The Doctor Is In

I was already aware I hadn't heard about her for a good many years when I read that Dr. Joyce Brothers had passed away recently at 85. As the current vogue in speech goes: anyone of a certain age remembers Dr. Brothers, first as a game show contestant, and then with shows of her own.

She was everywhere. Not quite Arthur Godfrey, but certainly close. Her neatly swept back hair and prim clothing was seen on her show, and all the talk and game shows of the era.

But it was her voice that was the center of attention. Calm. Reasoning. Reassuring. Explaining whatever it was that was the current trouble and why we felt that way, and how we were going to deal with it. She was Walter Cronkite, with a slight overbite that made her quietly cute.

She came to fame by rocketing through a game show's rounds by her knowledge of boxing. Knowledge she gained not by hanging out with 'da guys' at Gleason's gym, but through scholarly research and a total recall memory. When you ace an answer about who wrote about someone who boxed someone else in 1821, you go to the head of the class.

She was an academic psychologist with mass appeal. In the NYT obituary by Margalit Fox, Dr. Brothers is described quite like the obit's headline says: 'Psychologist Who Made House Calls Via TV.'

She was the first medical professional to appear on radio and TV with perpetual regularity. As Ms. Fox points out, 'before Drs. Ruth, Phil, and Laura,' there was Dr. Joyce Brothers, always known by her complete professional name.

Realizing how true this is, I speculated how Dr. Brothers might be known in our less formal times. Despite there having been a basketball player (Julius Irving) who became known with a similar nickname, I'm sure Dr. Brothers would at least be known as 'Dr. J.' or perhaps 'Dr. Bro.'

She would have still been the same voice of reason.

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