The Apocryphal Penguin: Aunt Bee

(Wikipedia defines the term apocrypha as a word “used with various meanings, including "hidden", "esoteric", "spurious", "of questionable authenticity", and "Christian texts that are not canonical". The story that follows is handed down in my family as history, with no one to actually verify its veracity. In the interest of full disclosure, this story is possibly apocryphal and I am making no claims that they are 100% accurate. If any of my siblings read this and make comments / corrections/ or have different memories, I will share them too.)

And so now without further ado:

Getting Down with Aunt Bee or Brush with Greatness

If you look at Wikipedia for Aunt Bee, it will tell you that “Beatrice Taylor (commonly known as Aunt Bee) is a fictional character from the 1960s American television sitcom The Andy Griffith Show. The show was televised on CBS from October 3, 1960, until April 1, 1968. The character migrated to the spinoff Mayberry R.F.D. (1968-1971) when The Andy Griffith Show ended its run.” Click the link for the actress and you learn that “Frances Elizabeth Bavier (December 14, 1902 – December 6, 1989) was an American stage and television actress. Originally from the New York theatre, Bavier worked in film and television from the 1950s. She played the continuing role of Aunt Bee on The Andy Griffith Show and Mayberry R.F.D. from 1960 to 1970, and won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Comedy Actress for the role in 1967.”

What this does not tell you is that Ms. Bavier lived on 215th Street in Bayside, NY until she relocated to Hollywood in the mid 1950’s. That house I am very familiar with. You see, my parents bought that home from Ms. Bavier and we moved into it in 1959, a couple of years and many hours of renovations later.

Now for the apocrypha part. Were my parents friends of hers? Can’t say. Did they keep in touch with her? Don’t think so. As for the ever popular internet meme “It didn’t happen unless there are pictures, I offer this:

That picture of Aunt Bee and the baby Penguin was taken in my grandmother’s house where my parents and I and my brother Mike lived until we moved to the Bee home in 1959. That chair complete with some of my grandmothers crocheting was in the living room with those windows overlooking the street and front stoop. That is not a grimace on my face, but rather a youngsters attempt at a smile. Do I remember her? Nope. But there were always reminders at home of having been connected to Hollywood royalty. This included the purple and black tile in the upstairs bathroom. The second picture is from Google images for comparison sake for those that might doubt the tale.