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Original Candy Matson header art

The Candy Matson Radio Program

Dee-Scription: Home >> D D Too Home >> Radio Logs >> Candy Matson

Natalie Park Masters' first recurring role was as Lois Liston in Hawthorne House (1935)
Natalie Park Masters' first recurring role was as Lois Liston in Hawthorne House (1935)



Announcement of Mad Masters situation comedy starring Monty Masters and Natalie Masters and written by Monty Masters from July 5 1947
Announcement of 'Mad Masters' situation comedy starring Monty Masters and Natalie Masters and written by Monty Masters from July 5 1947



Dudley Manlove was the announcer throughout the Candy Matson series and later appeared as 'Eros' the alien from Plan 9 From Outer Space
Dudley Manlove was the announcer throughout the Candy Matson series and later appeared as 'Eros' the alien from Plan 9 From Outer Space.



The San Francisco Opera Company star soprano referred to in The Devil and The Deep Freeze was Dorothy Warenskjold who appeared as herself.
The San Francisco Opera Company star soprano referred to in The Devil and The Deep Freeze was Dorothy Warenskjold who appeared as herself.



The Fort Ord Soldier's Club as it would have looked to Candy Matson
The Fort Ord Soldier's Club as it would have looked to Candy Matson



Early Mission San Juan Bautista photo
Early Mission San Juan Bautista photo



The breathtaking altar of San Juan Bautista
The breathtaking altar of San Juan Bautista



View in The Valley of The Moon
View in The Valley of The Moon

Background on the Distaff Detectives from The Golden Age of Radio

Candy Matson, in its various guises, was one of the ground-breaking lady detective anthologies from The Golden Age of Radio. Locally produced out of the KNBC studios in San Francisco, the series was produced, written and directed by Monty Masters and starred his wife, Natalie Masters, the former Natalie Park. One of only a handful of successful female-led radio noir detective dramas of the era, Candy Matson was the eighth attempt to launch a successful distaff gumshoe series over Radio. The known representatives of this tight knit Radio sorority were:

  • Kitty Keene, Inc. (1937)
  • Phyl Coe Mysteries (1937)
  • Carolyn Day, Detective
  • Miss Pinkerton (1941)
  • Results, Inc (1944)
  • Meet Miss Sherlock (1946)
  • The Affairs of Ann Scotland (1946)
  • Police Woman (1946)
  • Candy Matson (1949)
  • Sara's Private Caper (1950)
  • Lady in Blue (1951)
  • The Defense Rests (1951) [Defense Attorney (1951)]

We highlighted Results, Inc., since it was a partnership detective agency, with Claire Trevor more than holding her own with Lloyd Nolan. The most successful among this exclusive sorority was Kitty Keene, a serial that ran from 1937 to 1941. Phyl Coe Mysteries was more a promotional enterprise by the Philco Radio Corporation that ran for only the Fall quarter of 1937. Carolyn Day, Detective was a promising effort by Mary McConnell of Jump-Jump fame but apparently never made it beyond the audition phase. Miss Pinkerton and Results, Inc. were the more star-studded efforts, the first starring Joan Blondell and Dick Powell and the second starring the above mentioned Claire Trevor and Lloyd Nolan. Meet Miss Sherlock was an interesting concept, trading on Sherlock Holmes fame, but ran only a year. Arlene Francis played the lead in The Affairs of Ann Scotland, but the series petered out after a year or so. Police Woman was a somewhat grittier crime drama that aired in fits and starts over a year, starring Betty Garde. Sara's Private Caper was played pretty much for laffs and aired for only two months with Sara Berner in the lead. Lady In Blue was an interesting spin-off of a popular comic book character of the era and aired for some thirty episodes. The Defense Rests and Defense Attorney, basically the same vehicle, starred Mercedes McCambridge, arguably the most dramatically gifted artist in the sorority, but played more to the crime and courtroom aspects of the genre.

Candy Matson Stands Out from the Pack

Perhaps it's simply a parochial favorite, but by far and away the most entertaining of the lady detective genre was Candy Matson, of the vacillating telephone exchanges. The audition for the series found pert, lady-detective, Candy Matson, reachable at the EXbrook exchange, number 2-9994. By the time the series got the green light from NBC, Candy had moved to the YUkon exchange, number 2-8209, and in her last attempt to obtain good phone service she was found at YUkon 3-8309, the number she used for her final audition in 1952. Between those three years of phone service, clever young Candy Matson managed to captivate mostly west of the Mississippi audiences for almost 90 installments.

The creative husband and wife team of Monty Masters and Natalie Park had been entertaining mostly Bay Area audiences for almost fifteen years by the time they clicked with Candy Matson. Monty Masters had become an accomplished Radio actor, writer and producer in the San Francisco area and petite, blonde ball-of-fire Natalie Park had begun her own drama career with the Wayfarers Repertory of the San Francicso Little Theatre Group.

Monty Masters [Monty Mohn] had mounted several productions of his own in the Bay Area, including:

  • Spotlight Playhouse (1946)
  • The Eddy King Show (1947-48)
  • Ready for Brady (1948-49)
  • The Monty Masters Show (1948-49)

The Masters' first network success--as a couple--came with their moderately successful Mad Masters program over KNBC in 1947. A novel concept, the short-lived situation comedy found Monty Masters portraying a day-dreaming shoe clerk whose fantasies transport him to all manner of historic settings. Natalie for her part, portrayed his long-suffering love interest. Radio critic--and curmudgeon--John Crosby reviewed Mad Masters as follows, from the July 31, 1947 edition of the Oakland Tribune:

Weird Is The Word For Them

          By JOHN CROSBY

     One of the best tests I know for a comedy show is the amount of applause it generates.  The quality of the comedy is generally in inverse ratio to the amount of applause.  If the studio audience, those dutiful creatures, simply can't muster up a laugh, and heaven knows they try hard enough, then they pound the palms of their hands together.
     You'll hear quite a lot of applause on a new show called the "Mad Masters" (NBC 4:30 p.m. Saturday), which originates in San Francisco.  The "Mad Masters," an inexplicable title in the light of their type of comedy, are a married couple named Natalie and Monty Masters.  They sound a lot like Ozzie and Harriet Nelson but behave more like Fibber McGee and Molly. "I'd better warn you before you step on — crash — that roller skate" is one of their gags.  Well it's newer than the collapsible closet of the McGee's but it just isn't terribly funny.  The Masters also have a doorbell that rings chimes, only their middle chime is busted.  It just clinks.

