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The Man Called X

113 episodes · 1944–1952 · NBC, CBS, Armed Forces Radio Service, Blue Network · Adventure

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Herbert Marshall played Ken Thurston, an American intelligence agent sent wherever trouble breaks out around the world, with Leon Belasco as Pegan Zellschmidt, his comic shadow. The series began on the Blue Network in 1944, ran on CBS for Frigidaire in 1947-48 and returned on NBC from 1950 to 1952, its Cold War stories reaching from Korea to the Saar.

Sources: RadioGOLDINdex

Episodes

Tap a year to see its episodes, then a title to play it on Radio Days.

19444 episodes
19451 episode
19462 episodes
  • Stolen Lavaliers in France July 23, 1946 · Armed Forces Radio Service · 29 min
    A strange woman kisses Thurston in a New York theater lobby, and it leads to Paris and a stolen jewel collection.
  • Turtle Island Vacation July 30, 1946 · 25 min
194724 episodes
  • Antarctic Expedition April 3, 1947 · CBS · 27 min
    A uranium expert has been thrown overboard on the way to Antarctica.
  • Acme Oil Refinery April 17, 1947 · 26 min
    Jerry Haendiges' Vintage Radio Logs lists the same title on this date.
  • Mr. Messler and the Insurance Policy April 24, 1947 · CBS · 27 min
    The Acme Oil Company is sabotaged in the Middle East, and Thurston heads for Kuwait.
  • Mysterious fires out west and Indian legend May 8, 1947 · 30 min
    Jerry Haendiges' Vintage Radio Logs lists a broadcast on this date but gives no title.
  • The Stamp Story May 15, 1947 · 27 min
    Jerry Haendiges' Vintage Radio Logs lists the same title on this date.
  • Swindle to Honolulu June 5, 1947 · CBS · 27 min
    A Hawaiian land company is swindling veterans with land it doesn't own, and Thurston is framed for murder.
  • The Silver Scarab June 19, 1947 · CBS · 30 min
    In Cairo, on the trail of Red Sea pirates, Thurston is shot with three silver bullets.
  • Rembrandt in Rio June 26, 1947 · CBS · 29 min
    Thurston goes to Rio after four missing Rembrandts, and two murders stand in his way.
  • Destination Manila July 24, 1947 · CBS · 29 min
    Thurston and Pegan Zellschmidt guard a shipment of radium on a cross-country flight.
  • Will You Marry Me August 7, 1947 · CBS · 27 min
    A tommy-gun murder leads Thurston and Pegan to Lisbon and an international marriage racket.
  • The Lost Ones August 21, 1947 · CBS · 27 min
    In Mexico, Thurston tracks people smuggled across the border who are carrying smallpox into the United States.
  • The Throne of Tayh-Ninh September 4, 1947 · Armed Forces Radio Service · 25 min
    A jeweled treasure leads Thurston through Saigon.
  • The Throne of Tayneen September 18, 1947 · 25 min
    Jerry Haendiges' Vintage Radio Logs lists a broadcast on this date but gives no title.
  • No One Wins on Zero October 2, 1947 · 28 min
    Jerry Haendiges' Vintage Radio Logs lists the same title on this date.
  • All That Glitters October 9, 1947 · 28 min
    Jerry Haendiges' Vintage Radio Logs lists the same title on this date.
  • Timber Country October 16, 1947 · 28 min
    Jerry Haendiges' Vintage Radio Logs lists the same title on this date.
  • Ashes to Ashes November 2, 1947 · 25 min
    Jerry Haendiges' Vintage Radio Logs lists the same title on this date.
  • Written in the Sand November 9, 1947 · 24 min
    Jerry Haendiges' Vintage Radio Logs lists the same title on this date.
  • Trip to Xenophon November 16, 1947 · CBS · 22 min
    A shipment of streptomycin vanishes on its way to Greece, and the trail leads to the island of Xenophon.
  • Report from the Arctic November 23, 1947 · CBS · 22 min
    Data from an Arctic expedition has been stolen and a scientist murdered.
  • Checkmate in Tahiti November 30, 1947 · CBS · 25 min
    Thurston and Pegan investigate mysterious explosions at a phosphate mine in Tahiti. Announced as Frigidaire's 100th show, with a telegram from William Paley.
  • Shipment Condemned December 7, 1947 · 22 min
    Jerry Haendiges' Vintage Radio Logs lists the same title on this date.
