diff --git a/pandas/core/indexes/multi.py b/pandas/core/indexes/multi.py
index cac0a8cc5791f..398b49884efe4 100644
--- a/pandas/core/indexes/multi.py
+++ b/pandas/core/indexes/multi.py
@@ -3040,7 +3040,9 @@ def partial_selection(key, indexer=None):
             indexer = self._get_level_indexer(key, level=level)
             return indexer, maybe_mi_droplevels(indexer, [level])
 
-    def _get_level_indexer(self, key, level: int = 0, indexer=None):
+    def _get_level_indexer(
+        self, key, level: int = 0, indexer: Int64Index | None = None
+    ):
         # `level` kwarg is _always_ positional, never name
         # return an indexer, boolean array or a slice showing where the key is
         # in the totality of values
@@ -3193,10 +3195,12 @@ def get_locs(self, seq):
                 "MultiIndex slicing requires the index to be lexsorted: slicing "
                 f"on levels {true_slices}, lexsort depth {self._lexsort_depth}"
             )
-        # indexer
-        # this is the list of all values that we want to select
+
         n = len(self)
-        indexer = None
+        # indexer is the list of all positions that we want to take; we
+        #  start with it being everything and narrow it down as we look at each
+        #  entry in `seq`
+        indexer = Index(np.arange(n))
 
         def _convert_to_indexer(r) -> Int64Index:
             # return an indexer
@@ -3214,14 +3218,10 @@ def _convert_to_indexer(r) -> Int64Index:
                 r = r.nonzero()[0]
             return Int64Index(r)
 
-        def _update_indexer(idxr: Index | None, indexer: Index | None, key) -> Index:
-            if indexer is None:
-                indexer = Index(np.arange(n))
-            if idxr is None:
-                return indexer
+        def _update_indexer(idxr: Index, indexer: Index) -> Index:
             indexer_intersection = indexer.intersection(idxr)
             if indexer_intersection.empty and not idxr.empty and not indexer.empty:
-                raise KeyError(key)
+                raise KeyError(seq)
             return indexer_intersection
 
         for i, k in enumerate(seq):
@@ -3229,63 +3229,73 @@ def _update_indexer(idxr: Index | None, indexer: Index | None, key) -> Index:
             if com.is_bool_indexer(k):
                 # a boolean indexer, must be the same length!
                 k = np.asarray(k)
-                indexer = _update_indexer(
-                    _convert_to_indexer(k), indexer=indexer, key=seq
-                )
+                lvl_indexer = _convert_to_indexer(k)
+                indexer = _update_indexer(lvl_indexer, indexer=indexer)
 
             elif is_list_like(k):
                 # a collection of labels to include from this level (these
                 # are or'd)
+
                 indexers: Int64Index | None = None
                 for x in k:
                     try:
-                        idxrs = _convert_to_indexer(
-                            self._get_level_indexer(x, level=i, indexer=indexer)
-                        )
-                        indexers = (idxrs if indexers is None else indexers).union(
-                            idxrs, sort=False
+                        # Argument "indexer" to "_get_level_indexer" of "MultiIndex"
+                        # has incompatible type "Index"; expected "Optional[Int64Index]"
+                        item_lvl_indexer = self._get_level_indexer(
+                            x, level=i, indexer=indexer  # type: ignore[arg-type]
                         )
                     except KeyError:
-
-                        # ignore not founds
+                        # ignore not founds; see discussion in GH#39424
                         continue
+                    else:
+                        idxrs = _convert_to_indexer(item_lvl_indexer)
+
+                        if indexers is None:
+                            indexers = idxrs
+                        else:
+                            indexers = indexers.union(idxrs, sort=False)
 
                 if indexers is not None:
-                    indexer = _update_indexer(indexers, indexer=indexer, key=seq)
+                    indexer = _update_indexer(indexers, indexer=indexer)
                 else:
                     # no matches we are done
-                    return np.array([], dtype=np.int64)
+                    # test_loc_getitem_duplicates_multiindex_empty_indexer
+                    return np.array([], dtype=np.intp)
 
             elif com.is_null_slice(k):
                 # empty slice
-                indexer = _update_indexer(None, indexer=indexer, key=seq)
+                pass
 
             elif isinstance(k, slice):
 
                 # a slice, include BOTH of the labels
+                # Argument "indexer" to "_get_level_indexer" of "MultiIndex" has
+                # incompatible type "Index"; expected "Optional[Int64Index]"
+                lvl_indexer = self._get_level_indexer(
+                    k,
+                    level=i,
+                    indexer=indexer,  # type: ignore[arg-type]
+                )
                 indexer = _update_indexer(
-                    _convert_to_indexer(
-                        self._get_level_indexer(k, level=i, indexer=indexer)
-                    ),
+                    _convert_to_indexer(lvl_indexer),
                     indexer=indexer,
-                    key=seq,
                 )
             else:
                 # a single label
+                lvl_indexer = self._get_loc_level(k, level=i)[0]
                 indexer = _update_indexer(
-                    _convert_to_indexer(self._get_loc_level(k, level=i)[0]),
+                    _convert_to_indexer(lvl_indexer),
                     indexer=indexer,
-                    key=seq,
                 )
 
         # empty indexer
         if indexer is None:
-            return np.array([], dtype=np.int64)
+            return np.array([], dtype=np.intp)
 
         assert isinstance(indexer, Int64Index), type(indexer)
         indexer = self._reorder_indexer(seq, indexer)
 
-        return indexer._values
+        return indexer._values.astype(np.intp, copy=False)
 
     # --------------------------------------------------------------------
 
diff --git a/pandas/core/indexing.py b/pandas/core/indexing.py
index f8578d87e4cad..6e97ce95297d9 100644
--- a/pandas/core/indexing.py
+++ b/pandas/core/indexing.py
@@ -1236,9 +1236,7 @@ def _convert_to_indexer(self, key, axis: int, is_setter: bool = False):
             return {"key": key}
 
         if is_nested_tuple(key, labels):
-            if isinstance(self.obj, ABCSeries) and any(
-                isinstance(k, tuple) for k in key
-            ):
+            if self.ndim == 1 and any(isinstance(k, tuple) for k in key):
                 # GH#35349 Raise if tuple in tuple for series
                 raise ValueError("Too many indices")
             return labels.get_locs(key)