What was the reason she left in real-life and what was the explanation they gave on the show? Surely they had a send-off episode for so central a character? I missed this episode on the Catchy Comedy weekend binge.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-OD27jOeky8

When Aunt Bee Disappeared! Why Was She Replaced?

Thanks, ThisLittlePiggie, for posting this reply. I found it very interesting. My take is that she just wanted to be off the show at this point, having portrayed Aunt Bee for 10 years. But it's also very possible that Andy Griffith decided to fire her based on the umbrella incident with George Lindsey.

You're welcome. Yes, I found it interesting too. I can't remember if Aunt Bee ever visited her sister on TAGS. But I think she might have.

Thanks, ThisLittlePiggie, for posting this reply. I found it very interesting. My take is that she just wanted to be off the show at this point, having portrayed Aunt Bee for 10 years. But it's also very possible that Andy Griffith decided to fire her based on the umbrella incident with George Lindsey.

A couple of points, "The Race Horse" episode referenced was the third episode of the series! I doubt it took two years to fire her. I tend to agree with your take on the matter, she was getting on in years, she was 67 at the end of 1969, and probably just decided to retire. She had been on the two Mayberry shows for a total of 10 years, she had no way of knowing how many more years RFD would last, I think the evidence suggests she just had enough. Her next and final acting credit was in 1974, Benji.

With respect to the comment about her being tired of being recognized as Aunt Bee, that's a real headscratcher, Mayberry was a small town in North Carolina, if she didn't want to be recognized as Aunt Bee, then why on Earth did she retire to a small town in North Carolina!

A final point, none of the characters we became familiar with actually had an episode devoted to them leaving even Andy, when Gomer left we see him joining the marines but there is no sentimentality associated with it.

Duster76, good points. One would think that with a show like TAGS and MRFD, with them portraying small town values and families, there would have been more sentimentality when a major character was leaving the show. I still like both shows anyway.

One thing not mentioned in the video was that she missed at least 2 episodes she was supposed to appear in, in season 2. Probably having to rewrite due to an absent lead actor does not go over well.

After the Race Horse/Lindsey incident (which I'd never heard about), there was a later season 1 two-part episode, where Aunt Bee fell in love with a sea captain, played by Will Geer. This would have been an ideal time to write her out of the show, since she accepted his marriage proposal (but later got cold feet).

Actually, if all the problems they had with her are true, I'm not sure why they kept her in the cast after TAGS ended.

So I guess Aunt Bee's sister is named Nora. She visited the Taylors with her husband and two boys in the episode The Family Visit. Aunt Bee was said to have been staying with her sister when she left Mayberry RFD. They never mentioned any detail but I would presume her sister was ill or she herself was.

Okay, so as I'm making my way through the second season of MRFD, I'm noticing that Aunt Bee is missing from several episodes under the explanation of off caring for her sick sister. There are other matronly actresses filling in for her housekeeping duties. And I really like the "Flora" character. They should have kept her on the show.

I guess the producers were starting to ease Bavier out as she was unhappy being there. Shame though, as there will always only be one Aunt Bee and she was it. What an iconic TV character she personified.

Yep, Frances Bavier was a very good actress. I just saw her on Perry Mason earlier today.

Okay, so as I'm making my way through the second season of MRFD, I'm noticing that Aunt Bee is missing from several episodes under the explanation of off caring for her sick sister. There are other matronly actresses filling in for her housekeeping duties. And I really like the "Flora" character. They should have kept her on the show.

I guess the producers were starting to ease Bavier out as she was unhappy being there. Shame though, as there will always only be one Aunt Bee and she was it. What an iconic TV character she personified.

I'm doing the same and I've noticed these other actresses. There was one actress who was subbing for Aunt Bee in the Mike's Birthday episode, another one in the episode where Sam brought on a hired hand to harvest the corn. There may have been another episode that actress appeared in, as well.

On IMDb it's stated there are two episodes where Frances has screen credit but does not appear. So with these substitutes and scheduled appearances that did not happen, you'd have to think something was going on. Then, she appeared in the final episode of the season, and that was her final appearance, which was not acknowledged until Alice Ghostley joined the cast in season 3. You'd have to think she was fired, or let go by mutual agreement.

I agree, the character was iconic, and gained importance as TAGS progressed. Even more so after Don Knotts left. Also agree she was an excellent actress. And, assuming the stories that she was difficult to work with are true, she's certainly not unique in that regard.

Stevea, Yeah, I'm anxious to see that final season 2 episode to see if there is any change in her acting or attitude knowing by then that she was leaving the show either by her own choice or not. Or, perhaps the final episode of S2 was filmed and aired out of production order so that it was filmed earlier in the season and held for airing till the end. Who knows?

I have just always heard she wanted to retire. The grind of a series was getting to her. She may have asked for fewer episodes during the 2nd season. Not sure if we will ever know.

I watched a couple more episodes yesterday evening and Bavier does appear in the Palm Springs episodes. In fact, it's because of Aunt Bee that the gang gets to go there. I hope she's in more of the remaining S2 episodes and I will report back as soon as I have watched more of them.

