![]() She seldom socialized, never threw a party at the 22-room house where she lived with 15 cats or invited the local ladies in for sweetened iced tea on a muggy summer afternoon. She also shopped at night to avoid bumping into her neighbors. When she moved to North Carolina 17 years ago from Los Angeles, Bavier wore dainty white gloves and frilly hats to Byrd's grocery store in downtown Siler City, according to In fact, many folks around here regarded the actress _ a big-city transplant to the North Carolina foothills _ as a recluse who didn't mingle with them. That's because Bavier was quite different in style than Aunt Bee. Before she died in December at age 86, Bavier provided that her worldly goods would go on the auction block to help the PBS cause.Īs it turns out, the charitable provision proved to be a most unexpected gesture of generosity. Explained Durham auctioneer Chris Allen: "They're buying and paying dearly because it belonged to Frances."įrances, for the non-Mayberryphile, is the late Frances Elizabeth Bavier, the 5-feet-1 actress with the gray-haired bun and rosy cheeks who played the loving fussbudget Aunt Bee on the popular show, which aired on CBS from 1960-68 and has been in heavy syndication ever since. Webb was typical of the hundreds of big buck-paying Mayberry fans at this sale and auction, which grossed more than $120,000 to benefit PBS stations in North Carolina. Why was Webb beside himself over Bee memorabilia? "Watching The Andy Griffith Show just makes you feel good," he said.
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