Big Bear Lake was one of the filming locations for Daniel Boone, Gone with the Wind, Disney's Old Yeller, the 1969 musical film Paint Your Wagon, the 1983 movie War Games, the opening to NBC's children's program HR Pufnstuf and the ending scene in Better Off Dead.
In the summer of 1968, Caltech began construction of Big Bear Solar Observatory (BBSO) located on the north shore of Big Bear Lake.