A WEIRD CREW

     The clink is heard quite often, introducing a set of characters who are weirder than those who enter the front door of the McGee's but not nearly so original nor so well drawn.  One of the visitors was a salesman who referred to himself as "laughing boy" and with good reason.  Right here, I'd like to interject the thought that there's nothing like laughter from the performers
to stifle it in the audience.  An actor, laughing hysterically at his own jokes, produces an ennui almost hysterical in its intensity in the average theatergoer and there's no reason to suppose it hasn't the same effect on the average listener.
     Another of the Masters' visitors is a Mrs. Abercrombie, one of those over-starched matrons who are almost unavoidable in comedy these days.  She behaves about as you'd expect with a name like that.  There were several other equally unpleasant characters whose names I've forgotten.  The only reason for dwelling on the Masters at such length is the fact that they have rather fetching personalities and it seems a shame to waste them.

HELP WANTED

     The plots of their little comedies are ingenious but the people who surround them are impossible.  The scripts, I'm told, are written by Masters.  I suggest not at all unkindly that he get a little assistance in that department and recast his show from the bottom up.

Not exactly a resounding endorsement, but at least a somewhat kinder, gentler Crosby piece for the era. His points were well taken and indeed, the series didn't see the year out.

The spark that ignited their greater success with Candy Matson came with the help and support of the cadre of Bay Area performers who'd worked with them during the 1940s. Raymond Burr, William Conrad and Jack Webb were prominent Bay Area actors of the era, often appearing repeatedly in each others' productions, mostly in the Jack Webb vehicles of the 1940s and 1950s, such as Pat Novak -- For Hire, Johnny Madero -- Pier 23, Jeff Regan -- Investigator, and One Out of Seven.

The Masters' originally conceived their detective program as a San Francisco-based radio noir project with a male protagonist. Natalie Park's mother persuaded Monty Masters to cast Natalie in the lead and make the protagonist a female detective. Wiser heads prevailed and Candy Matson was ultimately conceived as a no-nonsense, radio noir, female private investigator more than willing to trade on her looks and charms to solve her cases. Her two sidekicks in her adventures were Rembrandt Watson (Jack Thomas), an eccentric local photographer, and Lieutenant Ray Mallard (Henry Leff), a detective on the SFPD--and love interest. As with most auditioned series', the character names varied somewhat from their ultimate production scripts. Jack Thomas' 'Rembrandt' in the audtion was played a bit more recklessly, and Lt. Mallard's first name was Lee in the audition.

After the fine-tuning of the audition--and the green light from NBC--Candy Matson aired as 'Candy Matson, YUkon 2-8209', with expanded characterizations for both Rembrandt and Lt. Mallard and a somewhat 'friskier' Candy herself. The combination clicked. Monty Masters' snappy dialogue, regular references to Bay Area locations, sports teams, cultural attractions and historic landmarks made for a both entertaining and familiar local production.

The Jack Webb influence was unmistakeable. Jack Thomas' Rembrandt character smacked of Tudor Owens' various characterizations in Webb productions, 'Lieutenant Mallard' bore more than a passing remblance to Webb's more sympathetic Police associates over the years (Raymond Burr excepted), and the dialogue throughout the production was highly reminiscent of most of Jack Webb's efforts prior to Dragnet. But regardless of the influence, Monty Masters' scripts and dialogue remained entirely distinct--as a detective genre--from anything that had previously aired over network Radio.

The Masters' leaned heavily on their prior associations in the Bay Area, employing many of the actors that had appeared with Natalie Park and Monty Masters in Hawthorne House (1935) and their short-lived Mad Masters (1947). Indeed the series enjoyed something of an ensemble or repertory quality over the entire run. Recurring performers in various roles over the years were John Grover, Helen Kleeb, Hal Burdick, Lu Tobin and Mary Milford, among others. Dudley Manlove was the enthusiastic, fey announcer for the duration of the production series and Eloise Rowan provided the traditional organ underscore for the series.

The Masters', generous to a fault with their players, allowed both Jack Thomas and Henry Leff to fully develop their characters in the course of the production. Henry Leff performed double-duty in the world of Drama, both portraying Lieutenant Mallard in Candy Matson, as well as heading the Broadcasting Department at City College of San Francisco for over thirty-five years.

Candy Matson's one great failing was airing over NBC. As NBC did with all of its 'foster children'--its programs in search of a sponsor--it moved Candy Matson hither, thither and yon for its entire run. Even if a sponsor had expressed an interest in the program it'd have been hard pressed to even find Candy Matson from week to week to listen to it in the first place. NBC's favorite ploy of the era was to air a program a day ahead--and hours ahead--of its scheduled air date, then apologize the following day to it's growing body of avid Candy Matson fans that--oops!--there would be nothing to hear that night 'cuz we decided to air it last night, instead.' Absolutely ruthless programming practices, emphasizing sponsors and revenue over listening audiences--as listeners of NBC had come to expect in the mid to late 1940s.

In the final analysis Candy Matson YUkon 2-8209 was all about Candy Matson as portrayed by Natalie Masters. Natalie Masters' portrayal of Candy was an absolutely masterful match of actor to character. For the unvarnished critic, Natalie Masters clearly had her faults--often flubbing lines, misprouncing names, and missing a cue or two--or three. But her occasional mistakes simply added to the charm of the presentation. Indeed in spite of the obstacles NBC threw in the Masters' path, the surviving exemplars of the series are funny, informative, tongue in cheek, smart and snappy. Many of the plots were both twisty and clever. Natalie Masters clearly enjoyed voicing the numerous local references that made the series both more realistic and more interesting in the process--especially for California residents who'd never been able to spend time in the Bay Area. For Bay Area residents the constant references to local points of interest, sports teams, area lore, and characteristics of Bay Area sociology and culture had to have been all the more rivetting.

