Thumbing through old issues, you’ll never know what you’ll find, such as the article about how several Jews had won the top prize on The $64,000 Question.
One of the winners mentioned was Joyce Brothers. Was it the same Dr. Joyce Brothers of later syndicated advice fame?
Turns out it was.
Brothers, who was the only woman to ever win the top prize, won by answering numerous questions on boxing — a topic selected by the show’s producers. Brothers knew nothing about the subject, but read up voraciously on the sport and was able to answer increasingly obscure questions.
During the quiz show scandals a couple years later, Brothers was questioned whether she was supplied answers, which she denied. A show producer corroborated her assertions.
Brothers became the “face of American psychology,” according to her 2013 obituary in The Washington Post. For years, she published books, offered syndicated advice on radio and television and in newspaper columns, and appeared as herself in numerous movies.
