# Frances Bavier aka "Aunt Bea" **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 17, 2012, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frances-bavier-aka-aunt-bea/634939 "2012-09-17T04:00:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Mississippienne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d2c977/32.png) [@Mississippienne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mississippienne)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2012, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frances-bavier-aka-aunt-bea/634939/41 "2012-09-19T16:26:02Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > Wayne Knight has his own sitcom right now. He also had a long-term supporting role on _Third Rock From the Sun_. Michael Richards worked in TV for years and years, had his own sitcom for about an hour after Sienfeld ended, went back into stand-up, and then got himself into a scandal when he blew up at an audience member and screamed some slur words. ---
**Author:** ![Wheelz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wheelz/32/5718_2.png) [@Wheelz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wheelz)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2012, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frances-bavier-aka-aunt-bea/634939/42 "2012-09-19T17:42:46Z")
Regarding Robert Reed, most of what I’ve heard about him comes from Barry Williams’s book _Growing Up Brady_ (which is a great read, by the way), so admittedly it’s only a single point of view. But, from what I understand: Reed considered himself a serious actor who had previously done mostly dramatic roles, and felt that a sitcom was beneath him. He took the job on the \*Brady Bunch \*pilot for the paycheck, believing there was no way the show would be picked up. When it was, he couldn’t get out of his contract, and so he never really wanted to be there in the first place. Sherwood Schwartz was making what he considered to be simply fun family entertainment, but Reed felt there should have been more depth, and the two constantly butted heads over the scripts. Schwartz hated to have his authority questioned, and allegedly once said that if the show had gotten another season, Mike Brady would have been killed in a plane crash over the summer. I tend to believe him. On the other hand, the rest of the actors apparenly loved him. He reportedly became a father figure to the kids, treated them wonderfully and always looked out for their interests. My take is that he was a decent guy who was just frustrated by being on a show he didn’t like much, and Schwartz was the outlet for that frustration. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2012, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frances-bavier-aka-aunt-bea/634939/43 "2012-09-19T19:06:03Z")
> [@Mississippienne](#): > > He also had a long-term supporting role on _Third Rock From the Sun_. > > Michael Richards worked in TV for years and years, had his own sitcom for about an hour after Sienfeld ended, went back into stand-up, and then got himself into a scandal when he blew up at an audience member and screamed some slur words. I know wiki says he started as a stand up but I don’t remember it that way. I remember him coming up through the ranks of sketch and improv which are different animals altogether. I listened to Jim Norton and a few other comics talking about the Richards incident. They all seemed to agree that he was ill-equipped to deal will hecklers or other types of disruptive crowds. They all thought that if he had paid his dues in clubs he would have known how to handle the situation. Instead he panicked. ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2012, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frances-bavier-aka-aunt-bea/634939/44 "2012-09-19T19:14:26Z")
Anyway, the larger point that there are tons of sitcom actors who are regulars never seem to get much work afterward holds. That doesn’t mean they had prima donna reputations. The other sweathogs (besides John Travolta) from Welcome Back, Carter. Larry Linville. Loretta Swit. Russell Johnson. Dawn Wells. Herb Tarlek, Bailey Quarters (sigh), and Andy Travis from WKRP. Norm from Cheers. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2012, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frances-bavier-aka-aunt-bea/634939/45 "2012-09-19T20:01:04Z")
> [@bup](#): > > Anyway, the larger point that there are tons of sitcom actors who are regulars never seem to get much work afterward holds. That doesn’t mean they had prima donna reputations. > > The other sweathogs (besides John Travolta) from Welcome Back, Carter. > Larry Linville. > Loretta Swit. > Russell Johnson. > Dawn Wells. > Herb Tarlek, Bailey Quarters (sigh), and Andy Travis from WKRP. > Norm from Cheers. Someone who has multiple successful TV shows is a rare thing. Thats why its generally foolish to leave early just to show up on the dinner theater circuit. ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2012, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frances-bavier-aka-aunt-bea/634939/46 "2012-09-19T20:22:44Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > Someone who has multiple successful TV shows is a rare thing. Thats why its generally foolish to leave early just to show up on the dinner theater circuit. As someone once said on this board (paraphrasing), “A role on a successful TV series is usually the peak of a career, not the beginning of one.” ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2012, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frances-bavier-aka-aunt-bea/634939/47 "2012-09-19T21:01:03Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > Wayne Knight has his own sitcom right now. Only 20 years later! ---
**Author:** ![Sauron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce7236/32.png) [@Sauron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sauron)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2012, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frances-bavier-aka-aunt-bea/634939/48 "2012-09-19T21:10:33Z")
> [@bup](#): > > Anyway, the larger point that there are tons of sitcom actors who are regulars never seem to get much work afterward holds. That doesn’t mean they had prima donna reputations. … > > Larry Linville. For what it’s worth, Linville WAS something of a prima donna - at least, in my opinion. I was able to attend one of those “An Evening With” presentations with Linville many years ago, long after his _M_A_S_H _tenure ended. I enjoyed the MA_S_H_ stories he told, but he came across as an insufferable jerk with a highly inflated opinion of himself and his work. I know his castmates on _M_A_S_H \*usually described him as kind and easygoing, and maybe he was at that time or around other professionals/actors. When talking with the plebes, though, he gave the distinct impression everyone else was beneath him. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2012, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frances-bavier-aka-aunt-bea/634939/49 "2012-09-19T21:16:02Z")