And of course there was Natalie Masters' smoky, sexy, provocative, and sultry voice and delivery. There was simply no other voice like hers in Radio--then or since. She may not have been at the height of her craft during her Candy Matson years, but she more than made up for it with her obvious delight in portraying her protagonist. Candy Matson was simply fun--pure, unadulterated fun--for both her audiences and her casts. Monty Masters' scripts for Natalie were almost intimate in their apparent accuracy to Natalie Masters' underlying personality. From all contemporary accounts, Natalie Masters' was in many ways the personification of her Candy Matson alter ego--generous, clever, feminist, humorous, cynical and driven. As an additional insider treat, the Masters' son, Topper, appears in at least one of the circulating exemplars--Jack Frost. The Masters clearly had fun with the series and their devoted audiences loved sharing the fun with them.

Rembrandt Watson, as portrayed by Jack Thomas, evolved markedly over the course of the production run as well. The audition for Candy Matson has Rembrandt cast as an eccentric local photographer with a debilitating drinking problem--a formula that worked spendidly for Tudor Owen in the various Jack Webb vehicles of the era, but which really wouldn't have suited Candy Matson. By the airing of the Candy Matson production run, Rembrandt had apparently gone on the wagon and stayed there for the duration of the run. This gave Jack Thomas the freedom to simply play to his character's inherent--and fascinating--eccentricities. Indeed, as something of a nod to the well-established homosexual community of the Bay Area, one can hear a subtle but consistent development of Rembrandt Watson as a more fey, yet competent and capable, characterization. This was simply yet another nod to the extraordinarily loyal local community in which Candy Matson aired.

Henry Leff, in his characterization of Lt. Ray Mallard, was allowed to introduce his own disarming eccentricities into the production--his idolization of western movie star 'Tex' Acuff, his love of local sports teams, and his rather transparent 'cluelessness' when it came to parsing out Candy Matson's continual romantic overtures to him over the course of the production.

The result of the Masters' generosity with their core casts resulted in a series with an ensemble flavor, which greatly contributed to its audiences identifcation with the recurring characters. Indeed, that's much of the charm of the series. The Masters' broke a lot of ground with their Candy Matson formula that wasn't immediately recognized while the program initially aired. The localization of the series, while making it all the more fascinating, probably contributed to its failure to find a national sponsor. The timing of the series was also against them. Major sponsors were abandoning Radio productions in droves, in favor of Television.

Of course hindsight is always 20/20. Woulda-coulda-shoulda has rarely ever been a valid excuse for a series' failure to attract a sponsor. But in the case of Candy Matson the excuse is sadly accurate, upon reflection. The Masters' very loyalty to their community was probably as much their own undoing as their loyalty to their cast and crew. Candy Matson was a very 'insider' series--for the Bay Area. Audiences with no appreciation for Bay Area locales, the complexity of the area's residents, or 'insider' references may have felt somewhat 'left out' in the process. But even if all of the insider references flew right over their heads, the Candy Matson scripts, their treatment of their lady-detective protagonist, and Natalie Masters' own spot-on characterization of Candy Matson was the key. As a no-nonsense, driven, relentless, yet incredibly clever and disarming female detective, as concerned with the seams of her nylons as with the complexities of her cases, she proved to be a compelling and refreshing alternative to the detective genre.

By way of full disclosure, we're big fans of Candy Matson--as well as of the Masters' themselves during this period of their collaboration, in any case. Indeed, though Candy Matson was an overwhelming local success, national success eluded the talented couple. Mad Masters was innovative, to be sure, but just didn't catch on. Candy Matson was even more innovative--and remains a marvelous treat for any listener, even seventy years hence--but never really caught on nationally either. Monty Masters apparently didn't respond well to the two perceived failures. The Masters' struggled to pitch--and eventually produce--a Television program of their own in 1951, Rumpus Room. The production broadcasts were delayed for two weeks, owing to a reported 'fall' that Monty Masters had experienced the night before the program's scheduled network premiere. As it turns out, Monty Masters had apparently been struggling for years with an alcohol problem, exacerbated by his repeated failure to mount a successful network production over Radio or Television. Rumpus Room aired four days a week as an afternoon comedy-variety program. The show folded after a couple of months.

Well liked by his peers throughout his career, Monty Masters' perceived failures appear to have affected him more deeply than they should have. Indeed, it was his loyal peers of the era--Jack Webb, Bill Conrad, and Blake Edwards--that kept Monty Masters gainfully employed during the waning years of his career--and life. Natalie Masters, for her part, equally well loved and respected, continued to perform with moderate success in Television well into the 1980s. After several second unit director or uncredited assistant director efforts in the mid-1960s, Monty Masters' failing health ultimately got the better of him. He passed away in 1969 at the age of 57--though he looked in his 70s. Natalie Masters survived him by almost twenty years, while aging very gracefully in the process.

There's no question that had Candy Matson ever gained a sponsor, it had all the elements of, for example, 'Sam Spade, Detective', to sustain it. Woulda-coulda-shoulda--the bedevilment of any number of worthy, truly innovative Radio efforts of the era. But in the case of Candy Matson all too true. With a more supportive network, who knows? Had it aired even three years earlier, who knows? Had the series dropped some of the many local insider references, who knows? Timing is everything. The Masters' for all their talent and innovation, were sadly about three years out of step with their more successful peers.

But all of that being said, Candy Matson remains one of the most prized elements of most vintage Radio collections--for good reason. It was smart, clever, innovative and ground-breaking. It gave a strong, sexy female protagonist an opportunity to assert herself in one of the handful of genuinely popular lady-detective vehicles to make their mark during The Golden Age of Radio.