Okay, so as I'm making my way through the second season of MRFD, I'm noticing that Aunt Bee is missing from several episodes under the explanation of off caring for her sick sister. There are other matronly actresses filling in for her housekeeping duties. And I really like the "Flora" character. They should have kept her on the show.

I guess the producers were starting to ease Bavier out as she was unhappy being there. Shame though, as there will always only be one Aunt Bee and she was it. What an iconic TV character she personified.

That's Flora, diner waitress and sometimes girl friend of Goober?

Did Flora continue on in Mayberry RFD as well?

It sounds like FB was just a mean and bitter old lady. Good if she was fired.

At the time it was very surprising that she stayed on for Mayberry RFD. It was probably gonna be lower quality and she was old enough to retire. And she was famous enough for eight years for that to be satisfied. In the video it says she was talked into continuing and that makes sense because they wanted to try to ensure its success. And the thing that the most sense to me for her continuing and leaving after two seasons is she wanted to make sure she had a big enough nest egg for her to safely retire in comfort. They probably gave her a nice raise, she reached her goal after two seasons, and left. There was no end in sight at that point, so she made the choice of when to leave. She was old enough and had enough money.

She is credited for 36 episodes, but she missed 14 episodes out of 26 from Season 1 alone. I don't think that we'll ever know whether it was the production or Frances who wanted to stop doing the show. I lean more to the show moving to fire her because she is credited for Season 3 episodes for which she did not appear in (after the Myna bird ep). I think the show may have done that (giving her credit) so she could receive royalties. Sometimes, it's a wise business decision when dealing with an unpleasant/difficult actor/actress. I believe the stories which describe her as a professional, but difficult to work with.

And while the umbrella incident didn't get Frances immediately fired, it created more tension on the set, which was uncalled for.

I don't think there's enough evidence to conclude she was fired, in fact all the evidence is the other way. Frances was 67 when she retired. This was her 10th overall season in a Mayberry related projected, she probably thought it was as good a time as any. The show was going strong when she left, how was she to know the third season would be the final one, maybe if she had, she might have stayed. 65 years old was a much bigger deal in those days than it is now. That was the age people retired, many companies designated 65 as the mandatory retirement age. They may have listed her in the credits as a way of honoring her contributions to both series, Ray Collins was still listed in the credits of Perry Mason for seasons 7 and 8, even though he left the show early in the 7th season.

As big a pain as she was, she was very popular with the fan base, and to producers that means a lot, like it or not she was helping make them a great deal of money.

When she agreed to be on RFD, she probably negotiated to do fewer episodes and only 2 seasons. I am sure she just wanted to retire.

The episodes in which she appear, are really good. They are not just background fillers (here's Aunt Bee carrying a load of laundry).

Is it possible that she suffered from bipolar disorder or some sort of personality disorder?

I think her co-stars were mostly professional to say that Frances could be difficult to work with at times.

The episodes in which she appear, are really good. They are not just background fillers (here's Aunt Bee carrying a load of laundry).

Is it possible that she suffered from bipolar disorder or some sort of personality disorder?

I think her co-stars were mostly professional to say that Frances could be difficult to work with at times.

I never read or heard anything suggesting she was bipolar, but she certainly seemed to have some sort of personality issue. She not only had problems on both Mayberry shows, but Eve Arden found her difficult to work with on The Eve Arden Show. She seemed to have had no family relationships of any sort and whether or not she was ever married is debatable, no record of the marriage was ever found. I have read that she stayed in contact with the person who did her hair on the Mayberry shows, and that it was that person that brokered the phone call she made to Griffith prior to her death. Again whether or not that call was actually made is subject to speculation, there was no one alive who could confirm it, and the details seem a little too tidy.

She is credited for 36 episodes, but she missed 14 episodes out of 26 from Season 1 alone. I don't think that we'll ever know whether it was the production or Frances who wanted to stop doing the show. I lean more to the show moving to fire her because she is credited for Season 3 episodes for which she did not appear in (after the Myna bird ep). I think the show may have done that (giving her credit) so she could receive royalties. Sometimes, it's a wise business decision when dealing with an unpleasant/difficult actor/actress. I believe the stories which describe her as a professional, but difficult to work with.

And while the umbrella incident didn't get Frances immediately fired, it created more tension on the set, which was uncalled for.

She was not credited at all in season 3. That's just a flat-out IMDb error.

She appeared to have missed at least a few season 2 episodes--when other actresses filled in for her, in episodes which would have had her cast.

That kind of thing would lead me to think she was let go, but of course we'll probably never know. It's also plausible she decided to leave after season 2.

She is not credited in the opening sequence in the episodes that she does not appear in. That makes me think they knew ahead of time that she was only appearing in select episodes.

She is not credited in the opening sequence in the episodes that she does not appear in. That makes me think they knew ahead of time that she was only appearing in select episodes.

Correct. That's what the Season 1 credits show as well. They obviously used two sets of opening credits as she is billed after Ken Berry. When she was not in the episode, then George Lindsay is billed "co-starring".

If I remember correctly, George Lindsey missed a few episodes and he was not credited also.