WPIX Channel 11’s strangely mesmerizing Yule Log is a Christmas tradition for New Yorkers from the 1960s to the 1980s.
So it was quite a disappointment to discover that the yule log so many of us grew up on was actually shot in a fireplace in California.
The original 16mm footage, a 17-second loop first shown on Christmas in 1966, was actually and appropriately filmed in a fireplace at Gracie Mansion, where Mayor John Lindsay lived at the time.
But when Channel 11 wanted to upgrade the deteriorating film to 35mm in 1970, they got a definitive no from the Lindsay administration.
“Unfortunately, when WPIX shot the original Gracie Mansion footage, to capture the log in all its flaming glory, the crew decided to remove the protective screen and a stray spark damaged a valuable antique rug,” explains a story on WPIX’s website, pix11.com.
“Needless to say, the Mayor’s office was not receptive to the idea of letting WPIX come back and re-shoot the footage.”
A fireplace was located in Palo Alto, California and new footage shot—but really, there wasn’t one townhouse owner who could lend his or her fireplace to the film crew so the Yule Log could be from New York, for New York?
[Photos: Wikipedia]
Tags: Channel 11 Yule Log, Gracie Mansion, John Lindsay Mayor, WPIX Yule Log, Yule Log
December 24, 2017 at 7:29 pm |
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December 24, 2017 at 10:50 pm |
Lol – I love these gems of yours. That *is* strange that they couldn’t find anyone local. Not even in Jersey or the Island or CT? They couldn’t use one of the City’s or State’s historic buildings & move the carpets? The Cloisters etc. Lol. I can see the curators not answering their dial phones once word got out.
Also strange & a bit sad to me is the doll in the photo you posted doing her best Joan of Arc portrayal! xx
December 26, 2017 at 2:05 pm |
I had thought it was older than 1966, but I do remember watching it back them as a kid in a Brooklyn apartment.
December 31, 2017 at 7:26 pm |
I remember watching this on TV when I was a kid. Finding out it was shot in California is a bigger let-down than finding out there is no Santa Claus. The latter didn’t change the fact that I still got presents…
April 6, 2018 at 3:06 pm |
[…] Where was the original WPIX yule log filmed? [Ephemeral New York]: WPIX Channel 11’s strangely mesmerizing Yule Log is a Christmas tradition for New Yorkers from the 1960s to the 1980s. […]
August 21, 2018 at 2:13 am |
[…] Source: FS – NYC Real Estate Where was the original WPIX yule log filmed? […]