Frances Bavier
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Frances Elizabeth Bavier (December 14, 1902 – December 6, 1989) was an American stage and television actress. Originally from New York theatre, she worked in film and television from the 1950s until the 1970s. She is widely known for her role as Aunt Bee on The Andy Griffith Show and Mayberry R.F.D. from 1960 to 1970. Aunt Bee logged more Mayberry years (ten) than any other character. She won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Comedy Actress for the role in 1967. Bavier was also known for playing Amy Morgan on It's a Great Life (1954–1956).
Early life and career
Bavier was born in New York City in a brownstone on Gramercy Park[1] to Charles S. Bavier, a stationary engineer, and Mary S. (née Birmingham) Bavier. She originally planned to become a teacher after attending Columbia University. She first appeared in vaudeville, later moving to the Broadway stage.[2]
After graduating from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in 1925, she was cast in the stage comedy The Poor Nut.[3] Bavier's big break came in the original Broadway production of On Borrowed Time. She later appeared with Henry Fonda in the play Point of No Return.[3]
During World War II Bavier toured with an entertainment group, performing for military troops in the European and South Pacific theaters for two years. Those efforts were recognized in 1955 after an ex-Marine in Chicago began collecting autographs from other former servicemen to show their appreciation for Bavier. He presented her with a scroll that contained 10,000 signatures. The scroll said, in part, "For thousands of us, you became a symbol of our own mothers."[4]
Bavier had roles in more than a dozen films, and played a range of supporting roles on television. Career highlights include her turn as Mrs. Barley in the classic 1951 film The Day the Earth Stood Still. In 1955, she played the rough and tough "Aunt Maggie" Sawtelle, a frontier Ma Barker-type character, in the Lone Ranger episode "Sawtelle's Saga End". In 1957, she played Nora Martin, mother of Eve Arden's character on The Eve Arden Show, despite the fact that Arden was less than six years younger than Bavier. That same year, Bavier guest-starred in the eighth episode of Perry Mason as Louise Marlow in "The Case of the Crimson Kiss".
She was in an episode of The Danny Thomas Show, which featured Andy Griffith as Andy Taylor and Ron Howard as Opie Taylor. She played a character named Henrietta Perkins. The episode led to The Andy Griffith Show, and Bavier was cast in the role of Aunt Bee. Bavier had a love-hate relationship with her famous role during the run of the show. As a New York City actress, she felt her dramatic talents were being overlooked, yet after playing Bee for eight seasons, she was the only original cast member to remain with the series in the spin-off, Mayberry R.F.D., for two additional seasons.[5]
Bavier was easily offended on the set of The Andy Griffith Show and the production staff took a cautious approach when communicating with her. Series star Andy Griffith once admitted the two sometimes clashed during the series’ run.[6][7] On an appearance on Larry King Live (November 27, 2003), Griffith said Bavier phoned him four months before she died and apologized for being "difficult" during the series’ run. Bavier confessed in an interview with Bill Ballard for Carolina Camera that "it is very difficult for an actress ... to create a role and to be so identified that you as a person no longer exist and all the recognition you get is for a part that is created on the screen."[8]
Bavier won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Comedy in 1967.
Later years
In 1972, Bavier retired from acting and bought a home in Siler City, North Carolina.[5] On choosing to live in North Carolina instead of her native New York, Bavier said, "I fell in love with North Carolina, all the pretty roads and the trees." Bavier was said to have married Russell Carpenter briefly in her early career, but there is no proof of this having actually occurred. According to a 1981 article by Chip Womick, a staff writer of The Courier Tribune, Bavier enthusiastically promoted Christmas and Easter Seal Societies from her Siler City home, and often wrote inspirational letters to fans who sought autographs.[citation needed] Additionally she left a $100,000 trust fund for the police force in Siler City, North Carolina whose interest is divided among the approximately 20 employees as a bonus every December.[9]
Death
Bavier was described "as living a sparse life in her later years, a very quiet life".[10] On November 22, 1989, she was admitted to Chatham Hospital, where she was kept in the coronary care unit for two weeks. She was discharged on December 4, 1989. Bavier died at 7 p.m. on December 6, 1989, two days after being released from the hospital.[2] The immediate causes of death were listed as congestive heart failure, myocardial infarction, coronary artery disease, and atherosclerosis, with supporting factors being breast cancer, arthritis, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).[11][12] Bavier is interred at Oakwood Cemetery in Siler City.[13] Her headstone includes the name of her most famous role, "Aunt Bee", and reads, "To live in the hearts of those left behind is not to die."[3]
Filmography
