I watched two episodes on TVLand this afternoon in which Aunt Bee was "out of town" and Mrs. Pendleton was housekeeping for Andy and Opie.  These episodes were the one where Emmitt was debating buying his wife a mink coat and the one where Sam Jones defeated Emmitt for Town Council.

My question is:  Where was Frances Bavier and why wasn't she on the job as Aunt Bee?

She had eaten too many of her own pickles

my understanding is she was disagreeable with the writers and producers and they used Mrs Pendleton to show her that she could be replaced and the show could go on with out her.  8-)

Mrs. Pendleton first shows up in the "Helen Crump was a gangster's moll" episode.  In that episode, Mrs. Pendleton is written and played as a conniving, nosy busy-body who begins a witch hunt, out to get Miss Crump fired from her teaching position.  The others on the school board, Howard and the principal, acknowledge, in their own behavior, that they find Mrs. Pendleton to be exactly that - a conniving, nosy busy-body. 

Then, Mrs. Pendleton shows up in the "Emmet doesn't want to buy his wife a mink coat" episode.   The writers have Andy brush-off Mrs. Pendleton's awful behavior in the previous episode as not having been awful, but instead "she just wanted what was best for the school and the students" (or whatever it was Andy said with a little smile.)

To me, this shows a bit of contempt for the viewers on the part of those writers/producers.  It seems that they felt the viewing audience didn't have the intelligence to remember that the character was originally presented as nasty, and that the viewer would easily accept her past behavior as acceptable.  It also seems they thought the viewers would readily accept this character as an Aunt Bee replacement.

If the producers and Andy Griffith did indeed bring in the Mrs. Pendleton character to fill in for Aunt Bee (in those couple later episodes) to show Frances Bavier that she was replaceable, I think it proved the exact opposite.  I think it proved that not just anyone - character or actress - could replace Frances Bavier/Aunt Bee!

Bud, like you, it irritates me that they glossed over Mrs. Pendleton's actions in bringing Helen before the school board in the earlier episode.  Human nature being what it is, I don't think Helen OR Andy would have accepted and forgiven her behavior so quickly--even in Mayberry.

That's part of my gripe with the color episodes.  They don't take US (the viewers) seriously enough to honor the backstories of the characters, the history of their relationships, etc.

Case in point:  Thelma Lou's marriage to "the foreman on a wrecking crew".  They make Thel and Barney's earlier relationship appear trival--even though it was of several years duration and they had seriously considered marriage.

"Foreman on a wrecking crew" is a nonsensical description at best.

I think we were shortchanged in the later episodes!

OK  I'll get down off my soapbox now and grab a sign when the gold truck comes through.  No matter what--luv me some TAGS...

Since you mentioned it, I think episode #176 "The Return of Barney Fife" was one of the worst script ideas ever used. I could never believe that Barney just sort of stopped keeping in touch with Thelma Lou? He was supposed to be such a "good letter writer", it just never made sense. Sorry, I did not intend to hijack this thread.

Could it be for similar reasons Don Knotts was missing from some episodes? Did he get a vacation from time to time. I'm guessing the whole cast got a hiatus from in front of the camera each year. It being "The Andy Griffith" only Andy would be a constant in every episode, my guess.

I can't say that I disagree with what some of you have said about Aunt Bee not being replacible. However I really did like the Mrs. Pendleton character and the actress who played her (& her performance as Dr. Haywood's mother was great!). I think she redeemed herself by offering Ms. Crump a heart felt "yes we do" apology. In that episode it was ANDY who was at fault. If the story about Helen's past had been legit, Mrs. Pendleton would have been a hero. (let's face it, how many of us would have liked to have been the one to  run Helen out of town in one episode or another! ;D
Furthermore, I think the Mrs. Pendleton character still retains some of the "noseyness" in this episode as well. Lets face it. Was she really anymore of a disagreable busybody substitute housekeeper than Clara-Bertha-Johnson-12blueribbon-Edwards would have been?!?

anyway that's my thoughts on the matter...

Andy: [speaking to Thelma Lou about 'Founders Day'] You got any thoughts on the matter?
Thelma Lou: Well it's Founders Day. We might as well celebrate.
Andy: That's a good thought!