Series Derivatives:

Candy Matson, EXbrook 2-9994; Candy Matson, YUkon 2-8209; Candy Matson, YUkon 3-8309
Genre: Anthology of Golden Age Radio Detective Dramas
Network(s): NBC
Audition Date(s) and Title(s): 49-04-04 [Aud] The Donna Dunham Case
52-09-21 [Aud] The Fortune Teller [The Allison Gray Case]
Premiere Date(s) and Title(s): 49-06-30 01 The Donna Dunham Chinatown Case
Run Dates(s)/ Time(s): 49-06-30 to 51-06-03; NBC; Ninety-one, 30-minute programs; Thursdays, 8:30 p.m., then Mondays at 9:30 p.m., then Fridays, Saturdays, Tuesdays, Mondays, and back and forth for the remainder of the run (see log below)
Syndication: NBC
Sponsors: Network sustained; Gallo Vineyards; Local sponsors
Director(s): Monty Masters, Dave Drummond, Paul Speegle; Bill Brownell and Julian 'Jay' Rendon [Sound engineering]
Clarence Stevens [Recording Engineer]
Principal Actors: Natalie Masters, Monty Masters, Henry Leff, Elvia Allman, John Grover, Helen Kleeb, Hal Burdick, Mary Milford, Dudley Manlove, Jerry Walter, Dorothy Warenskjold, Lu Tobin, Jackson Beck, Thomas 'Topper' Masters, Mary Barnett, Jane Bennett, Lucille Bliss, Val Brown, Hal Burdick, Herb Caen, Jack Cahill, Jack Carrington, Corporal David C. Case, Dick EIsiminger, Dick Ellers, Frec Gadette, John Grover, Clancy Hayes, Barbara Humphrey, Kenneth Langley, Bobby Lyons, Dee Marion, Ogden Miles, Mary Milford, Phyllis Newman, Edward Perry, Patty Pritchard, Stafford Repp, Barbara Ritchie, Norma Jean Ross, Sam Schatz, Paul Speegle, George Spelvin, Ethel Sterling, Jack Thomas, Norma Tourart, Jerry Walter, Jerry Zinnamon
Recurring Character(s): Candy Matson, Lieutenant Ray Mallard, and Rembrandt Watson.
Protagonist(s): Candy Matson, a private detective in San Francisco.
Author(s): None
Writer(s) Monty Masters
Music Direction: Eloise Rowan [organ]
Musical Theme(s): "Candy" by Alex Kramer, Mack David and Joan Whitney
Announcer(s): Joe Gillespie, Dudley Manlove
Estimated Scripts or
Broadcasts:
93
Episodes in Circulation: 14
Total Episodes in Collection: 15
Provenances:
RadioGOLDINdex, Hickerson Guide, The Special Collections Department of the Thousand Oaks Library, Thousand Oaks, California, Jack French's Private Eyelashes; Radio’s Lady Detectives.

Notes on Provenances:

The most helpful provenances were the log of the radioGOLDINdex, newspaper listings and the papers of Monty and Natalie Masters at the Thousand Oaks Library.

There are precious few provenance anchors available to nail down the log for this series. The only announced anchor is the June 19, 1950 presentation of the 1950 Favorite Program Award by the San Francisco Examiner. Though presented during the recording session before the customary live audience in Studio A, the program actually aired on June 20, 1950. All of the Candy Matson programs were recorded before a live audience--for later broadcast.

We found only four plot provenances from newspaper listings. Only two of those lend support to the anecdotal titles in circulation. The Thousand Oaks Library has 81 of the scripts for Candy Matson within the Monty Masters papers housed there. The only provenances provided by those scripts are the proposed broadcast dates for each script. There are no confirmation annotations that those scripts aired on the projected broadcast dates--or not--nor are there given titles.

We can be reasonably certain as to the episode order and broadcast dates up to and including the June 20, 1950 broadcast, Symphony of Death. Beyond that point several militating factors make it increasingly difficult to track the remaining broadcasts from even newspaper listings. KNBC rescheduled Candy Matson six times during its last forty episodes. The newspapers rarely caught up with the movements until a couple of weeks later, by which time NBC would reschedule it yet again. The Hayward, California newspapers were listing Candy Matson as airing through June 2, 1951.

Given that the programs were recorded before a live audience, combined with NBC's often last-minute rescheduling of the actual broadcasts for the last forty episodes we find it implausible that the production staff would scramble around every week mailing or telephoning ticket holders for the live recording sessions to keep up with the rescheduling. It's far more plausible that the production simply continued to record the programs on a fixed weekly schedule, irrespective of NBC's numerous rescheduling changes. That wasn't the production staff's problem in any case.

Until we can obtain a more precise match between script dates and actual air dates, the last forty episodes of Candy Matson remain provisional for the immediate future.

We invite you to compare our fully provenanced research with the log from the '1,500 expert researchers' at the OTRR and their Candy Matson, Yukon 3-8309 log. We've provided a screen shot of their current log for comparison, HERE to protect our own further due diligence, content and intellectual property.

OTRisms:

  • Note the continued misspelling of Episode No. 70, San Juan Batista. The correct, albeit anecdotal, title is San Juan Bautista. The Candy Matson series was noted, above all, for being scrupulously accurate as to prominent historical and cultural features in and around the San Francisco Bay area. Genuine 'researchers' would know that about the series.
  • Note the connection between The Allison Gray Case and the audition for Candy Matson, YUkon 3-8309, which has anecdotally gone by the title, The Fortune Teller, for years throughout the 'commercial otr' community.
  • Kilkenny Playground continues to be cited as the anecdotal title for what we cite as 'Angel's Camp' as provenanced by our San Mateo Times newspaper provenance of February 21, 1950. We have no other provenances to support that conclusion.
  • Most loggers cite script dates and recording dates in lieu of broadcast dates, hence they cite, among several others, Symphony of Death as airing on June 19, 1950 versus its actual first air date of June 20, 1950. The recording can be anchored by the San Francisco Examiner's presentation of their Favorite Program Award for 1950 during the actual recording session on June 19, 1950, but the episode didn't actually air until the following day. There are several other 'anchored provenances' throughout our log, but we feel we've illustrated the most obvious shortcomings of basing a broadcast log on either scripts or recording session for a syndicated, transcribed Radio program--moreso when that research isn't one's own. The OTRRpedia log should more correctly be referred to as a script log, as the two genuine vintage Radio researchers, Jack French and Stewart Wright, would undoubtedly attest.
  • And last by no means least, we have the most recent spate of idiots who are stereoizing every canon of vintage Radio that comes their way. Candy Matson is no exception. Needless to say, Candy Matson was never broadcast--or recorded--in stereo. If you receive any stereo renditions of the Candy Matson canon, ask for your money back.

