Podcast Summary: Candy Matson: "The Movie Company"

Podcast: Candy Matson
Host: Old Time Radio DVD/Nostalgia USA Prime
Episode: 500829 - [60] The Movie Company
Date of Original Air: May 11, 2020
Starring: Natalie Park as Candy Matson

Episode Overview

This episode of Candy Matson immerses listeners in a mystery set against the glamorous yet shadowy backdrop of a Hollywood film crew descending on San Francisco’s Telegraph Hill. Private investigator Candy Matson stumbles onto a murder when a movie extra is discovered hanged during a historical re-enactment. As the body count rises, Candy investigates a tight circle of Hollywood stars, a tempestuous leading lady, and a secretive assistant director, unraveling a tale rife with jealousy, faded romance, and old Hollywood ambition.

Key Discussion Points & Plot Developments

1. The Movie Shoot on Telegraph Hill

• [00:33–04:19] Candy Matson meets Lieutenant Mallard on location at Telegraph Hill, where a movie on San Francisco's gold rush era is being filmed.
  • Candy’s quip about Hollywood's artificial sets:
    "Only God can make a tree, but Hollywood presumes to improve on him." (A, 01:17)
• The mood quickly shifts from playful banter to horror as they discover that among the hanging lynching-scene mannequins, there is a real corpse.

2. Discovery of the Extra’s Corpse

• [04:36–06:38] Candy and Mallard investigate, identifying the dead man as an extra, with the director and crew unable to place him.
  • Candy’s sharp detective instincts suggest checking the payroll.
    "There's one thing extras like to do, and that's get paid. The name that doesn't show up is our friend the corpse." (A, 06:11)
• The paymaster confirms all extras were present; the dead man's identity remains a mystery.

3. Hollywood Intrigue and Interpersonal Tensions

• [07:01–11:05] Candy has a run-in with Reginald Dix (the director) and Cherry Dana (temperamental leading lady); sparks fly as suspicion, jealousy, and career envy bubble below the surface.
  • Cherry Dana confronts Reginald and Candy, accusing Candy of trying to steal Dix:
    "You lured my director up here, and I'm going to see that some little local wench doesn't put the squeeze play on him." (G, 10:33)

4. Payroll Sequence and a Shocking Revelation

• [11:54–13:39] At the hotel payroll, everyone is present—no missing names—deepening the mystery. Suddenly, news breaks: director Reginald Dix has been shot dead in his room.

5. The Murder Investigation Expands

• [14:14–18:10] Dix’s death triggers another investigation. Candy reunites with old flame Buff Arnold, who describes bad luck and accidents plaguing the production, reinforcing rumors of a jinx.
  • Buff Arnold: "I told him this picture had a jinx on it before we left the studio. Little things that happened right from the start." (E, 16:39)

6. Motives, Histories & Hidden Relationships

• [18:38–20:12] Candy interviews Ames, the assistant director, learning that Cherry Dana and Dix had a heated argument about Candy herself.
  • Ames describes Cherry Dana:
    "She has a terrible temper." (B, 19:53)
• Mallard reveals the corpse was Christopher Seema, a known bookie and blackmailer.

7. The Climax—Secrets Revealed on the Ledge

• [22:55–25:29] Candy deduces 'Seema' is 'Ames' spelled backwards and confronts Ames in Dix's suite. A rooftop standoff concludes with Ames wielding a gun, confessing his motives rooted in jealousy and lost love for Cherry Dana, before being apprehended.
  • Ames, distraught: "Perhaps you don't know what it is to love. Perhaps you don't know what it is to be scorned. I do. Painfully so. This is the end. But I'm not gonna go alone. You're going with me, Miss Matson." (B, 25:15)

8. Resolution & Candy’s Final Wrap-up

• [25:52–28:01] Candy explains Ames' (Seema’s) elaborate plot driven by obsession and blackmail, including orchestrating the disappearance of the original leading man, the accidents, and the murders.
  • Candy: “Seema is Ames spelled backwards. … He had married Cherry Dana under the name of Seema. When she began to be big in pictures, she divorced him. But he carried the eternal torch." (A, 26:10)
• The curtain falls with Mallard and Candy planning a movie date, reaffirming their playful, flirtatious rapport.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Hollywood’s artificiality:
  Candy to Mallard: "Only God can make a tree, but Hollywood presumes to improve on him." [01:17]
• On the corpse discovery:
  Candy: "Take another look, honey. By a good look at the one in the middle." [03:51]
• Cherry Dana’s stormy entrance:
  Cherry Dana: "You lured my director up here, and I'm going to see that some little local wench doesn't put the squeeze play on him." [10:33]
• Buff Arnold on fatal bad luck:
  Buff: "I told him this picture had a jinx on it before we left the studio. Little things that happened right from the start." [16:39]
• Candy’s reveal of the solution:
  Candy: “Seema is Ames spelled backwards. … He had married Cherry Dana under the name of Seema. When she began to be big in pictures, she divorced him. But he carried the eternal torch." [26:10]
• Mallard’s exasperation:
  Mallard: "Why did these characters from Hollywood have to come up here to San Francisco and louse up our scenery as well as our police department?" [27:18]

Timestamps By Segment

• 00:33–03:51 — Movie shoot banter and corpse discovery
• 04:36–06:38 — Investigation of the crime scene, identification challenges
• 07:01–11:05 — Candy invited for a script reading, Cherry Dana’s jealous outburst
• 11:54–13:39 — Payroll roll call, discovery that Dix has been murdered
• 14:14–18:10 — Interviews with Buff Arnold (the “jinxed” movie), Cherry Dana, and Ames
• 18:38–20:12 — Ames’ backstory, arguments over Candy, revelation about Seema
• 22:55–25:29 — Rooftop confrontation, Ames' confession and capture
• 25:52–28:01 — The mystery unraveled, motives revealed, Candy-Mallard resolution

Tone & Style

True to Candy Matson’s reputation, the tone is smart, witty, and quick with snappy repartee—Candy alternates between clever observations and direct, hard-boiled detective work. The interplay between Candy and Mallard is flirtatious and laced with friendly rivalry, while Hollywood’s glitz is lampooned alongside its underlying darkness.

Conclusion

In this sparkling, suspenseful installment, Candy Matson exposes murder and scheming beneath the silver screen’s surface. Candy’s sharp mind and fearless attitude unravel a tale of jealousy, revenge, and old Hollywood heartbreak, making “The Movie Company” and its glamorous chaos an engaging classic radio mystery.