Actors are a lot like miners. Sometimes, they can stay down in the pit a little too long. There are, of course, industry canaries that warn actors when it may be time to jump ship. M*A*S*H was like a revolving door, with actors coming and going every season, mixing up the cast almost quicker than TV Guide could keep up.

The Andy Griffith Show is an interesting example of the ways a show can change. First, Gomer left for the Marines, and Goober moved in to take his place as third-fiddle. Then, Don Knotts left for Hollywood, and the cast was forced to carry on in color without him. Finally, the title took off Andy Griffith, and the show switched its name, becoming Mayberry R.F.D. 

With all those shakeups, why was it that Aunt Bee kept holding down the fort? According to a 1968 interview in the Richmond Times-Dispatch, a little bit of praise and adulation was all it took.

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"Bob Ross, the producer, said to me, 'You're the backbone of the show,'" said Frances Bavier, who played Aunt Bee for 200 episodes of classic television. "It was flattery that convinced me to continue."

Of course, nice words weren't the only perk of the gig, but they were the most important, at least according to Bavier.

"I get more money, too, but the flattery did it. And I wouldn't have to touch wardrobe. It would all be picked for me, they said. Then Ken Berry himself came to me and said, 'Oh, please stay.'"

Ross was able to convince Bavier to say yes to four episodes of Mayberry R.F.D. As the writers continued coming up with "wonderful ideas" for her character, Aunt Bee, it became clear to Bavier that she'd stick around for a while.

"I've been acting 45 years and it's a hard habit to break," she said. "Then I read that Dr. Alvarez medical column about getting arteriosclerosis of the brain if you don't work, so here I am."