Mystery, Crime & Detective · NBC
Candy Matson, Yukon 2-8209
April 4, 1949 – September 21, 1952 · 96 broadcasts
Candy Matson, YUkon 2-8209 (NBC West Coast, 1949-1951) was one of old-time radio's rare female private eyes -- a smart, glamorous, wry San Francisco investigator working out of a penthouse on Telegraph Hill, reachable at the phone number that gave the show its title. She cracked Bay Area cases with her camp best-friend sidekick Rembrandt Watson and traded barbs with her police-detective beau, Lt. Ray Mallard. The show was a true husband-and-wife affair: Monty Masters created, wrote, directed, and produced it, and starred his wife Natalie Masters in the lead -- a part he'd first planned to play himself as a male detective until his mother-in-law suggested flipping it. The result was a heroine drawn "without a trace of squeamishness," a San Francisco favorite that won a 1950 Examiner award and once drew more than 800 phone calls after ending an episode mid-crisis. It ended the way few detective shows dared: Ray finally proposed, Candy accepted -- and retired. Only 14 of its 92 episodes survive, which makes this beloved cult series all the more precious to collectors.
Collection status:
14 of 96 held (15% complete)
◆ ◆ ◆
Episode Spine
Grouped by year. Jump to the full list below, or open a season on its own page.
1949
Candy finds herself in a killer's crosshairs when a case of deadly jealousy turns the hunter into the hunted.
June 30, 1949
Donna Dunham Case
A romantic obsession turns murderous, and Candy barely escapes with her life.
A sniper's bullet sets Candy and Watson on the trail of a killer hiding among San Francisco's iconic cable car routes.
July 14, 1949
Adrianne Larue Case
The world of haute couture turns dangerous when Candy is retained by a San Francisco fashion designer with a deadly problem.
July 21, 1949
Olive Frentrupp Case
Candy navigates the shadowy side of the Bay City art scene when a case pulls her into a circle of suspicious dealers.
July 28, 1949
On Top of Mount Shasta
Candy and Mallard discover that the crisp mountain air on Mount Shasta is no cure for murder.
August 4, 1949
Half Moon Bay Merry-go-round
Watson's battle with the bottle threatens to derail the investigation as Candy works a seaside mystery at Half Moon Bay.
August 18, 1949
Berkeley Switch Board
A cocktail party at a scientist's home turns treacherous when Candy and Mallard realize someone at the gathering has lethal intentions.
August 22, 1949
Rusty Dale Case
Candy and Rembrandt step into the rough world of professional boxing and find that the real danger is outside the ring.
September 5, 1949
The Cooper Case
A deaf-mute reaches out to Candy in the only way they can, setting her on a case where silence carries deadly weight.
September 12, 1949
Long Drive to Carmel
What starts as a relaxed day chasing gold in Carmel turns into anything but a holiday for Candy and Rembrandt.
September 19, 1949
Luther Bradley Case
A husband turns to Candy when his wife fails to come home from a trip, and the trail leads somewhere darker than he imagined.
September 23, 1949
Ralph Osborne Case
Death at sea brings Candy aboard ship to untangle a murder that someone hopes will sink without a trace.
September 26, 1949
The Body on the Trail
After stumbling across a corpse on a hiking trail, Candy is warned to put the discovery out of her mind -- a threat she has no intention of heeding.
Candy reigns as Queen of the NCO Ball at Fort Ord, but the evening's glamour is shattered by a double murder that only she can unravel.
A trail of iced-over clues carries Candy from the kitchen of a restaurant straight into the velvet seats of the opera house.
October 17, 1949
Photo Shoot Murders
When someone turns Rembrandt's camera session into a crime scene, Candy must develop the solution before another shutter snaps shut.
October 24, 1949
Nelda Mchaven Case
A wealthy client arrives with money to spend and a crime that needs solving, but Candy soon learns the case is worth more than the fee.
October 31, 1949
Alex Warburton Case
Watson's old friend walks through Candy's door looking for help, and loyalty makes this one case she cannot turn down.