What you see here, is what you get. Complete transparency. We have no 'credentials' whatsoever--in any way, shape, or form--in the 'otr community'--none. But here's how we did it--for better or worse. Here's how you can build on it yourselves--hopefully for the better. Here's the breadcrumbs--just follow the trail a bit further if you wish. No hobbled downloads. No misdirection. No posturing about our 'credentials.' No misrepresentations. No strings attached. We point you in the right direction and you're free to expand on it, extend it, use it however it best advances your efforts.

We ask one thing and one thing only--if you employ what we publish, attribute it, before we cite you on it.

We continue to provide honest research into these wonderful Golden Age Radio programs simply because we love to do it. If you feel that we've provided you with useful information or saved you some valuable time regarding this log--and you'd like to help us even further--you can help us keep going. Please consider a small donation here:

We don't pronounce our Golden Age Radio research as 'certified' anything. By the very definition, research is imperfect. We simply tell the truth. As is our continuing practice, we provide our fully provenanced research results--to the extent possible--right here on the page, for any of our peers to review--or refute--as the case may be. If you take issue with any of our findings, you're welcome to cite any better verifiable source(s) and we'll immediately review them and update our findings accordingly. As more verifiable provenances surface, we'll continue to update the following series log, as appropriate.

All rights reserved by their respective sources. Article and log copyright 2009 The Digital Deli Online--all rights reserved. Any failure to attribute the results of this copywritten work will be rigorously pursued.







The Candy Matson, EXbrook 2-9994 Radio Program Log

Date Episode Title Avail. Notes
49-04-04
--
The Donna Dunham Case
Y
[Audition]
Candy Matson, EXbrook 2-9994

a.k.a. Donna Dunham's Death





The Candy Matson, YUkon 2-8209 Radio Program Log

Date Episode Title Avail. Notes
49-06-30
1
The Donna Dunham Chinatown Case
Y
49-06-30 Oakland Tribune
KNBC--8:30 Candy Matson
49-07-07
2
The Cable Car Murder Case
Y
49-07-07 Oakland Tribune
KNBC--8:30 Candy Matson
49-07-14
3
The Adrianne Larue Case
N
49-07-14 Oakland Tribune
KNBC--8:30 Candy Matson
49-07-21
4
The Olive Frentrupp Case
N
49-07-21 Oakland Tribune
KNBC--8:30 Candy Matson
49-07-28
5
Mount Shasta
N
49-07-28 Oakland Tribune
KNBC--8:30 Candy Matson
49-08-04
6
The Half Moon Bay Merry-Go-Round
N
49-08-04 Oakland Tribune
KNBC--8:30 Candy Matson
49-08-11
7
The Berkeley Cyclotron Switchboard
N
49-08-11 Oakland Tribune
KNBC--8:30 Candy Matson
49-08-18
8
The Rusty Dale Case
N
49-08-18 Oakland Tribune
KNBC--8:30 Candy Matson
49-08-22
9
The Cooper Case
N
[Moves to Mondays at 9:30 p.m.]

49-08-22 Oakland Tribune
KNBC--8:30 Candy Matson
49-08-29
10
A Long Drive to Carmel for Golf
N
49-08-29 Oakland Tribune
KNBC--8:30 Candy Matson
49-09-05
11
The Luther Bradley Case
N
49-09-05 Oakland Tribune
KNBC--8:30 Candy Matson
49-09-12
12
The Ralph Osborne Case
N
49-09-12 Oakland Tribune
KNBC--8:30 Candy Matson
49-09-19
13
The Body On The Trail
N
49-09-19 Oakland Tribune
KNBC--8:30 Candy Matson
49-09-23
14
The Fort Ord Story
Y
[Moves to Fridays at 9:30 p.m.]

49-09-23 Oakland Tribune
KNBC--8:30 Candy Matson
49-09-30
15
The Devil In The Deep Freeze
Y
49-09-30 San Mateo Times
KNBC--8:30 Candy Matson
49-10-07
16
The Photo-Shoot Murders
N
49-10-07 San Mateo Times
KNBC--8:30 Candy Matson
49-10-15
17
The Nelda McHaven Case
N
[Moves to Saturdays at 8:30]

49-10-14 Long Beach Independent
8:30
KFI— Candy Matson

49-10-15 San Mateo Times
KNBC--8:30 Candy Matson
49-10-22
18
The Alex Warburton Case
N
49-10-22 San Mateo Times
KNBC--8:30 Candy Matson
49-10-29
19
Murder At The Police Conference
N
49-10-29 San Mateo Times
KNBC--8:30 Candy Matson
49-11-05
20
The Ben Murdock Case
N
49-11-05 San Mateo Times
KNBC--8:30 Candy Matson
49-11-12
21
The Roof Fire
N
49-11-12 San Mateo Times
KNBC--8:30 Candy Matson
49-11-19
22
The Allison Gray Case
N
[Moves to Saturdays at 9:30]

49-11-19 San Mateo Times
KNBC--8:30 Candy Matson

a.k.a. The Fortune Teller
49-11-26
23
A Flashback To '39
N
49-11-26 San Mateo Times
KNBC--8:30 Candy Matson
49-12-03
24
The Missing Jewels Case
N
49-12-03 San Mateo Times
KNBC--8:30 Candy Matson
49-12-10
25
Jack Frost
Y
49-12-10 San Mateo Times
KNBC--8:30 Candy Matson
49-12-17
26
The Valley Of The Moon
Y
49-12-17 San Mateo Times
KNBC--8:30 Candy Matson





