Man Called X, The

1 9 5 6 – 1 9 5 7 (USA)
39 x 30 minute episodes

Barry Sullivan starred as agent Ken Thurston – codename “X” – of American Central Intelligence.

Supposedly based on incidents “culled from Government files”, Ken’s job took him to many exotic corners of the earth – from Austria to Afghanistan (and assorted unnamed Central European countries) – to meet many strange people, sometimes friendly, sometimes master criminals.

He was off each week at the drop of a document, and no sooner did he return (mission accomplished, naturally) than his boss sent him out again.

The supporting actors – all new faces, often accompanied by genuine accents – were uniformly competent. The show’s technical aspects were supervised by Ladislas Farago, formerly with the US Office of Naval Intelligence, which lent an air of authenticity to the doings.

Ken Thurston
Barry Sullivan

Video