"Did you ever know a girl private detective? Perhaps not, they're pretty rare. Well, we've got one: Candy Matson is the name and she's both pretty and rare! Figure? She picks up where Miss America leaves off! Clothes? She makes a pesi dress look like opening night at the opera! Hair? Blonde, of course, and eyes? Just the right shade of blue to match the hair. You're expecting more? All right, let's meet her..."
Candy Matson (also called Candy Matson YUkon 28209) was a private detective series that started on NBC in June 30, 1949 and lasted until April 29, 1951. It was a quirky series and very unlike most of NBC's detective fare; for starters, the leading lady Candy Matson (played by Natalie Masters) was a female private eye which remains a scarce commodity even to this day; and the series was produced in San Francisco, giving a flavour closer to Pat Novak for Hire than any of NBC's usual Hollywood flair.
There were no familiar voices on Candy Matson but the roles were carried out with aplomb, including Candy's pal Rembrandt Watson (Jack Thomas), a somewhat effete photographer who would do a lot of Candy's legwork for her (his temperment and role was very similar to Pat Novak's Jocko Madigan) and police lieutenant Ray Mallard (Henry Leff), who would appear to scoff at Candy's capabilities then ask her out on a date.
The series was written, produced and directed by Monty Masters, who happened to be Natalie Masters' husband. Monty apparently had a love for smart-aleck dialogue and Candy Matson is full of it; sure, there were plenty of private eyes in late 40s radio with a quick wit (Richard Diamond, Private Detective comes to mind) but Candy Matson's dialogue veers nearest to the Adventures of Sam Spade in the way it was willing to break the fourth wall, such as when Candy reacts to one verbal pun by asking, "Who writes this dialogue?" Knowing that Monty was her husband also casts a certain light on the frequent admiring remarks made by most male characters about Candy Matson's beauty.
The series apparently had trouble sticking to a timeslot as NBC shoved it all over the place, which is never a means to build an audience. The show's final episode was dubbed "Candy Matson's Last Case" and it's exactly that; Candy investigates a case that involves Lt. Mallard, who won't explain his strange behaviour. In the climax, Mallard reveals he's been promoted to captain and proposes marriage to Candy, telling her to give up her private detective job and become his wife. The show ends with Candy awkwardly trying to deliver her usual outro but realizing that since her career is coming to an end it doesn't quite fit.
The series made one more attempt at returning in 1952 with a new pilot called "the Allison Gray Case" (also known as "the Fortune Teller"). That episode ignored the events of the final episode but it didn't matter - the pilot wasn't picked up.
I quite like Candy Matson. It helps that it was set in San Francisco, a city dear to my own wife's heart and the episodes frequently mention famous streets, neighbourhoods, the cable cars and the ferry boats. The series also has a great Christmas episode called "Jack Frost" that I recently blogged about.
Unfortunately, there appear to be only 14 surviving episodes of Candy Matson. You can hear the Old-Time Radio Researchers' collection of Candy Matson episodes in this YouTube playlist!
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