Bee is well known in Mayberry for her cooking skills. Andy explains to Opie that he was raised by Aunt Bee, and Bee later mentions, without elaboration, having raised other Taylors. Aunt Bee thereafter manages Andy's household and becomes Opie's surrogate mother and grandmother. In the premiere episode of The Andy Griffith Show, "The New Housekeeper," Aunt Bee returns to Mayberry after a five-year sojourn in Morgantown, West Virginia, when Andy's housekeeper Rose marries and leaves his house. Though she was the aunt of Sheriff Andy Taylor, virtually every character in Mayberry, even those in her age bracket such as Floyd and Emmett, called her "Aunt Bee."īlack-and-white seasons (1960–1965) Īunt Bee, full name Beatrice Taylor, is the paternal aunt of widower sheriff Andy Taylor and great-aunt to his son Opie Taylor. (1968–1971) when The Andy Griffith Show ended its run in 1968, and remained for two years. Played by Frances Bavier, the character migrated to the spinoff Mayberry R.F.D. “I never heard anybody who used their own car in a television series.Aunt Bee's first appearance, "The New Housekeeper" (1960).Īunt Bee is a fictional character from the 1960 American television sitcom The Andy Griffith Show. “The thing that interested me so much is that later in the show, she drove a ’66 Studebaker, and all indications are that it’s the same as her car,” Fox said. He explained that even though the car isn’t valuable, even he became intrigued by the car since Aunt Bee owned it. Fans wanted Aunt Bee’s old car for themselves.įred Fox, a car historian, spoke to the Chicago Tribune in 1990 about her Studebaker. Instead they began to receive bids that increased well into the thousands. Yet the people auctioning the car thought it would only command a few hundred dollars. Studebaker stopped making the vehicles in 1966, and Bavier did have a rarer model. But that didn’t stop the bidding war for the famous Hollywood star’s automobile. Bavier’s Studebaker sat in her garage for years with flat tires, expired plates from 1983, and cat hair all over the interior from her pets sleeping in the car. She hadn’t driven it for years, since at least the early ’80s. She owned numerous models of the cars, but only held onto one 1966 Studebaker Daytona until her dying days.įollowing her 1989 passing, the vehicle shocked many when an all-out bidding war ensued when it went to auction. For the rest of her life, Bavier only drove classic Studebakers. When she did become a driver, the famous actress only had one car in mind. However, after years of not even attempting to get her driver’s license, Bavier changed her mind. When living in New York City, that’s not an essential form of transportation. The star went 50 years without learning to drive. Previous to The Andy Griffith Show actress Francis Bavier‘s death, she became a devout driver of only one type of car. ‘The Andy Griffith Show’ Star’s 1966 Studebaker Was Object of Wild Bidding War While the exact cause of death was not reported, it’s safe to assume The Andy Griffith Show star passed away from heart-related complications. In fact, one week before the actress passed, the hospital released her from their coronary care unit. She spent time in Chatham Hospital not long before she died. Sadly, Bavier suffered heart issues at the end of her life in Siler City. The fact that she could portray Aunt Bee showed the depth of her talent.″ ″When she started on the show she was 57 and had more experience going in than any of the other cast members,″ he said. ″Many episodes focused on her and she was essential to the success of the show,″ Meroney said, according to an AP News article. In addition, Meroney pointed out how talented the actress was for her portrayal of Aunt Bee considering she’s from NYC. He called the actress “essential” to its success. John Meroney, Andy Griffith Show Appreciation Society founder, spoke about Bavier’s important role on the show. She lived there for almost 20 more years before her death. In 1972, Bavier retired from acting and moved to the small central North Carolina town. While filming The Andy Griffith Show though, she visited Siler City and fell in love with the town and its people. She attended Columbia University and graduated from Manhattan’s American Academy of the Arts. The actress hailed from New York City, which may surprise some. The Emmy Award-winning star passed away in her Siler City, North Carolina home in early December of that year. In 1989, beloved The Andy Griffith Show actress Francis Bavier who played Aunt Bee on the classic television show passed away at age 86.
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