CANDY MATSON, YUkon 2-8209

CANDY MATSON, YUkon 2-8209

Program Guide by Jack French

There were but a modest number of lady crime fighters on network radio, and very few of them operated solo as private detectives. Candy Matson was certainly the best in both categories. A former movie actress turned private eye, Candy operated out of her apartment on Telegraph Hill in San Francisco. She was smart, sassy, and sexy, with a knack for solving the toughest cases, sometimes to the chagrin of her boy friend, Lt. Mallard of the local police. This female Sherlock Holmes also had a "Watson"; her sidekick was Rembrandt Watson, an effeminate photographer.

The radio series was a family affair; it was produced by Montgomery "Monty" Mohr and Natalie Park, a husband and wife who were in their mid-30's. They were longterm Bay area radio actors who met as members of the cast of Hawthorne House, a long running soap opera. Mohr changed his surname to Masters, and then did the same for Park by marrying her. It was a second marriage for both and would produce one son: Thomas Kirk Masters, born in 1944.

Monty, while continuing to act in radio, branched out into writing and directing. His efforts included a comedy program in the summer of 1947, Those Mad Masters, in which he and Natalie starred. By late 1948, Monty was creating a detective show called Candy Matson. Monty planned to play the title role, with Natalie portraying the detective's girlfriend. In the audition script, Candy solved an armed theft of jewelry, thus earning a big fee. The program began with a phone ringing, followed by Monty growling "Hello...yeah, this is Candy Matson."

Natalie's mother changed the course of the series before it ever reached the air waves. She correctly pointed out to Monty that the networks were full of male detectives, so by switching Candy's gender, and letting Natalie play the lead, the show would be both unique and interesting. Fortunately for us, Monty took the advice of his mother-in-law.

In reworking the show, Monty stepped away from the microphone, so he could focus on writing, directing, and producing the series. Natalie's 53 year old uncle, Nathaniel Fisher Thomas, Jr. (whose

professional name was Jack Thomas) was selected to play Rembrandt Watson. While he was an accomplished thespian, his acceptance of the role was somewhat of a surprise. For years he'd warned Natalie that she was prostituting her art by choosing radio over the stage. Portraying Candy's boyfriend, Lt. Ray Mallard, was Henry Leff (left), although Paul Frees and Howard Culver had also been considered.

The cast and crew were in place by

early June of 1949. NBC had green-lighted

the series based upon the audition recording

of April 4, 1949, under the working title of

Candy Matson, EXbrook 2-9994. (You'll

hear this episode, titled "The Donna

Dunham Case," in this boxed set.) When

Henry Leff

the series debuted on the evening of June 30, 1949, Candy's phone number had been

permanently changed to YUkon 2-8209. The rehearsals and broadcasts were done in San

Francisco's Radio City Building. This structure housed most of the NBC and ABC west

coast work in the late 40's. Initially, Candy Matson was produced before an audience in

either Studio B or C, but when its growing popularity meant larger crowds, it was moved

to Studio A, which could accommodate 100 people.

Joe Gillespie was the program's first announcer, but Dudley Manlove took over in September 1949 and held the job for the duration of the series. Although every show was done live, the engineer, Clarence Stevens, recorded each episode. (Monty had hopes of marketing the series in Canada.) So, although recordings of all 94 episodes once existed, all but a dozen original shows were lost or destroyed over the years. (There are only two other known recordings: the original audition, and a 1952 reprise with the revised title of Candy Matson, YUkon 3-8309.) The musician for the entire run was Eloise Rowan, who had learned her craft playing for Chicago soap operas. In 2003, Henry Leff praised her work, saying, "She was a musical marvel....brilliant in her selection of book music and an inspired improvisational organist."

While Monty did not get to choose the sound effects people on the series (they were assigned by NBC), he must have been very satisfied with their talents. The senior sound man was 25 year old William Forest "Brownie" Brownell. When he was only 16, he lied about his age and got a job with NBC, first as a studio guide and then in sound effects. His usual partner at the sound effects table was Julian "Jay" Rendon, who was only 22. In 2001, Jay told me that he remembered his monthly salary being raised from $195 to $235 when he was promoted from NBC guest relations to soundman. Usually the services of Brownie and Jay were sufficient to handle all of the cues, but when a show required three sound men, Juan Transvina would assist them.