49-12-27
27
NC9-8012
Y
[Moves back to Tuesdays at 9:30]

49-12-27 San Mateo Times
KNBC--9:30 Candy Matson
50-01-03
28
The Pat Ennis Case
N
50-01-03 San Mateo Times
KNBC--9:30 Candy Matson
50-01-10
29
The Harvey Forester Case
N
50-01-10 San Mateo Times
KNBC--9:30 Candy Matson
50-01-17
30
The Nell Berquist Case
N
50-01-17 San Mateo Times
KNBC--9:30 Candy Matson
50-01-24
31
The Ernst Mittnacht Case
N
50-01-24 San Mateo Times
KNBC--9:30 Candy Matson
50-01-31
32
The Flora Kirkland Case
N
50-01-31 San Mateo Times
KNBC--9:30 Candy Matson

50-02-07
33
The Eric Spaulding Concert

Y
50-02-07 San Mateo Times
KNBC--9:30 Candy Matson
50-02-14
34
Pictures At An Exhibition
N
50-02-14 San Mateo Times
KNBC--9:30 Candy Matson
50-02-21
35
Angel's Camp
N
50-02-21 San Mateo Times
Mysterious goings on in
Angel's Camp will be the subject of the Candy Matson show (KNBC, 9:30 o'clock) tonight.
50-02-28
36
Wheels For Watson
N
50-02-28 San Mateo Times
KNBC--9:30 Candy Matson
50-03-07
37
The High Sea Smugglers
N
50-03-07 San Mateo TImes
The San Francisco Legion of Honor will be the locale of the "Candy Matson" (KNBC, 9:30) mystery thriller tonight.
50-03-14
38
The Mona Bryant Case
N
50-03-14 San Mateo Times
KNBC--9:30 Candy Matson
50-03-21
39
The Tony Raffiello Case
N
50-03-21 San Mateo Times
KNBC--9:30 Candy Matson
50-03-28
40
The Sharp Point Mystery
N
50-03-28 San Mateo Times
KNBC--9:30 Candy Matson
50-04-04
41
The Killer On Flight 14
N
50-04-04 San Mateo Times
KNBC--9:30 Candy Matson
50-04-11
42
The Weekend Cruise
N
50-04-11 San Mateo Times
KNBC--9:30
Candy Matson becomes helpless in the hands of a dangerous hypnotist during the KNBC thriller. "Candy Matson—YU 2-8209." tonight at 9:30
50-04-18
43
The Grass Valley Case
N
50-04-18 San Mateo Times
KNBC--9:30 Candy Matson
50-04-25
44
Circus Cherry Pie
N
50-04-25 San Mateo Times
KNBC--9:30 Candy Matson
50-05-01
45
A Telegram From A Friend Part 1
N
[Moves to Mondays at 7:00 p.m.]

50-05-02 San Mateo Times
Don't tune for Candy Matson tonight on KNBC, because she will not be present.
In a last minute move, KNBC put the show on last night at 7 o'clock. Night Beat, formerly heard Sunday night, will take the Candy Matson spot tonight at 9:30.
50-05-08
--
No Program
N





50-05-15
--
Title Unknown
N
50-05-15 San Mateo Times
KNBC--7:00 Candy Matson
50-05-23
46
A Telegram From A Friend Part 2
N
[Moves to Tuesdays at 9:30 p.m.]

50-05-19 San Mateo Times
CANDY'S OKEH . . .
If you are one of those several thousand lisleners who are biting their fingernails trying to figure out what happened to Candy Matson last Monday night, don't worry about it, she's okeh. NBC says so, and so does Candy herself.
It seems that during the closing moments of last Monday's sequence, Candy is in an aircraft repeating the "Twenty-Third Psalm" as the plane crashes into a lake. At that point the show ends. And at that point the switchboard at Radio City started lighting up like a Christmas Tree. More than 800 calls were received shortly after the program signed off. All of them wondering what had happened to their heroine.
NBC says everything is under control. Candy will be back next week, intact and happy. The part of Candy is played by petite radio actress Natalie Masters, wife of the script writer, Monte.

50-05-22 San Mateo Times
CANDY MATSON CHANGE - The Candy Matson show heard at 6 tonight has been moved again and will be heard tomorrow night (Tuesday) at 9:30 instead. KNBC announced late today that the show will change spots with the Night Beat show ordinarily heard at 9:30 Tuesday. Candy will tell all on tomorrow night's show about her almost fatal plane crash which last Monday upset fans.
50-05-30
47
Introductions Anonymous
N
50-05-30 San Mateo Times
Candy Matson
will track down six missing persons of a lonely heart's club tonight on "Candy Matson--YU 2-8209," over KNBC at 9:30 tonight.
50-06-06
48
A Black Cat
N
50-06-06 San Mateo Times
KNBC--9:30 Candy Matson
50-06-13
49
The Curtis Colfax Case
N
50-06-13 San Mateo Times
KNBC--9:30 Candy Matson
50-06-20
50
A Symphony Of Death
Y
50-06-20 San Mateo Times
KNBC--9:30 Candy Matson

Recorded June 19, 1950. San Francisco Examiner
1950 Favorite Program Award presented by Dwight Newton.
50-06-27
51
The Olive Becker Case
N
50-06-27 San Mateo Times
KNBC--9:30 Candy Matson
50-07-04
52
A Fugitive On Television
N
50-07-04 San Mateo Times
KNBC--9:30 Candy Matson
50-07-11
53
Candy Is Behind Bars
N
50-07-11 San Mateo Times
KNBC--9:30 Candy Matson
50-07-18
54
The Fatal Fall
N
[Moves to Tuesdays at 9:00 p.m.]

