A & E BIOGRAPHY: DR. JOYCE BROTHERS: MEDIA SHRINK (TV)
Summary
One in this series of documentaries which examines the professional and personal lives of a wide range of individuals, both those in the public eye and those of historic note. This episode details the life of psychologist and television personality Dr. Joyce Brothers. Dr. Joyce Brothers was born Joyce Diane Bauer on October 20th, 1927 in Brooklyn, New York. She was the daughter of Morris and Estelle Bauer, Eastern European immigrants and practicing attorneys. The Bauer family moved to Laurelton, Queens, where Joyce attended high school and was noted as being an intelligent, popular, and opinionated young woman. She excelled in her schoolwork, owing in part to her photographic memory. She graduated high school in 1944 and attended Cornell University via a home economics scholarship. However, she was not satisfied with that major and decided to pursue a major in psychology as well. During her junior year she met Milton Brothers, a young pre-med student, and they fell in love. Joyce graduated from Cornell in 1947 and decided to pursue the master's program at Columbia University. She and Milton were married on July 4th, 1949. However, Joyce faced some opposition from the dean of Columbia University, who felt that a woman should not be pursuing a PhD. Nevertheless, Joyce continued her studies and earned her doctorate in June 1953, becoming Dr. Joyce Brothers. The following month, Joyce gave birth to her daughter Lisa. The birth was difficult and she contracted blood poisoning; her doctors advised her not to have any more children. Joyce focused all of her attention on Lisa, quitting her part-time teaching position in order to become a stay-at-home mother. The family was making very little money, and so they moved in with Joyce's parents in 1955. During this time, game shows were extremely popular across the nation, particularly quiz shows such as "The $64,000 Question," where contestants would field increasingly difficult questions about a single subject for larger and larger prizes, up to the eponymous $64,000 grand prize. At the time, the producers of the show were looking for contestants with expertise in unlikely fields of knowledge, and so Joyce decided to enter claiming to be an expert on boxing, an incongruous subject for the young female psychologist. The producers were intrigued and invited her onto the show. Joyce had no previous knowledge or interest in boxing, and for weeks she studied, memorizing old boxing magazines, film reels, and boxing encyclopedias using her photographic memory. In the fall of 1955 Joyce made her television debut, and soon won over the audience with her poise and expertise. She easily reached the $16,000 prize, whereupon Charles Revson, owner of the cosmetics company Revlon, the show's sponsor, tried to get her off the air. He was irked not only by Joyce's winnings, but also that she did not wear makeup on air, which ran counter to his "image of womanhood." He attempted to do so by giving Joyce a series of particularly obscure questions to answer, but she managed to answer them correctly anyway, continuing to win favor with the viewing audience. In her final appearance on the show in December 1955, she correctly answered the final question and become the first and only woman to win the $64,000 grand prize. Her appearances also catapulted her into the public eye, and she made many appearances in magazines and on television, granting her a great deal of publicity. In 1957 she appeared on "The $64,000 Challenge," a spin-off of "The $64,000 Question" pitting reigning champions against experts in the field of their expertise. Again she excelled at every question asked of her, totaling her winnings at $134,000, one of the highest figures in the show's history, which she used to support her family and move them into a new home. By 1958, Joyce decided to combine her newfound celebrity with her psychology profession, hoping to use the medium of television to dispense help and advice to a widespread audience. She approached NBC about doing a television program similar to a newspaper advice column, where she would read letters and help viewers sort through their psychological problems. Although the NBC executives were apprehensive about Joyce discussing topics like sex and abortion on-air, they felt the idea was sound and she began her self-titled television show in August 1958. The show became an instant success and Joyce became known as the first "pop psychologist," who helped to bring psychology into the public consciousness and make it more accessible. People responded to her willingness to tackle any subject, no matter how sensitive, often to the consternation of the NBC censors. She weathered controversy from both NBC and from the United States Senate during the quiz show scandals, and continued to host her show until 1963, when NBC cancelled it due to declining ratings. However, Joyce would continue to appear on television, beginning with a syndicated series that would last for the next 25 years. Although her work helped to demystify the field of psychology for many, critics worried that some might interpret her advice as a "quick fix" to their problems, and others questioned her qualifications. Joyce countered that what she offered primarily was "understanding," and that she always encouraged people to seek further help for their problems. In the 1960's she began reaching out into other media, such as newspaper and magazine advice columns, and published her first book. By the end of the 1960's she was among the most recognizable and admired women in the nation, and as the 1970's began she gained the eye of Hollywood. She began to appear as herself in many popular programs, often in a comedic sense. Some believed that she became less of a psychologist and more of a personality and entertainer, but her stated goal with such appearances was to help put the public at ease and show that "therapy is for everyone." Tragedy struck in 1987, when Milton was diagnosed with cancer. Although he encouraged her to continue her career, she spent every moment she could with him, often neglecting herself in order to take care of him. He passed away in January of 1989, leaving Joyce devastated. She withdrew from the public for a year, and even contemplated suicide. However, she threw herself into her work and in 1991 published "Widowed," detailing her account of Milton's death and her grief over it. Response to "Widowed" was overwhelming, as thousands called to share their stories of loss and grief, and Joyce used the opportunity to open a public dialogue so that they could all help each other with their issues. In the following years she would be called upon by the media to offer perspective on tragic events, and would continue to make more lighthearted comedic appearances in television and films, as well as care for her four grandchildren. Commercials deleted.
Details
- NETWORK: A&E
- DATE: 2000
- RUNNING TIME: 0:44:47
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: B:89328
- GENRE: Documentary
- SUBJECT HEADING: Documentary; Biography; Psychology
- SERIES RUN: A&E - TV series, 1987-
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Lisa Zeff … Executive Producer
- Michael Cascio … Executive Producer
- Alan Goldberg … Senior Producer
- Maryellen Cox … Supervising Producer
- Adam K. Sternberg … Producer
- John Hodian … Music by
- Deborah Amos … Narrator
- Joyce Brothers … Interviewee
- Lisa Arbisser … Interviewee
- Elaine Goldsmith … Interviewee
- Larry Bauer … Interviewee
- Marjorie Uman … Interviewee
- Sonny Fox … Interviewee
- Joy Browne … Interviewee
- Steve Carlin … Interviewee
- Max Buck … Interviewee
- Ruth Westheimer … Interviewee
- Marion Grindes … Interviewee
- James Wolcott … Interviewee
- Estelle Bauer
- Morris Bauer
- Milton Brothers
- Charles Revson