Misplaced Pages

The Man Called X (TV series)

Article snapshot taken from Wikipedia with creative commons attribution-sharealike license. Give it a read and then ask your questions in the chat. We can research this topic together.
American syndicated television spy drama

The Man Called X is an American syndicated television spy drama that debuted in 1956. It was also broadcast in Australia, Mexico, and Venezuela.

Overview

Adapted from the radio series of the same name, 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. Settings varied from episode to episode. Sullivan said, "One week we're in Vienna, another in Honduras. The whole wide world is our background." Stories depicted in the series were taken from "the formerly closest guarded secrets of the world's most famous international intelligence agents". Actresses who appeared on The Man Called X included Joan Vohs.

Production

The Ziv Company produced The Man Called X on film. Ladislas Farago, a former intelligence officer, was the technical adviser. Eddie Davis was the director. Producers included Davis, Herbert L. Strock, Maurice Unger, and Frederick W. Ziv. Writers included Les Crutchfield. Production began in November 1955.

The major regional sponsor for The Man Called X was Ohio Oil, which sponsored it in 13 Midwestern markets. In many other markets the program was sponsored by breweries, with beer brands accounting for about 25 percent of overall sponsorship. Among those was Blatz Beer, with sponsorship in eight markets.

Although the series was sold in more than 100 TV markets and made a profit for Ziv, increasing costs of production led the company to end the series after 39 episodes.

Other countries

The Man Called X was one of six programs that Ziv sold to Amalgamated Television Services for broadcast in Australia. Procter & Gamble sponsored broadcasts of the series in Venezuela and Mexico.

References

  1. ^ Erickson, Hal (1989). Syndicated Television: The First Forty Years, 1947-1987'. McFarland & Company, Inc. p. 35. ISBN 0-7864-1198-8.
  2. "Sullivan Hopes To Become Writer". The Pittsburgh Press. August 12, 1956. p. TV Page 5. Retrieved October 19, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ "Barry Is 'The Man Called X': Sullivan Stars In Intrigue Series". Pittsburgh Sun-Telegraph. p. 32. Retrieved October 15, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. McNeil, Alex (1996). Total Television: the Comprehensive Guide to Programming from 1948 to the Present (4th ed.). New York, New York: Penguin Books USA, Inc. p. 513. ISBN 0-14-02-4916-8.
  5. Terrace, Vincent (21 October 2022). From Radio to Television: Programs That Made the Transition, 1929-2021. McFarland. p. 144. ISBN 978-1-4766-4693-0. Retrieved October 17, 2024.
  6. "'Man Called X' Prepped by Ziv-TV". Billboard. July 30, 1955. p. 5. Retrieved October 17, 2024.
  7. "'X' Indicates Ziv Is Sticking To Steady Release Pattern". Billboard. December 10, 1955. p. 11. Retrieved October 19, 2024.
  8. "13 Ohio Oil Marts To Get 'Annapolis'". Billboard. November 24, 1956. p. 8. Retrieved October 19, 2024.
  9. "Ohio Oil Co. Buys 'X' For Regional Deal". Billboard. December 24, 1955. p. 5. Retrieved October 19, 2024.
  10. "More Beers Buy 'Man X'". Billboard. March 24, 1956. p. 8. Retrieved October 19, 2024.
  11. "Ziv Sells 'X' to Blatz in Second Regional Deal". Billboard. January 14, 1956. p. 6. Retrieved October 19, 2024.
  12. Humphrey, Hal (June 2, 1956). "Viewing Television". St. Louis Globe-Democrat. p. 16. Retrieved October 15, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. Godabout, Oscar (April 30, 1956). "'Jubilee' TV Show Renewed by Ford: 90-Minute C.B.S. Series to End Current Season With a Musical 'Bell For Adano' Ziv Films to Australia". The New York Times. p. 37. Retrieved October 17, 2024.
  14. "P & G Signs for Ziv Intl. Shows" (PDF). Broadcasting. January 14, 1957. p. 108. Retrieved October 19, 2024.
  15. "Film Sales" (PDF). Broadcasting. June 23, 1958. p. 46. Retrieved October 19, 2024.
Categories: