There are certain shows that are iconic and the actors and actresses from the shows work their way into our lives. For an entire generation, and even more thanks to reruns, one of those actresses was Aunt Bee.
If you’ve never had the opportunity to watch the Andy Griffith show before, you really are missing out on something. It’s a wholesome show that brought a smile to the faces of those who grew up during that time.
It included many actresses and actors, including Andy Griffith, Ron Howard, and Don Knotts. The comedy was on point but there were also lessons that were learned, and sometimes these are lessons that we still need to learn today.
As far as Aunt Bee was concerned, she was an actress that was trained in New York. Her name is Frances Bavier and she was truly a force to be reckoned with on the show.
Interestingly, there were plenty of rumors about her when the show ended. Some people said that she didn’t approve of joking on the stage and that she was very rude to those that she worked with.
There are also stories that circulate about her last days, saying that they were tragic and some of them do not paint a very good picture. What’s the truth about Bavier?
Frances Bavier was born in Manhattan, New York in 1902. Her mother stayed home with her and her father worked as a stationary engineer. She eventually became a teacher after attending Columbia University.
As far as her time at University was concerned, it didn’t always work out as she had originally planned. She told The Charlotte News that she was very bad while attending. She said: “Very bad. Actually, I was terrified. That’s probably the reason I enrolled at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts.”
Now that she had her interest in theater and acting, she tried vaudeville for a while but eventually went to Broadway. She wanted to continue with her acting career, so she eventually attended the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, and graduated in 1925.
She did well on Broadway in a production of On Borrowed Time and that was during the time that the United States was getting started with World War II. She went to the Pacific to entertain US troops with the USO.
Eventually, she was able to make her break on TV with Rocket Squad, which was on TV starting in 1952. She had a number of different roles in TV and movies, but it wasn’t until The Andy Griffith Show that she would really make her breakthrough.
One of the things that many people still don’t know about Bavier is her life with her significant other. Some people say that she was married at one time but others say that her husband, Russel Carpenter did not really exist.
Apparently, she did speak to Closer Weekly in 1964 and she talked about her marriage during the interview. She said:
“I married a man who was charming in every way, except that, being non-professional, he had little patience with my dedication to acting. I wanted to be both wife and actress, but learned quickly that this is impossible, at least in my specific case. To paraphrase Shakespeare, it was not that I loved him less, but I loved acting more. I know that many psychologists, particularly women psychologists, hold that a woman can have both a home and a career. But that is generally not the husband’s point of view and I sympathize entirely with the man who wants his wife to be completely devoted to him and their children.”
Another rumor was that she hated Andy Griffith and Ron Howard. She was in an episode of Make Room for Daddy, which was also the forerunner for The Andy Griffith Show.
That show, which was based in the fictional town of Mayberry was very popular. It also was an area that was similar to many small towns at the time.
For more than 10 years, she played the role of Aunt Bee and even won an Emmy award. Many would say that she was difficult to work with on the set and had a reputation for being a prima donna.
“[She] was a rather remote lady. Highly professional and a fine comedienne, fine actress with very individual character. She was rather self-contained and was not part of the general hi-jinks that centered upon Andy on the set,” according to producer Sheldon Leonard.
Andy Griffith was interviewed in 1998 on Larry King Live. He said that she had phoned him four months before she died and apologized for being difficult. Undoubtedly, that took a lot of courage.
“She was very touchy and moody due to her age, and you had to be very careful how you treated her and what you said around her. I think Andy offended her a few times, but they became very close friends,” producer Richard Linke said.
After retiring from acting in 1972, she moved to Siler City in North Carolina. She had difficulty adapting to the move.
A local TV station described her as “a 70-year-old lady that probably wants to be alone and they’re having a problem with trying to be friendly and show their friendliness, and at the same time not intrude. That makes it very difficult for them. Living here has been a difficult adjustment for me. I have a great deal to learn from Siler City and North Carolina. It’s an entirely different and new way of life.”
She lived a quiet life in her later years and was not often seen in public. Some people said that she even became a recluse with many cats.
She eventually died when she was almost 87 years old in 1989. She had a number of diseases that eventually led to her death but it was officially called congestive heart failure, myocardial infarction, coronary artery disease, and atherosclerosis.
When she died, she left her money to the local police community and the hospital foundation.