  • Delta Concerto December 14, 1947 · 22 min
    Jerry Haendiges' Vintage Radio Logs lists the same title on this date.
  • Assignment -- Naples December 28, 1947 · 23 min
    Jerry Haendiges' Vintage Radio Logs lists the same title on this date.
194822 episodes
  • Spot the Eight Ball January 4, 1948 · 22 min
    Jerry Haendiges' Vintage Radio Logs lists the same title on this date.
  • Spirit of the Snows January 11, 1948 · 23 min
    Jerry Haendiges' Vintage Radio Logs lists the same title on this date.
  • Ranee of Shalakar January 18, 1948 · 22 min
    Jerry Haendiges' Vintage Radio Logs lists the same title on this date.
  • Carbon Fourteen January 25, 1948 · CBS · 22 min
    A Los Angeles physics teacher is shot just after telling Thurston about some missing carbon-14.
  • One Way to Macassar (1948) February 1, 1948 · CBS · 22 min
    Thurston heads for the East Indies to net the Fish Peddler.
  • A Tiger for the Lady February 8, 1948 · CBS · 22 min
    Thurston traces explosives to Panama and crosses El Tigre, the revolutionary.
  • Guns on the Niger February 15, 1948 · CBS · 22 min
    Thurston goes up the Niger on the Niger Queen after $2 million in missing guns.
  • Operation Silver February 22, 1948 · CBS · 22 min
    A pair of George Washington's candlesticks holds the key to hidden Nazi loot.
  • Storm over the Alps February 29, 1948 · CBS · 22 min
    In Switzerland, Thurston hunts the ring flooding Europe with counterfeit American money.
  • Passport to Danger March 7, 1948 · 22 min
    Jerry Haendiges' Vintage Radio Logs lists the same title on this date.
  • The Pickled Chemist March 14, 1948 · 27 min
    Jerry Haendiges' Vintage Radio Logs lists the same title on this date.
  • One Sailor Died Twice March 21, 1948 · 22 min
    Jerry Haendiges' Vintage Radio Logs lists the same title on this date.
  • A Ruby for Pearl March 28, 1948 · 22 min
    Jerry Haendiges' Vintage Radio Logs lists the same title on this date.
  • Siam tin deposits June 6, 1948 · 24 min
    Jerry Haendiges' Vintage Radio Logs lists a broadcast on this date but gives no title.
  • Mekong River Dam August 8, 1948 · 30 min
    Jerry Haendiges' Vintage Radio Logs lists the same title on this date.
  • The Girl Who Couldn't Remember August 15, 1948 · CBS · 29 min
    Thurston tries to recover a stolen art collection meant to help Italian war orphans.
  • Burma Peninsula August 22, 1948 · 30 min
    Jerry Haendiges' Vintage Radio Logs lists the same title on this date.
  • Contraband August 29, 1948 · 29 min
    Jerry Haendiges' Vintage Radio Logs lists this date as “Monteray, Mexico.”
  • Worth Her Weight in Gold September 5, 1948 · 30 min
    Jerry Haendiges' Vintage Radio Logs lists this date as “China Sea Pirates.”
  • Kangaroo Bay, Australia September 12, 1948 · 30 min
    Jerry Haendiges' Vintage Radio Logs lists the same title on this date.
  • Madagascar Physicist September 19, 1948 · 30 min
    Jerry Haendiges' Vintage Radio Logs lists the same title on this date.
  • The Laughing Lady September 26, 1948 · CBS · 30 min
    The last CBS show: in Sicily, Thurston tries to buy a bankrupt circus to break up the Mafia.
195012 episodes
  • Custom Cigarettes October 13, 1950 · NBC · 29 min
    The first show of the NBC revival: a murder on the Istanbul Express involves custom-blended cigarettes.
  • One Way to Macassar (1950) October 20, 1950 · NBC · 29 min
    Thurston heads for the East Indies to net the Fish Peddler.
  • Journey to Xenophon October 27, 1950 · NBC · 29 min
    A plane crash near Greece leads to murder in Athens and a possible cure for cancer.
  • Professor Czorny Has Disappeared November 3, 1950 · NBC · 29 min
    An atomic scientist has disappeared from Austria.
  • Rendezvous with Death November 11, 1950 · NBC · 29 min
    A telegrapher is shot in Rangoon to stop a message, and one of Thurston's fellow agents is missing.
