The original Yule Log

Time Warner Cable is going extreme.  Refreshing last year’s reboot of the timeless holiday tradition of The Yule Log, the cable operator is unveiling a new 3D Holiday Fire experience for subscribers equipped with a 3D-ready television (and appropriate glasses) to make the crackling fire come alive.

The concept of running a looped film of a roaring fire backed by traditional Christmas music was made famous by WPIX-TV in New York and the nation’s cable systems that used to carry the “superstation” well beyond its local coverage area in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut.  Fred Thrower, then-president and CEO of WPIX, envisioned showing several hours of a crackling fire Christmas Eve as a gift to New Yorkers who lacked fireplaces.  “Yule Log” premiered in 1966, simulcasting the easy listening Christmas music fare from WPIX-FM.

Originally, a fireplace at the governor’s mansion entertained viewers.  But the 17-second long 16mm film loop quickly deteriorated after two holiday seasons.  The Yule Log that most New Yorkers (and the rest of the country) are most familiar with was filmed on 35mm stock in 1970… in California… in the middle of a scorching hot August.  Viewers had caught on to the short-looped film in the original, but detecting the splice in the later version was much harder.  A clue: it happens at around 6 minutes, 3 seconds into the full screen fire.

For 23 years, WPIX ran the traditional Yule Log program for 2-4 hours Christmas Eve.  It was a ratings sensation, which probably says something about the quality of 1970s television programming, and it was soon duplicated by others.  It disappeared for a time during the late 1980s, but was brought back to comfort New Yorkers during the 2001 Christmas season, post-9/11.  Now a facsimile is available for free, on-demand, anytime during the holiday season from Time Warner Cable, along with repeats of last years’ offerings — “Winter Green” – snow falling on pine branches, and the self-explanatory “Snowman.”  Subscribers can find them under the “Yule Log” category on the Free Movies on Demand and Movies on Demand channels.

[flv width=”640″ height=”500″]http://www.phillipdampier.com/video/WPIX Yule Log.flv[/flv]

For those who prefer the original, here is a portion of WPIX’s version of The Yule Log from Christmas Eve, 1983.  (9 minutes)