Listen to “The Great Detectives Present the Man Called X” on Spreaker.

Before there was James Bond, I Spy, or Danger Man, there was the Man Called X. 

The Man Called X began during the latter part of World War II as the founding of the O.S.S. sparked public interest in espionage, spies, and secret missions. The series outlasted the war and starred Herbert Marshall as the Man Called X (aka Ken Thurston) travelling the world to troubleshoot threats to peace, the security of the U.S., and the world into the 1950s.

In his journeys, Thurston was joined by a criminal and conman Pegon Zellschmidt (Hans Conreid and then Leon Belasco) who would assist Thurston but also often would sell him out to the bad guys before eventually helping him in the end.

The series began as a summer replacement in 1944 over CBS and was picked up for 26 week run over the Blue Network (which later became ABC) in the fall of 1944. It was then brought back for summer runs over NBC in 1945 and 46, before landing back at CBS for a seventy-eight week run from 1947-48. After two years off the air, the series returned to NBC for its final two seasons where it aired along with the similar Dangerous Assignment. 

The concept was revived as a syndicated TV show starring Barry Sullivan in 1956.

About the Stars

Herbert Marshall (1890-1966): Herbert Marshall was born in London. He began his acting career on the London stage prior to World War I. His career was interrupted by the War. In 1917, Marshall suffered an injury and his leg was amputated. After the War, his career continued to gain steam, with him gaining work both in London and began a successful career in film and radio. He was known for being the narrator of “The Lodger,” the 1940 pilot for radio’s greatest anthology series Suspense. Marshall also hosted the 1950s TV series The Unexpected and received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his work in film.

Leon Belasco (1902-88): The Ukrainian-born Belasco began his musical career with the Tokyo Symphony and then emigrated to the United States where he eventually led his own orchestra. Beginning in the late 1930s, Belasco began making small appearances in films including Holiday Inn and Casablanca. This began an acting career that was would span five decades including numerous TV appearances from I Love Lucy and The Phil Silvers Show to Little House on the Prairie and Archie Bunker’s Place. 

Episode Log:

• • Murder, Music, and a Blonde Madonna (Original Air Date: August 28, 1944)
  • The Quinine Contract Letter (Original Air Date: September 30, 1944)
  • My Sweet Misses Me (Original Air Date: October 7, 1944)
  • Stolen Diamonds (Original Air Date: November 25, 1944)
  • Into Berlin (Original Air Date: March 3, 1945)
  • The Stolen Lavalier (Original Air Date: July 23, 1946)
  • The Turtle Island Vacation (Original Air Date: July 30, 1946)
  • The Antarctic Expedition (Original Air Date: April 3, 1947)
  • Acme Oil Refinery (Original Air Date: April 17, 1947)
  • Mr. Messler and the Insurance Policy (Original Air Date: April 24, 1947)
  • Mystery of the Indian Legend *(Original Air Date: May 8, 1947)
  • The Stamp Story (Original Air Date: May 15. 1947)
  • Swindle in Honolulu (Original Air Date: June 5, 1947)
  • The Silver Scarab (Original Air Date: June 19, 1947)
  • Rembrandt in Rio (Original Air Date:June 26, 1947)
  • Destination Manilla (Original Air Date: July 24, 1947)
  • Till Death Do Us Part (Original Air Date: August 7, 1947)
  • The Lost Ones (Original Air Date: August 21, 1947)
  • The Throne of Tay-Ninh (Original Air Date: September 4, 1947)
  • No One Wins On Zero (Original Air Date: October 2, 1947)
  • All that Glitters (Original Air Date: October 9, 1947)
  • Timber Country (Original Air Date: October 16, 1947)
  • Ashes to Ashes (Original Air Date: November 2, 1947)
  • Written in the Sand (Original Air Date: November 9, 1947
  • Journey to Xenophon (Original Air Date: November 16, 1947)
  • Report from the Arctic (Original Air Date: November 23, 1947)
  • Checkmate in Tahiti (Original Air Date: November 30, 1947)
  • Shipment Condemned (Original Air Date: December 7, 1947)
  • Delta Concerto (Original Air Date: December 14, 1947)
  • Assignment: Naples (Original Air Date: December 28, 1947)
  • Spot the Eight Ball (Original Air Date: January 4, 1948)
  • Spirit of the Snows (Original Air Date: January 11, 1948)
  • The Ranee of Shalakar (Original Air Date: January 18, 1948)
  • Carbon Fourteen (Original Air Date: January 25, 1948)
  • One Way to Macassar (Original Air Date: February 1, 1948)
  • Tiger for the Lady (Original Air Date: February 8, 1948)
  • Guns on the Niger  (Original Air Date: February 15, 1948)
  • Operation Silver (Original Air Date: February 22, 1948)
  • Storm Over the Alps (Original Air Date: February 29, 1948)
  • Passport to Danger (Original Air Date: March 7, 1948)
  • The Pickled Chemist (Original Air Date: March 14, 1948)
  • One Sailor Died Twice (Original Air Date: March 21, 1948)
  • A Ruby for Pearl (Original Air Date: March 28, 1948)
  • Siam Tin Deposits (Original Air Date: June 6, 1948)
  • The Mekong River Dam (Original Air Date: August 8, 1948)
  • The Girl Who Couldn’t Remember (Original Air Date: August 15, 1948)
  • The Burma Peninsula (Original Air Date: August 22, 1948)
  • Contraband (Original Air Date: August 29, 1948)
  • Worth Her Weight in Gold (Original Air Date: September 5, 1948)
  • Kangaroo Bay (Original Air Date: September 12, 1948)
  • Madagascar Physicist (Original Air Date: September 19, 1948)
  • The Laughing Lady (Original Air Date: September 26, 1948)
  • Custom Cigarettes (Original Air Date: October 13, 1950)
  • One Way to Makassar (October Air Date: October 20, 1950)
  • A Journey to Xenophon (Original Air Date: October 27, 1950)
  • Professor Czorny Has Disappeared (Original Air Date: November 3, 1950)
  • Rendezvous with Death (Original AIr Date: November 11, 1950)
  • Warm Welcome, Sudden Death (Original Air Date: November 18, 1950)
  • Missing Deciphering Machine Plans (Original Air Date: November 25, 1950)
  • Dr. Alvarez’s Laboratory (Original Air Date: December 2, 1950)
  • Pipeline for Peace (Original Air Date: December 9, 1950)
  • Red Messenger (Original Air Date: December 16, 1950)
  • Rhythm of Death (Original Air Date: December 30, 1950)
  • Operation Fifty (Original Air Date: January 6, 1951)
  • Five Ounces of Treason (Original Air Date: January 13, 1951)
  • Japan Underground (Original Air Date: January 20, 1951)
  • The Orient Express (Original Air Date: January 27, 1951)
  • Pirates Off the Coast of India (Original Air Date: February 13, 1951)
  • Mine Sabotage (Original Air Date: February 10, 1951)
  • North of Thirty-Eight (Original Air Date: February 17, 1951)
  • A Tiny Bit of Microfilm (Original Air Date February 24, 1951)
  • Dope Smuggling (Original Air Date: March 3, 1951)
  • Cargo Confidente (Original Air Date: March 10, 1951)
  • University of Leiden (Original Air Date: March 17, 1951)
  • Missing Witness (Original Air Date: March 24, 1951)
  • The Blue Unicorn (Original Air Date: March 31, 1951)
  • India (Original Air Date: April 7, 1951)
  • Treason at White Sands (Original Air Date: April 14, 1951)
  • Race Against Death (Original Air Date: April 21, 1951)
  • Terror Across the Nation (Original Air Date: April 28, 1951)
  • Monte Carlo (Original Air Date: May 4, 1951)
  • Knocked Off His Feet (Original Air Date: May 11, 1951)
  • Enough Intrigue to Fill a Book (Original Air Date: May 18, 1951)
  • A Man, a Girl, and a Plot (Original Air Date: May 25, 1951)
  • Stalin Plus Seven (Original Air Date: June 1, 1951)
  • Grain Black Market in India (Original Air Date: June 8, 1951)
  • The Amazon River (Original Air Date: June 15, 1951)
  • Vienna (Original Air Date: June 22, 1951)
  • Death and Treasury March Hand in Hand (Original Air Date: June 29, 1951)
  • Casbah (Original Air Date: July 6, 1951)
  • Flying Trip to Indonesia (Original Air Date: July 13, 1951)
  • Invitation to a Murder (Original Air Date: October 1, 1951)
  • Petroleum Sabotage in Lima (Original Air Date: January 1, 1952)
  • Flying Trip to Nowhere (Original it Date: January 8, 1952)
  • Icy Slopes of the Matterhorn (Original Air Date: January 15, 1952)
  • Casablanca (Original Air Date: January 22, 1952)
  • Dirty Racket (Original Air Date: January 29, 1952)
  • The Clicking Buddha (Original Air Date: February 5, 1952)
  • Man Called X (Original Air Date: February 12, 1952)
  • The Ha’Penny Stamp (Original Air Date: February 19, 1952)
  • Orinoco Basin (Original Air Date: February 26, 1952)
  • Alaska Weather Station (Original Air Date: March 4, 1952)
  • Plan to Kill the NATO Pact (Original Air Date: March 11, 1952)
  • Tanganyika (Original Air Date: March 18, 1952)
  • Sicilian Farmland (Original Air Date: April 15, 1952)
  • The Maverick Steer (Original Air Date: April 22, 1952)
  • The Desert of Death (Original Air Date: May 6, 1952)
  • Rescue From Czech Uranium Mine (Original Air Date: May 13, 1952)
  • Ancient Byzantine Bible (Original Air Date: May 20, 1952)
  • Operation Cabal (Original Air Date: May 27, 1952)

Christmas Specials (Played Out of Order):

• On a Starlit Hill (Original Air Date: December 21, 1947)
• From a Starlit Hill (Original Air Date: December 23, 1950)

End of Log