Supporting the leading characters in the series was a group of talented Bay area actors, whose frequency on the program gave them the appearance of a repertory company. Among the skilled regulars you will hear in this boxed set are: Helen Kleeb, Lu

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Tobin, Harry Bachtel, John Grover, Phyllis Skelton, Hal Burdick, and Mary Milford.

While most of these performers were quite versatile, and could produce a variety of accents, some episodes called for specialty voices. When an episode required a male singer, Clancy Hayes (right) was brought in to do the role. (You'll hear him in "The Valley of the Moon" episode.) Although most of the kids were voiced by an adult woman, Lucille Bliss, Monty and Natalie occasionally cast their young son, Topper, when a small boy was needed. At age 5, he couldn't read, so Natalie helped him memorize his part. You can hear how well Topper did by listening to him in the "Jack Frost" episode.

Clancy Hayes

While Monty did not write every script (a few were done by teen-aged Jerry Zinnaman), the series stayed true to its original premise and tone. There were only two minor changes that evolved over the course of its run. Watson, who in early episodes was an obvious alcoholic, decreased his consumption and eventually stayed "on the wagon." Monty also decreased the attention paid to Candy's beauty and enviable figure.

Despite the show's popularity, it was broadcast during the era when audiences and advertising dollars were shifting to television. Despite valiant efforts to find sponsorship, Monty was unsuccessful. The series remained a sustaining one for its entire run, and he was never able to interest any Canadian stations in the program.

After Candy Matson broadcast its final episode on May 21, 1951, many members of the cast and crew relocated to Los Angeles to seek dwindling radio work, or occasional employment in television and movies. Topper obtained regular work on NBCTV's Buckskin. Natalie won acting jobs in several TV series, including recurring roles on The Patty Duke Show and My Three Sons, and did dinner theater with Dorothy Lamour. Monty's career, however, began to slow down. He found infrequent work directing episodes of Dragnet and acting in walk-on roles on I Love Lucy. His last years were not successful, and he died in 1969 at the age of 57. Alcohol and tobacco had shortened his life.

Dudley Manlove found bit parts in television and movies, including an uncredited role in Gary Cooper's 1958 film Ten North Frederick. He would achieve cult status as the alien, Eros, in the Ed Wood flick Plan 9 From Outer Space when he proclaimed, "All of you on Earth are idiots!" He died at the age of 82 in 1996. Brownell achieved much success in Hollywood, producing sound effects and laugh tracks for TV programs, including Hollywood Squares, Laugh In, and Days of Our Lives. He retired in 1989 and died December 30, 2003.

In the late 1980's, Natalie, her uncle, and her son, all died within a 20 month period. She died on February 9, 1986 of cancer at the age of 70. Jack Thomas, died in April

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1987 at the ripe old age of one hundred. Thomas "Topper" Masters was only 43 when he died of alcohol poisoning in October 1987.

With the exception of Brownell, who became the division head of NBC-TV sound effects, Candy Matson, YU 2-8209 represented the pinnacle of the careers of its cast and crew. Probably most of them knew it. Dave Amaral, an NBC engineer in Los Angeles, recalled that when he first met Natalie (right) in the mid-50's, she said, "Hi, I'm Candy Matson." And indeed, she was.

Track Listing

CD 1 A: The Donna Dunham Case (Audition) ? 04/04/1949 B: The Cable Car Case - 07/07/1949

CD 2 A: Jack Frost - 12/19/1949 B: Valley of the Moon - 12/26/1949

CD 3 A: NC9-8012 - 01/02/1950 B: Eric Spaulding Concert - 02/13/1950

CD 4 A: Symphony of Death - 06/19/1950 B: The Movie Company - 09/11/1950

Natalie Park

Jack French is an old-time radio historian. A researcher of the female sleuths genre, he devoted an entire chapter of his book, Private Eyelashes: Radio's Lady Detectives, to Candy Matson. This book won the Agatha Award for Best Non-Fiction and is for sale by Radio Spirits.

PO Box 1315, Little Falls, NJ 07424

? 2011 RSPT LLC. All rights reserved. For home use only. Unauthorized distribution prohibited.

Program Guide ? 2011 Jack French and RSPT LLC. All Rights Reserved.

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