November 7, 1949
The Devil in the Deep Freeze
A law-enforcement conference becomes a murder scene, and Candy and Mallard must solve the crime among their own colleagues.
November 14, 1949
Ben Murdock Case
A nightclub owner's partnership goes sour in the most dangerous way possible, sending him to Candy's door for help.
November 21, 1949
The Roof Fire
Trouble blazes up the moment Watson's out-of-town visitors arrive, and Candy has to sort out the sparks before someone gets burned.
November 28, 1949
Allison Gray Case
A fortune teller's crystal ball can't predict her own danger, and Candy must untangle the threads of murder and the occult.
December 5, 1949
Flashback to '39
The story rewinds to 1939 to reveal how a younger Candy first crossed paths with Mallard and Watson.
December 12, 1949
Missing Jewels Case
A celebrated actress calls on Candy when priceless gems vanish, and the glitter of the entertainment world conceals a very unshowy crime.
The holiday season turns grim when one of Santa's helpers goes missing and a Christmas murder falls into Candy's lap.
1950
January 2, 1950
Nc9-8012
A small plane goes down at a local airport and Candy's investigation into the crash reveals it was no accident.
January 9, 1950
Pat Ennis Case
A disc jockey's on-air troubles turn off-air dangerous, and Candy tunes in to help before the situation goes fully off the rails.
January 16, 1950
Harvey Forester Case
A wealthy man wants Candy to quietly dig into his niece's affairs -- but what she uncovers is anything but routine.
January 23, 1950
Nel Berquist Case
Watson's acquaintance is convinced someone intends to kill her, and Candy must decide whether the fear is paranoia or prophecy.
January 30, 1950
Ernst Mittnacht Case
A man's frantic phone call about his missing wife sends Candy racing against time to find out what happened.
February 6, 1950
Flora Kirkland Case
When a famous actress retains Candy, the spotlight shifts from the stage to a case with real-life stakes.
The concert hall is the backdrop for Candy's latest case, where the notes being played off the stage are far more sinister than the symphony.
February 27, 1950
Pictures at an Exhibition
Candy attends Watson's photography show as a friend but leaves as a detective when the exhibit reveals more than fine art.
March 3, 1950
Kilkenny Playland
Homeowners turn to Candy when their neighborhood's water supply mysteriously disappears, and the search runs deeper than the pipes.
March 6, 1950
Wheels for Watson
Rembrandt cuts a deal with his pal Diogenes Murphy for a set of wheels, and Candy gets pulled into whatever trouble rides with it.
March 13, 1950
High Sea Smugglers
Candy's doctor orders rest at sea, but the ocean voyage she books turns out to be anything but therapeutic.
March 20, 1950
Mona Bryant Case
Meeting a ship at Pier 50 to do a friend a favor puts Candy right in the middle of a case she never planned to take.
March 27, 1950
Tony Rafiello Case
Mallard maneuvers Watson into talking Candy onto a case, relying on her loyalty to set the whole operation in motion.
April 10, 1950
Sharp Point Mystery
Candy and Watson spot a woman in peril in the bay and the rescue pulls them into a mystery with jagged edges.
April 17, 1950
Killer on Flight 14
Candy and Mallard stake out the airport, waiting for a murderer whose flight is about to arrive.
April 24, 1950
Weekend Cruise
An invitation to spend the weekend at sea sounds like a holiday for Candy and Watson -- until the boat brings more than good weather.
May 1, 1950
Grass Valley Case
Candy gives a lift to a wounded stranger on the road to Grass Valley, and his story turns into her next investigation.
May 8, 1950
Circus Cherry Pie
A legendary old clown steps out of the spotlight to ask Candy for a favor, and the big top hides a surprisingly dark secret.
May 15, 1950
Telegram from a Friend (part
Word comes through that Candy has been killed in a plane crash -- but the reports of her death may be greatly exaggerated.
