Candy Matson (1949-1951) aired “The Devil in the Deep Freeze” on Thursday, September 30, 1949 as the 15th of its estimated 92 shows (some accounts give 93 as the number, including a pilot that aired over a year later in hopes of sparking a revival that never took place). Candy Matson is a smart, self-sufficient, female detective. Everyone is familiar with all of the police or detective shows featuring a male detective, sleuth, or investigator (some in the superhero vein). There was The Saint, Sherlock Holmes, Nick Carter, Sam Spade, Philip Marlowe, Nero Wolfe, Jeff Regan (starring Jack Webb), Dragnet (again starring Jack Webb), Philo Vance, Johnny Dollar, The Green Hornet, The Shadow, and many, many others. One estimate runs to 120 OTR detective/police shows featuring a male lead. But not only were there Private Eyes on radio, there were Private Eyelashes as well, as early as the late 1930s and well into the 1940s (Kitty Keene, Carolyn Day-Detective, Miss Pinkerton, Meet Miss Sherlock, and Police Woman, to name a few). Though short lived (it never had a sponsor, advertisers were jumping on early television to promote their products), Candy Matson was one of the most popular radio shows west of the Mississippi and especially in San Francisco.
We have previously showcased 7 of the 14 surviving Candy Matson episodes, the first back in March of 2017. This episode is only the 2nd since July of 2023, just over 3 years ago, with the last one coming coincidentally just over a year ago in July of 2025. For those not familiar with those widely spaced episodes and the show’s interesting history (a female detective, a veiled gay character, etc.), I am reprising below (with minor alterations) from the original introductory notes:
Candy Matson was the brainchild of Monty Masters. Originally conceived as a private investigator program set in San Francisco with a male lead, Masters’ mother-in-law convinced him to feature a female private eye. Masters then turned to his wife Natalie Masters (the former Natalie Park, 1915-1986: photo at left, Monty and Natalie, May 1957) to play the lead role, for which her real life personality was made. Candy Matson lived life to its fullest. A former actress who gave it all up for the life of a private detective, she now resides in a penthouse atop San Francisco’s famed Telegraph Hill. Throughout various episodes we learn that she loves her furs, sunbathing on her patio, listening to 49ers football games while sipping martinis, and pretty much her overall luxurious lifestyle. She never compromises in deference to her sexuality, and is a much sought after investigator–-as her high-end fees can attest. About her love of cash, Candy quips that it is needed to keep the “moths out of a few mink coats.” Candy had two recurring supporting characters in her adventures, handsome police Lieutenant Ray Mallard (with whom she has more than a professional relationship as the series progresses and as his character becomes more suave and alluring with each episode), and her best friend Rembrandt Watson, a single, middle-aged, flamboyant fashion photographer who enjoys the opera. Even though San Francisco had the largest gay community of any American city after World War II, and the show was set in the City by the Bay, network radio in the 40s and 50s would not allow an openly gay character to appear on the air, but Masters’s scripts managed to suggest as much, and the actor who played Watson, Jack Thomas (stage name for Natalie’s real life uncle), added a slightly feminine air to his characterization as time went on. After listening to almost all of the 14 extant episodes, it is easy to understand the popularity of Candy Matson. Natalie Masters plays her perfectly: saucy, sexy, smart, hard as nails when need be, and unapologetic and fully embracing her chosen lifestyle. A woman for the ages it would seem and ahead of her time. Natalie Masters would go on to have roles in several films and numerous episodes of popular tv shows, several of which are shown below.
(Left: Dragnet, 1957 – Center: My Three Sons, 1964 – Right: The Addams Family, 1966–with Parley Bear, the voice of Chester on radio’s Gunsmoke and later as Mayor Stoner on tv’s The Andy Griffith Show.)
Dudley Manlove (1914-1996, photo at left), the program’s announcer, is an enigma, for no one knew of his whereabouts or circumstances until it was learned he had passed away in San Bernardino, CA from cirrhosis of the liver. Manlove married his second wife, the singer Patty Pritchard, in 1947. They were divorced in 1954. Little more is known of Pritchard following the divorce, though as of 2002 her voice could still be heard on a local San Francisco car dealer’s commercial. An interesting bit of trivia for science fiction genre fans is that Manlove played the alien named Eros from 1959’s Plan 9 from Outer Space. For TV he would guest-star in episodes of Dragnet and Alfred Hitchcock Presents.
“The Devil in the Deep Freeze” begins in one unlikely place and ends in an even more unlikely place, though what takes place in between ties the two together with double murder and–dare it be said–an even more unlikely motive depending on your understanding of human nature and what drives a man or woman to kill. But leave it to Candy Matson to unravel this oddball case, even though she was interrupted while listening to the San Francisco 49ers/Cleveland Bowns game on the radio while relaxing on the patio of her penthouse one bright afternoon when the phone rang, handing her this double murder case (which she charged handsomely for up front). Perfect timing, actually, for just a few days earlier, just because he’s such a sweety, her sort-of boyfriend, police lieutenant Ray Mallard, gifts her with a new firearm for her birthday (for her protection, of course). You have to hand it to Candy—she’s a top shelf detective, loves pro football, wears (and can afford) expensive outfits, collects guns thanks to her cop boyfriend, and it doesn’t hurt that she’s a gorgeous blonde. What’s not to like? Give this episode a listen to see what the fuss about “The Devil in the Deep Freeze” is all about.
Play Time: 29:27
{Airing on a Thursday evening on the last day of September 1949, the neighborhood gang headed straight for the nearby newsstand the following afternoon after school to stock up on their weekend reading material. Adventure (1910-71) was founded in 1910 when it saw that Argosy was selling each of its issues in the hundreds of thousands. While Argosy ran a broad spectrum of fiction, Adventure narrowed its focus to danger and thrills, a winning combination. It was a monthly in 1949. Detective Tales (1935-53), despite a stellar run of 18 years, was only the second most popular of Popular Publications detective pulps. It was a monthly in 1949. Ten Detective Aces (1928-49) was called The Dragnet Magazine until 1930 and then Detective-Dragnet Magazine until 1933. At this point it was determined that stories about gangsters and organized crime’s days were over, and the magazine settled on Ten Detective Aces as its new title, more aptly reflecting its new emphasis on the more popular detective story. Though it was a bi-monthly in 1949 it managed only 5 issues, the one below being its last.}
[Left: Adventure, 9/49 – Center: Detective Tales, 9/49 – Right: Ten Detective Aces, 9/49]
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