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| title | chunk | source | category | tags | date_saved | instance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candy Jones | 1/2 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Candy_Jones | reference | science, encyclopedia | 2026-05-05T13:07:15.724979+00:00 | kb-cron |
Candy Jones, born Jessica Arline Wilcox (December 31, 1925 – January 18, 1990), was an American fashion model, writer and radio talk show hostess. Born in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, she was raised and educated in Atlantic City, New Jersey. In the 1940s and 1950s, she was a leading model and pin-up girl, and afterward, established a modeling school and wrote several books on modeling and fashion. In 1972, Jones married her second husband, popular radio show host Long John Nebel, and became the co-host of his all-night talk-show on WMCA in New York City. The show dealt with paranormal, UFO, and conspiracy theory claims. Jones controversially claimed to be a victim of Project MKULTRA, the CIA mind-control program, in the 1960s.
== Biography ==
=== Early life and career === Candy Jones was born to a well-off family. Jones reported vivid, conscious memories of physical abuse by her parents and vague memories of sexual abuse in her youth. She was shuttled among relatives, and her mother, Jones insisted, often kept her cloistered or locked in dark rooms. As a child, Jones said she had an imaginary friend named Arlene to help through her lonely episodes. Jones grew into an attractive, statuesque young woman, about 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m). Changing her name, she pursued a career as a fashion model. She was a quick success, becoming a runner up for Miss New Jersey in the Miss America contest. Jones was able to parlay this into a hostess job at the main Miss America contest, and a successful career. She was one of the leading pin-up girls of the World War II era: In one month in 1943, she appeared on 11 magazine covers. During a lengthy United Service Organizations (USO) tour in the Philippines, Jones fell ill in 1945, and was treated by a doctor who was still alive when Candy publicized her mind-control claims; biographer Donald Bain gave this doctor the alias "Gilbert Jensen". According to researcher Martin Cannon, who interviewed Jones before she died in 1990, the "Marshall Burger" alias in Bain's book who worked with Jensen on the Jones case was actually Dr. William S. Kroger, a psychologist at one time associated with UCLA.
=== First marriage === In 1946, Jones married fashion czar Harry Conover, one of the first model agents. They had three sons, and Jones says she didn't realize Conover was bisexual until some years into their marriage. She recognized some people might consider this naive, but Jones insisted her abusive childhood had made her wary of intimate relationships, and though she had many suitors, she was sexually inexperienced when she married. She reported that Conover very seldom initiated sexual activities with her, and only when he was intoxicated. Without notice, Conover disappeared in late 1958. Jones notified police, and Conover's absence made the news. When he returned after a long binge, Jones sued for divorce in 1959. After the divorce, she was left with $36, and considerable debts. Jones opened a modeling school, and she began appearing regularly on NBC's weekend radio news program Monitor.
=== Second marriage and radio career === On December 31, 1972, Jones married radio host Long John Nebel after a one-month courtship; they briefly met decades earlier when Nebel was a photographer. Jones was soon the regular co-host of Nebel's popular overnight radio talk show, which usually discussed various paranormal topics.
=== Mind-control claims === Shortly after their marriage, Nebel said he noted that Jones exhibited violent mood swings, and at times, seemed to display a different personality. Nebel called this "The Voice ... a look, a few moments of bitchiness." 'The Voice' usually vanished rather quickly, but the change was so drastic from Jones's usually pleasant demeanor that Nebel was startled and distressed. Colin Bennett writes,