May 22, 1950
Telegram from a Friend (part
Laura's urgent telegram brings Candy onto a Seattle-bound flight, and whatever waits at the other end of the trip is not a friendly visit.
May 29, 1950
Introductions Anonymous
Watson steers a new client toward Candy, and the social circle at the center of the case turns out to be anything but ordinary.
June 5, 1950
A Black Cat
A dying man presses an envelope into Candy's hands and asks her to deliver it -- a final errand that carries a body count.
June 12, 1950
Curtis Colfax Case
A politician with powerful enemies hires Candy to find out who has been threatening his life before the threats become action.
A renowned composer's days are numbered, and when his family calls Candy it sets the season's final case in motion.
July 3, 1950
Olive Becker Case
Someone blows up a house to settle a score with a woman whose conviction Candy's testimony helped secure.
July 10, 1950
Fugitive on Television
Candy spots a wanted man during an ordinary shopping trip and has to decide how to play it before he disappears again.
July 24, 1950
Candy Behind Bars
Candy goes undercover inside a prison to track down the source of a narcotics pipeline running through its walls.
July 31, 1950
The Fatal Fall
A woman's fatal fall from her horse raises the question no one in her circle wants answered -- accident or something far worse?
August 7, 1950
Lo Jung Case
Candy and Watson arrive at an Asian restaurant to find the owner dead, and the kitchen holds clues that go well beyond the menu.
August 14, 1950
Society Matron Murder
Bullets start flying at Candy while she digs into the killing of a prominent society woman.
August 21, 1950
Murder at the Network
NBC's San Francisco studios become a crime scene and the network calls in Candy to keep the story off the air.
August 28, 1950
The Burning House
A house goes up in flames and someone is making sure Candy cannot get close enough to help.
September 4, 1950
Death in Sacramento
A trip to the state capital takes a grim turn when Candy and Mallard pull a body from the river.
A film crew descends on Candy's neighborhood and brings a murder along with the cameras.
September 18, 1950
The Big Frame
A Carmel art dealer needs Candy's sharp eye when the trouble in his gallery turns out to go far beyond forgeries.
October 23, 1950
The Egyptian Armulet
Candy puts herself in harm's way to give Mallard the opening he needs to crack a local murder case.
October 30, 1950
Death in the Ring
A wrestler dies under suspicious circumstances and the investigation pulls Candy into the brutal world of professional grappling.
November 6, 1950
Mystery on the Fairway
Watson picks up the caddy bag for Candy's golf round, but danger has no interest in staying out of bounds.
November 13, 1950
Stadium Murder
Candy and her new companion Hi Waters are enjoying a football game when a corpse in the stands changes the afternoon's agenda.
November 20, 1950
Candy's Birthday Surprise
Mallard stages an elaborate fake murder mystery as a birthday gift for Candy -- and she has to solve it whether she wants to or not.
November 27, 1950
Norvello the Great
A magician whose act includes disappearing fears he may soon vanish for real, so he hires Candy before someone makes him the trick.
December 4, 1950
Paul Drake's Curtain Call
A movie actor is poisoned and Candy steps in to find the killer while managing a second date with Hi Waters on the side.
December 11, 1950
Death in the Alley
A pin setter at a local bowling alley turns up dead and Candy has to figure out who declared the lane closed -- permanently.
December 18, 1950
San Juan Batista
Candy and Mallard unravel a violent mystery set against the ancient walls of a historic California mission.
December 25, 1950
What in the Dlckens?
Ghostly groaning and clanking chains are terrorizing an old man in his own home, and Candy sets out to find a very earthly explanation.
1951
January 1, 1951
Palm Springs Vacation
Candy's doctor insists she take a desert vacation, but rest is the last thing she gets when a killer follows her to open water.
January 8, 1951
Homicide on Ice
An ice-skating outing with Hi Waters turns lethal when murder shows up on the rink and Candy has to lace up as a detective.
January 15, 1951
Crime on the Waterfront
Called in to investigate a string of yacht burglaries, Candy barely gets started before a corpse complicates the case considerably.
