The Man Called X (TV series)
American syndicated television spy drama
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The Man Called X is an American syndicated television spy drama adapted from the radio series of the same name.[1] Debuting in 1956, it was also broadcast in Australia, Mexico, and Venezuela.
| The Man Called X | |
|---|---|
| Starring | Barry Sullivan |
| Country of origin | United States |
| No. of seasons | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 39 |
| Production | |
| Producers | Eddie Davis Herbert L. Strock Maurice Unger Frederick W. Ziv |
| Production company | Ziv Company |
| Original release | |
| Network | Syndication |
| Release | January 27, 1956 – April 4, 1957 |
Overview
As with the radio version, The Man Called X related the adventures of secret agent Ken Thurston. Barry Sullivan portrayed Thurston, who regularly used disguises and was inclined to action.[1] Settings varied from episode to episode. Sullivan said, "One week we're in Vienna, another in Honduras. The whole wide world is our background."[2] Stories depicted in the series were taken from "the formerly closest guarded secrets of the world's most famous international intelligence agents".[3] Actresses who appeared on The Man Called X included Joan Vohs.[3]
Production
The Ziv Company produced The Man Called X on film. Ladislas Farago, a former intelligence officer, was the technical adviser.[1] Eddie Davis was the director.[4] Producers included Davis, Herbert L. Strock, Maurice Unger, and Frederick W. Ziv.[5] Writers included Les Crutchfield.[6] Production began in November 1955.[7]
The major regional sponsor for The Man Called X was Ohio Oil,[8] which sponsored it in 13 Midwestern markets.[9] In many other markets the program was sponsored by breweries, with beer brands accounting for about 25 percent of overall sponsorship.[10] Among those was Blatz Beer, with sponsorship in eight markets.[11]
Although the series was sold in more than 100 TV markets[12] and made a profit for Ziv, increasing costs of production led the company to end the series after 39 episodes.[1]
Other countries
The Man Called X was one of six programs that Ziv sold to Amalgamated Television Services for broadcast in Australia.[13] Procter & Gamble sponsored broadcasts of the series in Venezuela[14] and Mexico.[15]
Episodes
Season 1 (1956)
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "For External Use Only" | Eddie Davis | Story by : Ladislas Farago Teleplay by : Stuart Jerome, Harold Swanton, and William P. Templeton | January 27, 1956 |
| 2 | 2 | "Ballerina Story" | Eddie Davis | Leonard Heideman | February 3, 1956 |
| 3 | 3 | "Extradition" | Eddie Davis | Ellis Marcus | February 10, 1956 |
| 4 | 4 | "Assassination" | William Castle | Stuart Jerome | February 17, 1956 |
| 5 | 5 | "Truth Serum" | Eddie Davis | Harold Swanton | February 24, 1956 |
| 6 | 6 | "Afghanistan" | Eddie Davis | Leonard Heideman | March 2, 1956 |
| 7 | 7 | "Embassy" | Herbert L. Strock | Laurence Heath and Jack Rock | March 9, 1956 |
| 8 | 8 | "Dangerous" | Eddie Davis | George Callahan | March 16, 1956 |
| 9 | 9 | "Provocateur" | Eddie Davis | Arthur Weiss | March 23, 1956 |
| 10 | 10 | "Local Hero" | Leon Benson | Ellis Marcus | March 30, 1956 |
| 11 | 11 | "Maps" | Eddie Davis | Jack Rock | May 4, 1956 |
| 12 | 12 | "U.S. Planes" | Eddie Davis | William L. Stuart | April 13, 1956 |
| 13 | 13 | "Acoustics" | Eddie Davis | Orville H. Hampton | April 20, 1956 |
| 14 | 14 | "The General" | Eddie Davis | Leonard Heideman | April 27, 1956 |
Season 2 (1956–57)
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 | 1 | "Missing Plates" | Eddie Davis | Jack Rock | September 27, 1956 |
| 16 | 2 | "Enemy Agent" | Eddie Davis | Story by : Teleplay by : Gene Levitt | October 4, 1956 |
| 17 | 3 | "Gold" | Eddie Davis | Jack Laird | October 11, 1956 |
| 18 | 4 | "Operation Janus" | Eddie Davis | Story by : Teleplay by : Jack Rock and Art Wallace | October 18, 1956 |
| 19 | 5 | "Staff Headquarters" | Eddie Davis | Leonard Heideman | October 25, 1956 |
| 20 | 6 | "Underground" | Eddie Davis | William L. Stuart | November 1, 1956 |
| 21 | 7 | "Spare Parts" | Eddie Davis | Jack Laird | November 8, 1956 |
| 22 | 8 | "Fallout" | Eddie Davis | Story by : Teleplay by : Arthur Weiss | November 15, 1956 |
| 23 | 9 | "Speech" | Eddie Davis | Story by : Teleplay by : Ande Lamb | November 22, 1956 |
| 24 | 10 | "Ship Sabotage" | Eddie Davis | Jack Rock | November 29, 1956 |
| 25 | 11 | "Rendezvous" | Eddie Davis | Ellis Marcus | December 5, 1956 |
| 26 | 12 | "Switzerland" | Eddie Davis | Leonard Heideman | December 12, 1956 |
| 27 | 13 | "Voice On Tape" | Eddie Davis | Story by : Teleplay by : Leonard Heideman | December 19, 1956 |
| 28 | 14 | "Code W" | Eddie Davis | Arthur Weiss | December 26, 1956 |
| 29 | 15 | "Gas Masks" | Eddie Davis | Story by : Teleplay by : Jack Rock | January 3, 1957 |
| 30 | 16 | "Murder" | Eddie Davis | Lee Berg | January 10, 1957 |
| 31 | 17 | "Train Blow-Up" | Eddie Davis | Ellis Marcus | February 6, 1957 |
| 32 | 18 | "Powder Keg" | Jack Herzberg | Les Crutchfield and Jack Rock | February 13, 1957 |
| 33 | 19 | "Passport" | Eddie Davis | Norman Jolley | February 20, 1957 |
| 34 | 20 | "Forged Documents" | Eddie Davis | Charles Mergendahl | February 27, 1957 |
| 35 | 21 | "Australia" | Lambert Hill | Jack Rock | March 6, 1957 |
| 36 | 22 | "Radio" | Eddie Davis | George Callahan | March 13, 1957 |
| 37 | 23 | "Business Empire" | Leslie Goodwins | Herbert Purdum and Jack Rock | March 20, 1957 |
| 38 | 24 | "Hungary" | Eddie Davis | Fritz Blocki and George Callahan | March 27, 1957 |
| 39 | 25 | "Kidnap" | Eddie Davis | George Callahan | April 4, 1957 |