This man-made lake on the backlot is believed to have been constructed in the early 1950s. It's one of three bodies of water on the backlot (Falls Lake and Jaws Lake are the others) and consists of two separate lake areas - the main Park Lake and, the other side of the Sweet Charity Bridge (added in 1969), the Black Lagoon.
Before
the Parting of the Red Sea effect was added to the tour in 1973, Park Lake was the
site of a recreation of the Mississippi. The riverboat sternwheeler
started up and kicked up a fountain of spray. The water of the lake,
via a wave-making machine, used to whip up a storm of almost any dimension,
gale to hurricane.
The lake was used in The Mississippi Gambler (1953) starring Tyrone Power and also appeared in McHales Navy, Gilligan's Island, Creature from the Black Lagoon and Dawn of the Dead.
See Seen on Screen for full listing.
Around Park Lake
- Apartment Complex
- Sweet Charity Bridge
- The Black Lagoon
- King Kong Model Ship
- Parting the Red Sea
- Riverboat
- Snow Cottage
- Submarine Attack
