Man Called X
The Joe Hehn Memorial Collection
The Man Called X was an espionage radio drama that aired from 1944 to 1952. Herbert Marshall played US spy Ken Thurston ("Mr. X") who was sent to dangerous situations in exotic places, the kind of destinations that listeners could only read about in newspapers or dream about visiting. Leon Belasco played the comedic foil, character Pegon Zellschmidt, who always happened to be wherever Mr. X was, despite X's travel plans always being top secret. The show was somewhat serious during wartime, and then shifted to Cold War plotlines with an intention to be entertaining, which it was. It only mildly addresses the dangers or goals of espionage. It was light drama and occasional comedic situations with the fate of the free world in the balance. There was always a sense of authority in Marshall's voice, and his British accent conveyed a sense of worldy knowledge and confidence no matter where he went to rescue someone or thwart a nefarious plot. * * * These recordings are part of the Joe Hehn Memorial Collection. Mr. Hehn (1931-2020) was a pioneering collector of radio recordings when the hobby emerged in the 1960s. Digitizing his collection of reel tapes and discs is the effort of a wide range of North American volunteers, and includes assistance of some international collectors. The groups supporting this effort with their funds, time, technology and skills are the Old Time Radio Researchers and a small group of transcription disc preservationists who refer to themselves as the "The Knights of the Turning Table."
This recording is part of the Old Time Radio collection.