  • Warm Welcome, Sudden Death November 18, 1950 · NBC · 29 min
    Thurston flies to Lhasa in a case involving a Tibetan prayer wheel.
  • Missing Deciphering Machine Plans November 25, 1950 · NBC · 29 min
    The inventor of an electronic code machine is missing and his wife is a fake.
  • Dr. Alvarez's Laboratory December 2, 1950 · NBC · 29 min
    Thurston goes to Guatemala to recover stolen cholera serum.
  • Mr. X Goes to Syria December 9, 1950 · NBC · 29 min
    In Syria, red mud helps solve a problem with an important pipeline.
  • Red Messenger December 16, 1950 · NBC · 29 min
    A Communist courier carrying plans for a new atomic device is shot in Strasbourg.
  • From a Starlit Hill December 23, 1950 · NBC · 29 min
    Just before Christmas, Mr. X crash-lands somewhere in the Middle East. A Christmas fantasy.
  • Rhythm of Death December 30, 1950 · NBC · 29 min
    Thurston investigates witchcraft and death at a uranium mine in the Belgian Congo.
195129 episodes
  • Operation Fifty January 6, 1951 · NBC · 30 min
    The Himmler plates, the most important fifty-dollar bills in the world, lead to Montevideo.
  • Five Ounces of Treason January 13, 1951 · NBC · 30 min
    A man killed at LaGuardia was carrying sabotage pamphlets, and Thurston goes to Cuba to find the source.
  • Japan Underground January 20, 1951 · NBC · 29 min
    Thurston flies to Japan to find who killed a scientist working on a cure for radiation sickness.
  • Orient Express January 27, 1951 · NBC · 29 min
    A dying saboteur in Stuttgart gasps: Zardoff, Friday, Orient Express.
  • Pirates off the Coast of India February 3, 1951 · NBC · 29 min
    A submarine flying an American flag is sinking ships in the Bay of Bengal.
  • The Black of Diamonds February 10, 1951 · NBC · 29 min
    Thurston investigates sabotage at a coal mine in the Saar.
  • North of Thirty Eight February 17, 1951 · NBC · 29 min
    Thurston goes into Communist North Korea on a rescue mission.
  • A Tiny Bit of Microfilm February 24, 1951 · NBC · 29 min
    A shepherd in Soviet Azerbaijan warns of trouble for the oil lands of the Middle East.
  • Dope Smuggling March 3, 1951 · NBC · 29 min
    Pegan is caught smuggling opium, and Thurston flies to Los Angeles after the smugglers.
  • Cargo Confidant March 10, 1951 · NBC · 29 min
    Immigration officers surround a plane bringing people in illegally from Mexico, and the case leads to a Montana ranch.
  • University of Leiden March 17, 1951 · NBC · 30 min
    Thurston goes to Leiden to find the killer of an old friend, an outspoken professor.
  • Missing Witness March 24, 1951 · NBC · 29 min
    Thurston is sent to Guayaquil, Ecuador, to find a missing witness.
  • The Blue Unicorn March 31, 1951 · NBC · 29 min
    At the Blue Unicorn in Dublin, Thurston bids for secret documents against agents of other countries.
  • India April 7, 1951 · NBC · 29 min
    Thurston tries to save a land reclamation project in India from sabotage.
  • Treason at White Sands April 14, 1951 · NBC · 29 min
    Thurston goes to Alamogordo to stop a leak of secrets from the White Sands rocket tests.
  • Race Against Death April 21, 1951 · NBC · 29 min
    A newsman in Puerto Rico has been murdered.
  • Terror Across the Nation April 28, 1951 · 29 min
    Jerry Haendiges' Vintage Radio Logs lists the same title on this date.
  • Monte Carlo May 4, 1951 · NBC · 29 min
    In Monaco, a plot involving greed, power and a system for the roulette wheel. One of three shows recorded before Herbert Marshall's heart surgery.
  • Knocked Off His Feet May 11, 1951 · NBC · 30 min
    Thurston finds an elusive countess on a liner bound for Hawaii, and a spy six months dead seen alive in San Francisco.
  • Enough Intrigue to Fill a Book May 18, 1951 · NBC · 29 min
    Five Haitian officials are killed by zombies, and Thurston nearly becomes one of the living dead.