50-07-18 San Mateo Times
Candy Matson
dons underwater garb to dive for buried treasure on "Candy Matson--Yukon 2-8209" at 9 o'clock on KNBC.
50-07-25
55
The Lo Jung Case
N
50-07-25 San Mateo Times
KNBC--9:00 Candy Matson
50-08-01
56
The Society Matron Murder
N
50-08-01 San Mateo Times
KNBC--9:00 Candy Matson
50-08-08
57
Murder At The Network
N
50-08-08 San Mateo Times
KNBC--9:00 Candy Matson
50-08-15
58
The Burning House
N
50-08-15 San Mateo Times
KNBC--9:00 Candy Matson
50-08-22
59
A Death In Sacramento
N
50-08-22 San Mateo Times
KNBC--9:00 Candy Matson
50-08-29
60
The Movie Company
Y
50-08-29 San Mateo Times
KNBC--9:00 Candy Matson
50-09-05
61
The Big Frame
N
50-09-05 San Mateo Times
KNBC--9:00 Candy Matson
50-09-12
62
The Egyptian Amulet
Y
50-09-12 San Mateo Times
KNBC--9:00 Candy Matson
50-09-19
63
A Death In The Ring
N
50-09-19 San Mateo Times
KNBC--9:00 Candy Matson
50-09-26
64
The Mystery On The Fairway
N
50-09-26 San Mateo Times
KNBC--9:00 Candy Matson
50-10-02
65
The Stadium Murder
N
[Moves to Mondays at 6:30 p.m.]

50-10-02 Oakland Tribune
KNBC--6:30 Candy Matson
50-10-09
66
Candy's Birthday Surprise
N
50-10-09 Oakland Tribune
KNBC--6:30 Candy Matson
50-11-05
67
Norvello The Great
N
[Moves to Sundays at 1:30 p.m.]

50-11-05 Hayward Daily Review
KNBC -- 1:30 p.m. Candy Matson
50-11-12
68
Paul Drake's Curtain Call
N
50-11-12 Hayward Daily Review
KNBC -- 1:30 p.m. Candy Matson
50-11-19
69
The Death In The Alley
N
50-11-19 Hayward Daily Review
KNBC -- 1:30 p.m. Candy Matson

50-11-26
70
San Juan Bautista

Y
50-11-26 Hayward Daily Review
KNBC -- 1:30 p.m. Candy Matson
50-12-07
71
What In The Dlckens?
N
[Moves to Thursdays at 9:30 p.m.]

50-12-07 Santa Fe New Mexican
NBC -- 9:30 p.m. Candy Matson
50-12-14
72
A Palm Springs Vacation
N
50-12-14 Santa Fe New Mexican
NBC -- 9:30 p.m. Candy Matson
50-12-21
73
A Homicide On Ice
N
50-12-21 Santa Fe New Mexican
NBC -- 9:30 p.m. Candy Matson
50-12-28
74
A Crime On The Waterfront
N
50-12-28 Santa Fe New Mexican
NBC -- 9:30 p.m. Candy Matson
51-01-04
75
The Moon Of Madness
N
51-01-04 Santa Fe New Mexican
NBC -- 9:30 p.m. Candy Matson
51-01-11
76
The Sea Cliff Mystery
N
51-01-11 Santa Fe New Mexican
NBC -- 9:30 p.m. Candy Matson
51-01-18
77
A Death At The Drive-In
N
51-01-18 Santa Fe New Mexican
NBC -- 9:30 p.m. Candy Matson
51-01-25
78
Death Drives Dangerously
N
51-01-25 Santa Fe New Mexican
NBC -- 9:30 p.m. Candy Matson
51-02-04
79
The Case Of The Missing Brother
N
[Moves to Sundays at 8:00 p.m.]

50-02-03 Hayward Daily Review
KNBC -- 8:00 p.m. Candy Matson
51-02-11
80
The Mystery At The Morgue
N
50-02-10 Hayward Daily Review
KNBC -- 8:00 p.m. Candy Matson
51-02-18
81
The Money In The Mattress
N
50-02-17 Hayward Daily Review
KNBC -- 8:00 p.m. Candy Matson
51-02-25
82
The Ghost Of Grogan's Gulch
N
50-02-24 Hayward Daily Review
KNBC -- 8:00 p.m. Candy Matson
51-03-04
83
A Murder At 10,000 Feet
N
50-03-03 Hayward Daily Review
KNBC -- 8:00 p.m. Candy Matson
51-03-11
84
The Stinson Beach Mystery
N
50-03-10 Hayward Daily Review
KNBC -- 8:00 p.m. Candy Matson
51-03-18
85
The Jolly Jailbirds
N
50-03-17 Hayward Daily Review
KNBC -- 8:00 p.m. Candy Matson
51-03-25
86
The Roller Coaster Mystery
N
50-03-24 Hayward Daily Review
KNBC -- 8:00 p.m. Candy Matson
51-04-01
87
A Novel Approach To Burglary
N
50-03-31 Hayward Daily Review
KNBC -- 8:00 p.m. Candy Matson
51-04-08
88
The Murder On The Mound
N
50-04-07 Hayward Daily Review
KNBC -- 8:00 p.m. Candy Matson
51-04-15
89
Voltaire Is Where?
N
50-04-14 Hayward Daily Review
KNBC -- 8:00 p.m. Candy Matson
51-04-22
90
The Gang's All Here
N
50-04-21 Hayward Daily Review
KNBC -- 8:00 p.m. Candy Matson
51-04-29
91
Candy's Last Case
Y
50-04-28 Hayward Daily Review
KNBC -- 8:00 p.m. Candy Matson





The Candy Matson, YUkon 3-8309 Radio Program Log

Date Episode Title Avail. Notes
52-09-21 The Allison Gray Case
Y
Audition/Proposed season opener for a third season.

a.k.a The Fortune Teller






The Candy Matson Radio Program Biographies




Natalie M. [Park] Masters
(Candy Matson)

(1915-1986)

Birthplace: San Francisco, California, U.S.A.