January 22, 1951
Moon of Madness
Mallard's jealousy over Candy's dinner date with Hi Waters boils over, and Candy tells Hi about the movie-set murder that launched her career.
January 29, 1951
Sea Cliff Mystery
An eccentric elderly woman's seaside mansion has been hit by burglars more than once, and Candy is called in to end the pattern.
February 5, 1951
Death at the Drive-in
A night at the drive-in movies turns sinister when Candy and Mallard discover the couple in the next car are not watching the picture.
February 18, 1951
Death Drives Dangerously
Rembrandt brings Candy to an auto race for a photo assignment, and the crash that kills a driver is more than a tragic accident.
February 26, 1951
Case of the Missing Brother
A slippery businessman hires Candy to find his brother, but his motives for wanting the man located are far from brotherly.
March 5, 1951
Mystery at the Morgue
The morgue receives a Jane Doe whose purse contents identify her as Candy Matson -- and the real Candy has some urgent questions about that.
March 12, 1951
Money in the Mattress
Fifty thousand dollars vanishes from a woman's mattress and her husband is the prime suspect, leaving Candy to count the evidence.
March 19, 1951
Ghost of Grogan's Gulch
A Sierra Nevada ghost town is the setting for a very real killing that only Candy can sort from the legend and local folklore.
March 26, 1951
Murder at 10,000 Feet
On the flight home from Reno, Candy is asked to investigate the death of a fellow passenger before the plane touches down.
April 2, 1951
The Stinson Beach Mystery
A device that claims to harness the ocean's power is the motive behind three murders, and Candy must figure out who wants the technology badly enough to kill for it.
April 9, 1951
Jolly Jailbirds
After Candy and Rembrandt end up in a paddy wagon with two singing drunks, she pivots to solving a series of murders tied to gambling winnings.
April 16, 1951
Roller Coaster Mystery
A woman under the influence of post-hypnotic suggestion plunges from a roller coaster, and Candy must trace the chain of command behind the lethal suggestion.
April 23, 1951
Novel Approach to Burglary
A mystery writer who ought to know how crimes work hires Candy to prevent the theft of her own jewels before fiction becomes biography.
April 30, 1951
Murder on the Mound
A pitcher dies on the mound under circumstances that do not add up, and Candy steps up to the plate to get the real answer.
May 7, 1951
Voltaire is Where?
An elderly woman's beloved spaniel has gone missing and she turns to Candy, whose cases rarely stay as simple as a lost dog.
May 14, 1951
The Gang's All Here
Mallard talks Candy into going undercover as a junior pickpocket to crack a gang of thieves operating across San Francisco.
A double murder and a missing diamond set the stage for Candy's final investigation -- one that ends with a proposal she didn't see coming.
1952
An audition for a revival of the series finds Candy back in business with a new phone number and a fortune teller at the center of the action.
The Story
Candy Matson, YUkon 2-8209 (NBC West Coast, 1949-1951) was one of old-time radio's rare female private eyes -- a smart, glamorous, wry San Francisco investigator working out of a penthouse on Telegraph Hill, reachable at the phone number that gave the show its title. She cracked Bay Area cases with her camp best-friend sidekick Rembrandt Watson and traded barbs with her police-detective beau, Lt. Ray Mallard. The show was a true husband-and-wife affair: Monty Masters created, wrote, directed, and produced it, and starred his wife Natalie Masters in the lead -- a part he'd first planned to play himself as a male detective until his mother-in-law suggested flipping it. The result was a heroine drawn "without a trace of squeamishness," a San Francisco favorite that won a 1950 Examiner award and once drew more than 800 phone calls after ending an episode mid-crisis. It ended the way few detective shows dared: Ray finally proposed, Candy accepted -- and retired. Only 14 of its 92 episodes survive, which makes this beloved cult series all the more precious to collectors.
Full story — coming soon while it's being curated.
Gallery
Art pending