> [@Sauron](#): > > For what it’s worth, Linville WAS something of a prima donna - at least, in my opinion. I was able to attend one of those “An Evening With” presentations with Linville many years ago, long after his _M_A_S_H _tenure ended. I enjoyed the MA_S_H_ stories he told, but he came across as an insufferable jerk with a highly inflated opinion of himself and his work. > > I know his castmates on _M_A_S_H \*usually described him as kind and easygoing, and maybe he was at that time or around other professionals/actors. When talking with the plebes, though, he gave the distinct impression everyone else was beneath him. Maybe he was in character. ---
**Author:** ![voltaire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voltaire/32/313_2.png) [@voltaire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voltaire)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2012, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frances-bavier-aka-aunt-bea/634939/50 "2012-09-19T21:41:06Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > Quite a few years ago I dealt with his sister on a professional basis. She was a total wackjob. I have not heard about her in years. She must have moved out of town. And that “professional basis” was as law enforcement, right? Come on, dish! ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2012, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frances-bavier-aka-aunt-bea/634939/51 "2012-09-19T21:58:22Z")
> [@alphaboi867](#): > > Lucille Ball had a reputation as a bitch offscreen and could be very difficult to work with. She’d rehearse everything to death and often made the director shoot take after take after take until she felt a stunt went right. Considering that she and her husband were the producers of the show, I guess she could tell the director to do that. ---
**Author:** ![Zoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a4c791/32.png) [@Zoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zoe)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2012, 9:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frances-bavier-aka-aunt-bea/634939/52 "2012-09-20T09:20:51Z")
> [@Omar\_Little](#): > > Considering that she and her husband were the producers of the show, I guess she could tell the director to do that. Also, in businesses, women who were assertive during those days were fighting a hard battle. Behavior that was considered normal in men was considered bitchy when the boss was a woman. Re: M_A_S\*H: I’ve read that Larry Linville was considered the best actor on the lot by the other actors. ---
**Author:** ![Sleeps\_With\_Butterflies](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bb73d2/32.png) [@Sleeps\_With\_Butterflies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sleeps_With_Butterflies)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2012, 9:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frances-bavier-aka-aunt-bea/634939/53 "2012-09-20T09:33:07Z")
Now come on, I can’t be the ONLY person to despise that Aunt Bea/Bee character completely. She was so shrill and nannying and that woman’s voice was 1000x worse than nails on a chalkboard. Anybody? Anybody? ---
**Author:** ![voltaire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voltaire/32/313_2.png) [@voltaire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voltaire)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2012, 10:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frances-bavier-aka-aunt-bea/634939/54 "2012-09-20T10:28:49Z")
It’s been a loooong time since I’ve seen an episode, but I somewhat remember little Opie seemingly being a little bit scared of Aunt Bee. Makes me wonder if that was coming more from real life than from scripted/directed acting. It’d be interesting to hear what Ron Howard has to say about her. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2012, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frances-bavier-aka-aunt-bea/634939/55 "2012-09-20T13:32:07Z")
> [@Sleeps\_With\_Butterflies](#): > > Now come on, I can’t be the ONLY person to despise that Aunt Bea/Bee character completely. She was so shrill and nannying and that woman’s voice was 1000x worse than nails on a chalkboard. > > Anybody? Anybody? \ ---
**Author:** ![PapSett](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ecc23a/32.png) [@PapSett](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PapSett)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2012, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frances-bavier-aka-aunt-bea/634939/56 "2012-09-20T15:12:15Z")
I’m with you, Sleeps With Butterflies. I never liked her. She had a horrible voice and what seemed like a ‘poor me’ attitude. I was ever an Aunt Bea fan either. ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2012, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frances-bavier-aka-aunt-bea/634939/57 "2012-09-20T15:57:30Z")
Well, she made you and \*\*SleepsWithButterflies \*\*a sack of sandwiches for the bus trip to Raleigh, so I hope you can live with yourself. ---
**Author:** ![Hypno-Toad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b2d939/32.png) [@Hypno-Toad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypno-Toad)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2012, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frances-bavier-aka-aunt-bea/634939/58 "2012-09-20T16:36:23Z")
> [@bup](#): > > Well, she made you and \*\*SleepsWithButterflies \*\*a sack of sandwiches for the bus trip to Raleigh, so I hope you can live with yourself. Yeah, but they have her\* pickles\* on them. ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2012, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frances-bavier-aka-aunt-bea/634939/59 "2012-09-20T18:09:08Z")
Well, on the subject. . . [The Mayberry Rap!](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tLQF01-AXVk) ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2012, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frances-bavier-aka-aunt-bea/634939/60 "2012-09-21T04:54:18Z")
Vivian Vance is another actor who also thought herself too cool for school. She, Frances Bavier, and Robert Reed, all Serious Actors slumming it, should have had their own show… My Three Divas? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frances-bavier-aka-aunt-bea/634939.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frances-bavier-aka-aunt-bea/634939.md?page=4)