‘Andy Griffith Show’: The On-Set Incident That Made Goober ‘Never Forgive’ Aunt Bee

For many folks who grew up watching reruns of The Andy Griffith Show, one of the most cherished things about the show was its underlying tone of kindness. Sure, the citizens of Mayberry had their disagreements, and sometimes they even argued and had conflicts. But by the end of the episode, everyone was getting along again. However, behind the scenes in the real world, things did not always work out that way.

Case in point: let’s take a look at a particular incident between Goober (George Lindsey) and Aunt Bee (Frances Bavier) that occurred during the filming of the Season 1 episode “The Race Horse.”

According to Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Lindsey described a particular confrontation on set at the racetrack, where his lighthearted banter, peppered with quite a bit of salty language between scenes, was met with stern disapproval from Bavier.

Bavier’s reaction, according to Lindsey, involved a severe scolding, which was then followed by an act that truly caught him off guard: she whacked him on the head with her umbrella. Not once, but twice. As one might guess, Lindsey felt more than just a little bit embarrassed.

Gene Trindl/Everett Collection

In his autobiography, Goober in a Nutshell, Lindsey recalled that Ken Berry, who played Sam Jones on the show, later approached him, saying, “That wasn’t right, what Frances did. I’m sorry I didn’t say something to her. She shouldn’t have done that.”

Lindsey went on to say, “Goober never forgave Aunt Bee.”

It’s worth noting that Bavier would choose to leave Mayberry R.F.D. after its first season. Did that specific interaction have anything to do with her decision? Probably not. Nevertheless, that incident seemingly sheds light on Bavier’s increasing dissatisfaction with some of her co-stars as well as the program as a whole.

Now, with all that said, it is hard to blame Bavier much. At the end of the day, she was who she was. She was old-school, and her reaction to Lindsey’s potty mouth stemmed from a deep-seated desire for respect, which was, if one thinks about it, reflective of her character both onscreen and off.

Truth be told, Bavier’s impact on The Andy Griffith Show often went unrecognized. It is simply impossible to imagine that program without her. Her absence from the opening credits of the first five seasons of The Andy Griffith Show may have contributed to a longstanding feeling she had that she just wasn’t valued as much as some of the other cast members.

And yet, her contributions to the show were many. She conveyed a sense of warmth and home through her character and was, quite often, the very heart of the show. Aunt Bee is perhaps the only television character who could literally, somehow, rescue someone with fried chicken. At the end of the day, she was a comforting presence and was integral to the program’s success.

Now, her homemade pickles, on the other hand… well, everyone in Mayberry could have lived without those.

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