Radiography:
1935 Hawthorne House
1937 Bughouse Rhythm
1937 I Want A Divorce
1945 Tonight At 9:30
1946 Spotlight Playhouse
1946 Those Mad Masters
1947 The Eddy King Show
1948 Ready for Brady
1948 The Monty Masters Show
1949 Candy Matson, EXbrook 2-9994
1949 Candy Matson, YUkon 2-8209
1952 Candy Matson, YUkon 3-8309
1953 Fibber McGee and Molly
1955 The Lone Ranger
Natalie Park poses with John Pickard to illustrate an installment of a weekly love story circa 1935
Natalie Park poses with John Pickard to illustrate an installment of a weekly love story circa 1935

Natalie Park publicity photo from Radio Stars June 1937
Natalie Park publicity photo from Radio Stars June 1937

Natalie Park promotional article from July 1937
Natalie Park promotional article for I Want A Divorce from July 1937

Natalie Park demonstrates the Bog Walk - latest dance craze of 1937
Natalie Park demonstrates the Bog Walk - latest dance craze of 1937

Natalie Park publicity photo from Radio Stars Dec. 1938 issue
Natalie Park publicity photo from Radio Stars Dec. 1938 issue

Natalie and Monty Masters circa 1957
Natalie and Monty Masters circa 1957

Natalie Masters and son, Topper (age 12) circa 1957
Natalie Masters and son, Topper (age 12) circa 1957

Natalie Masters in Big War from Dragnet circa 1957
Natalie Masters in Big War from Dragnet circa 1957

Natalie Masters in My Three Sons from 1964
Natalie Masters as Margaret Pendleton in My Three Sons from 1964

Natalie Masters with other Radio legend Parley Baer as Phoebe Henson from The Addams Family (1966)
Natalie Masters with other Radio legend Parley Baer as Phoebe Henson from The Addams Family (1966)
Natalie Park was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay area. While attending high school she became interested in the theatre arts. Soon after graduation she began appearing in local community theater productions while doing some magazine and newspaper modeling in the local area.

Throughout the 1930s, Natalie Park was active with San Francisco's Wayfarers Civic Repertory Group, performing in Shakespeare revivals, musical comedies and both classic plays and contemporary plays of the era. She was taught Drama at a girls' camp during the summers.

Natalie Park's first break in Radio came in 1935, with Hawthorne House, a popular, long-running serial melodrama of the era. First appearing as young Lois Liston, her role evolved to the point of marrying her romantic interest in the role, Jerry Tremaine, portrayed by John Pickard (pictured at left with her in an unrelated promotional photo.) As Lois Tremaine, Natalie Park remained in the role for another three years.

From the February 21, 1937 edition of The Oakland Tribune:

NATALIE PARK, who plays Lois Liston in "Hawthorne House" is in her early 20's. but she already rates as an NBC star. She played leads in class plays and amateur productions in her school days. Like Patricia Craig, Natalie was a member of the Wayfarers in San Francisco. This was before she graduated from high school.
Natalie is a native of San Francisco and attended school there and in Los Angeles. She made her microphone debut at NBC a little more than three years ago. but did not appear regularly in radio productions until she was cast in the role of Lois Liston.
A part of Natalie's dramatic training was acquired with marionettes. She worked for some time with Ralph Chesse's clever group of young folk.
Aside from her work in marionette shows, Natalie has taken part in almost 90 plays.

Later in 1937, Natalie appeared in another leading role in Bughouse Rhythm, an increasingly popular jazz variety program. She was soon appearing as a co-star in I Want A Divorce (1937).

1938 found Natalie Park identified in local newspapers as a costume designer and drama teacher in addition to her regular starring appearances in Radio. It was while performing in local San Francisco radio productions that she met and married Monty Masters, another poplular and versatile local actor, writer and announcer. Their son, Topper, or 'Top', was born in 1942.

The couple soon began working together on several local Radio productions of their own in an attempt to find a national audience for their talents. After Topper was born, the couple mounted five local programs which found increasing popularity: Those Mad Masters (1946), Spotlight Playhouse (1946), The Eddy King Show (1947-48), Ready for Brady (1948-49), and The Monty Masters Show (1948-49).

While national success continued to elude them, the couple mounted their most widely popular production to date--Candy Matson, YUkon 2-8209 (1949). Candy Matson was written and directed by Monty Masters and starred Natalie Masters as Candy Matson, one of the most successful female detectives to ever grace the airwaves. One of the Bay area's most popular programs of the era, it was unique for both featuring a female detective as the lead, and for its numerous familiar references to Bay area attractions, landmarks, culture and sports teams.

As the waning years of The Golden Age of Radio came to a close, the Masters' resolved to try their luck in Southern California. Monty Masters soon established himself as a second unit director and occasional actor and writer for several Hollywood Television and Film productions. Natalie Masters found herself in increasing demand in the early years of The Golden Age of Television.

Her first recurring appearance in Network Television came with her role as Wilma Clemson in the popular Betty White situation comedy, Date with The Angels (1957). Between the 1950s and 1980s, Natalie Masters found increasingly successful work in Television in over 100 appearances in popular programs such as Dragnet (1957), The Real McCoys (1958), The Donna Reed Show (1959), The Rebel (1960), a recurring role as Phoebe Henson in The Addams Family (1965), Mrs. Marlow in The Patty Duke Show (1966), Dragnet 1967, My Three Sons (1961-1970), Gunsmoke (1966-1970), and Adam-12 (1968-1973).

Monty Masters passed away in 1969. Natalie Masters' final appearance in Television was in Riptide (1985). Her final Film role was as Mrs. Bartlett in Beyond The Next Mountain (1987), released shortly after her death in 1986.

With a twenty year career in Radio, some fifty years on the Stage, and a successful Television career of over thirty years, Natalie Masters proved herself to be one of the most versatile actresses of her era. She also continued to design costumes and coach Drama for the remainder of her performing life.

But for her die-hard fans, her early role as Candy Matson remains her most affectionately remembered characterization. And as one of the handful of highly successful female detectives during The Golden Age of Radio, her place in Radio history will be secured for all time.




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