms to Pines Highway, is known for its bevy of twist-and-turn switchbacks and blind curves above the Coachella Valley floor. The drive is listed as a California and National Forest scenic byway, but it’s a doozy. Drivers experience approximately 200 crashes a year while navigating its corners, according to the U.S. Forest Service.

One such curve played a pivotal role in a handful of 1960s-era comedies but none so prominently as that 1963 feature “It’s A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World,” staring the like of Spencer Tracy, Mickey Rooney, and Ethel Merman, an appearance by slapstick comedy legends Jerry Lewis, Buster Keaton, and the Three Stooges. It’s little wonder Smiler’s Point has become a place for comedy lovers to pay homage to the bygone greats.

The film’s opening sequence shows Durante’s character, Smiler Grogan, racing up the roadway only to sail directly off the edge of a cliff. Before his death, a handful of travelers learn the secret to his buried treasure and set off on a madcap adventure.

That iconic moment has captured the attention of the Atlas Obscura, and the roadway has become something of a siren’s song for film fanatics.

To find the exact location of Smiler’s Point, it’s best to navigate Highway 74 from the southern side through Anza and Idyllwild, according to those who have seen it.

“Immediately before reaching Smiler's Point, you will see a small dirt layby at the side of the road, and immediately after Smiler's Point, the road will pass through a section of the mountain that has been cut away,” according to the Atlas Obscura community.

Google Maps has a “Smiler’s Point” pin. However, just a tiny spot exists to pause and view the exact location. A handful of people have shared their experiences reaching the tough-to-locate area.

Michell Ransdell described his journey in a review on Google Maps.

“There’s a pull-off shoulder just south of Smiler’s Point that can accommodate one or two cars,” he said. “Just down the steep hill (if you can brave the cacti, rocks and oncoming traffic) is the spot where Smiler kicked the bucket.”

The Atlas Obscura community members suggest staying in the car but “driving by slowly” and don’t attempt to pull over at the Google Map pin.

If you want to stop and take in the view, pause at the Coachella Valley Vista Point, described as a panoramic roadside desert overlook.

Don’t forget to say a tribute to Smiler Grogan as you cruise down the mountain:
“He just sailed right out there!”