  • A Man, a Girl and a Plot May 25, 1951 · NBC · 29 min
    An associate tries to stop a scheme to smuggle medicine into Red China. Van Heflin fills in for Herbert Marshall.
  • Stalin Plus Seven June 1, 1951 · NBC · 30 min
    Pringle and Pegan go to Romania to rescue an American held as a spy. John Lund fills in for Herbert Marshall.
  • Grain Black Market in India June 8, 1951 · 29 min
    Jerry Haendiges' Vintage Radio Logs lists the same title on this date.
  • Amazon River June 15, 1951 · NBC · 29 min
    Thurston goes up the Amazon to head off an uprising and protect America's rubber supply.
  • Vienna June 22, 1951 · NBC · 29 min
    Thurston investigates the murder of the owner of Vienna's last free newspaper.
  • Death and Treasury March Hand in Hand June 29, 1951 · NBC · 29 min
    Thurston tracks a rogue agent to France with the secrets of Operation Zero.
  • The Casbah July 6, 1951 · 30 min
    Jerry Haendiges' Vintage Radio Logs lists the same title on this date.
  • Flying Trip to Indonesia July 13, 1951 · NBC · 29 min
    Thurston goes to Indonesia to stop a threat to the government in the Sumatran oil fields.
  • Invitation to a Murder October 1, 1951 · NBC · 29 min
    Thurston flies to Chicago to find a missing man and shut down a source of vicious rumors.
195219 episodes
  • Petroleum Sabotage in Lima January 1, 1952 · 29 min
    Jerry Haendiges' Vintage Radio Logs lists this date as “Sabotage at Ankara Turkey.”
  • Flying Trip to Nowhere January 8, 1952 · NBC · 30 min
    Posing as a pilot, Thurston tries to learn which of three atomic scientists stole Formula H.
  • Icy Slopes of the Matterhorn January 15, 1952 · NBC · 30 min
    In Luxembourg, Thurston looks into trouble at Radio Freedom, broadcasting behind the Iron Curtain.
  • Casablanca January 22, 1952 · NBC · 29 min
    At the Sword of Allah café in Casablanca, Thurston trails a spy ring.
  • Dirty Racket January 29, 1952 · NBC · 24 min
    A friend of Thurston's is shot dead at home, and Korean War veterans are the victims of a racket.
  • The Clicking Buddha February 5, 1952 · NBC · 25 min
    A body is found in a Tokyo park. It's Ken Thurston's.
  • Italy February 12, 1952 · NBC · 24 min
    After floods in Italy, Thurston looks for missing American relief supplies and the man who killed the relief administrator.
  • Ha'Penny Stamp February 19, 1952 · NBC · 24 min
    In Egypt, Thurston hunts a rare halfpenny stamp with a secret on the back.
  • Orinoco River Basin February 26, 1952 · NBC · 24 min
    Thurston sees that a major construction project in Venezuela gets finished.
  • Alaska Weather Station March 4, 1952 · NBC · 25 min
    A man is shot on a Yokohama pier in front of Pegan, and his dying words are Ken Thurston.
  • Plan to Kill NATO Pact March 11, 1952 · 24 min
    Jerry Haendiges' Vintage Radio Logs lists this date as “The Man Who Died Four Times.”
  • Tanganyika March 18, 1952 · 24 min
    Jerry Haendiges' Vintage Radio Logs lists this date as “Stolen Nerve.”
  • Silcilian Farmland April 15, 1952 · 25 min
    Jerry Haendiges' Vintage Radio Logs lists the same title on this date.
  • The Maverick Steer aka Foot and Mouth April 22, 1952 · 25 min
    Jerry Haendiges' Vintage Radio Logs lists the same title on this date.
  • Cholera Epidemic April 29, 1952 · 25 min
    Jerry Haendiges' Vintage Radio Logs lists the same title on this date.
  • The Desert of Death May 6, 1952 · NBC · 25 min
    A mineral more potent than uranium sends Thurston to Kabul.
  • Rescue from Czech Uranium Mine May 13, 1952 · 24 min
    Jerry Haendiges' Vintage Radio Logs lists the same title on this date.
  • Ancient Byzantine Bible May 20, 1952 · 24 min
    Jerry Haendiges' Vintage Radio Logs lists this date as “Noah and His Ark.”
  • Operation Cabal May 27, 1952 · 25 min
    Jerry Haendiges' Vintage Radio Logs lists the same title on this date.