| Year | Title: | Role: | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1931 | Girls About Town | Joy | Uncredited |
| 1943 | O, My Darling Clementine | Mrs. Asbury | |
| 1951 | The Day the Earth Stood Still | Mrs. Barley | |
| 1951 | Script error: No such module "Sort". | Mrs. Rogers | |
| 1952 | The Lady Says No | Aunt Alice Hatch | |
| 1952 | Bend of the River | Mrs. Prentiss | Alternative title: Where the River Bends |
| 1952 | Sally and Saint Anne | Mrs. Kitty "Mom" O'Moyne | |
| 1952 | My Wife's Best Friend | Mrs. Chamberlain | |
| 1952 | Horizons West | Martha Hammond | |
| 1953 | Man in the Attic | Helen Harley | |
| 1956 | Script error: No such module "Sort". | Woman in dinner party scene | Uncredited |
| 1958 | A Nice Little Bank That Should Be Robbed | Mrs. Solitaire | Alternative title: How to Rob a Bank |
| 1959 | It Started with a Kiss | Mrs. Tappe | |
| 1974 | Benji | Lady with cat | (final film role) |
Television credits
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1952 | Racket Squad | Martha Carver | 1 episode |
| 1952– 1953 |
Gruen Guild Playhouse | Sarah Cummings | 2 episodes |
| 1953 | Hallmark Hall of Fame | Lou Bloor | 1 episode |
| 1953– 1954 |
City Detective | Various roles | 3 episodes |
| 1953– 1954 |
Letter to Loretta | Various roles | 3 episodes |
| 1953– 1955 |
Dragnet | Hazel Howard | 3 episodes |
| 1954 | Script error: No such module "Sort". | Thelma | 2 episodes |
| 1954– 1955 |
Waterfront | Martha Amy |
2 episodes |
| 1954– 1956 |
It's a Great Life | Mrs. Amy Morgan | 62 episodes |
| 1955 | Script error: No such module "Sort". | Aunt Maggie Sawtelle | Season 4 Episode 29: "Sawtelle Saga's End" |
| 1955 | Soldiers of Fortune | Amelia Lilly | 1 episode |
| 1955 | Damon Runyon Theater | 1 episode | |
| 1955 | Alfred Hitchcock Presents | Mrs. Fergusen | Season 1 Episode 1: Revenge |
| 1956 | Lux Video Theatre | 1 episode | |
| 1956 | Cavalcade of America | Mrs. Hayes | 1 episode |
| 1957 | Jane Wyman Presents The Fireside Theatre | 1 episode | |
| 1957 | General Electric Theater | Miss Trimingham | 1 episode |
| 1957 | Perry Mason | Louise Marlow | 1 episode |
| 1957– 1958 |
Script error: No such module "Sort". | Mrs. Nora Martin | 5 episodes |
| 1958 | Colgate Theatre | Season 1 Episode 8: "If You Knew Tomorrow" | |
| 1959 | Script error: No such module "Sort". | Mrs. Wallace | 1 episode |
| 1959 | Script error: No such module "Sort". | 1 episode | |
| 1959 | Sugarfoot | Aunt Nancy Thomas | 1 episode |
| 1959 | Wagon Train | Sister Joseph | 1 episode - "The Sister Rita Story" |
| 1959 | 77 Sunset Strip | Grandma Fenwick | 1 episode |
| 1960 | Script error: No such module "Sort". | Henrietta Perkins | 1 episode |
| 1960 | Rawhide | Ellen Ferguson | 1 episode |
| 1960– 1968 |
Script error: No such module "Sort". | Aunt Beatrice "Bee" Taylor | 175 episodes Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress – Comedy Series (1967) |
| 1967 | Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. | Aunt Bee Taylor | 1 episode |
| 1968– 1970 |
Mayberry R.F.D. | Aunt Bee Taylor | 24 episodes |
References
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- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Childhood Jealousy Leads Frances Bavier to Stage". The Ogden Standard-Examiner: 13. June 26, 1936.
- ^ a b Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Frances Bavier Dead; TV Performer Was 86". The New York Times. December 8, 1989. Retrieved May 14, 2009.
- ^ a b c Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Carp, Randy. "Aunt Bee: Sex Symbol and Diva?". Fans Pages. Retrieved March 13, 2013.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Ames, Walter (May 8, 1955). "'Mom' Bavier Gets 10,000 Autographs From Former GIs". Los Angeles Times. p. 95. Retrieved January 26, 2026.
- ^ a b Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Kelly, Richard Michael (1985). The Andy Griffith Show. J.F. Blair. pp. 13–14. ISBN 0-89587-043-6.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Frances 'Aunt Bee' Bavier dead at 86". United Press International. December 7, 1989. Retrieved October 5, 2018.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Foley, Rich (October 23, 2014). "Aunt Bee's Studebaker and other fine vehicles". State Line Observer. Archived from the original on December 11, 2020. Retrieved October 5, 2018.
- ^ Carolina Camera: Aunt Bee Retires. Ballard, Bill. www.youtube.com
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Did Aunt Bee leave $100K for the Siler City police? Here's the answer". Archived from the original on October 20, 2021. Retrieved October 18, 2021.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."'Andy Griffith' Aunt Bee Recluse in Final Years". Los Angeles Times. January 17, 1990. Retrieved August 13, 2016.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."The cast of 'Griffith Show' mourns Frances Bavier". Chicago Tribune. December 8, 1989. Retrieved August 13, 2016.
- ^ Frances Bavier death certificate, autopsyfiles.org; accessed September 28, 2016.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Hoffman, James L.; Grizzle, Ralph (2007). Day Trips From Raleigh-Durham. Globe Pequot. pp. 184–86. ISBN 978-0-7627-4543-2.
External links
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- Frances Bavier at IMDb
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- Frances Bavier Papers, 1930s-1990
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