 Now we present Herbert Marshall as the man called X. The Friday night feature on NBC's five-show festival of comedy, music, mystery, and drama. Transcribed for you by the makers of Anison for fast relief from pain of headache, Neuritis neuralgia. By Canon Towers, famous for color, for design, for durability. Among towels, America's number one best seller. And by R.C.A. Victor, world leader in radio first in recorded music, first in television. Herbert Marshall as the man called X. Wherever there is mystery, intrigue, romance in all the strange and dangerous places of the world, there you will find the man called X. No matter what you now take for headache relief, we urge you to try Anison for the incredibly fast relief these tablets bring the next time you're suffering from a headache. Now the reason Anison is so wonderfully fast acting and effective is this. Anison is like a doctor's prescription. That is, Anison contains not just one, but a combination of medically proven active ingredients in easy to take tablet form. Thousands of people have received envelopes containing Anison tablets from their own dentist or physician. And in this way discovered the incredibly fast relief Anison brings from pains of headache, Neuritis or neuralgia. So the next time a headache strikes, take Anison for this wonderfully fast relief. Anison, A-N-A-C-I-N. Anison, at any drug counter in handy boxes of 12 and 30, economical family size bottles of 50 and 100. Port-au-Prince Haiti, like many cities of the world, is a mixture in sharp contrast of the old and the new. And up to date, airport serves its commerce and modern business buildings line its streets. But deep in the jungle and even in the plantations outside the city, the drums of voodoo still sound their pagan rhythms in the night. And again, the well-dressed man who steps from a limousine at the entrance of the government building is a product of the new. But the thing that awaits him is as old as terror itself. Call for me here at 3, Ronaldo. Good morning, Your Excellency. Oh, good morning, Doctor. I'm a lovely day, isn't it? Yes, it is a perfect day. Tell me, sir, have you? Look after your excellency. Huh? Zombie? No, wait, no, no, no. Tell me, sir, are you Your Excellency? Are you, Phyllis Lee? Your shooting was not very well timed, Captain Andre. Eh? What do you mean, Dr. Weimar? I mean, perhaps it should have been 10 seconds sooner or else not at all. Five assassinations in three weeks and every one of the victims are government official. I just phoned the Haitian consul a few minutes ago, Chief. Says the whole island's in a turmoil down there. Well, what gets me, Kenneth, is business about zombies. A walking dead. Why, it's right out of a dime novel. It's ridiculous. All right, Chief, you don't believe in zombies, and I don't. But a lot of the natives in Haiti do, and that's the point. Oh, I know, there's still plenty of superstition left in the world, but this whole thing just doesn't make sense. I've seen it done before in Ceylon, the Sudan, India. It's a matter of hypnotism and drugs. It creates a perfect assassin with no thought for his own safety and only one idea in mind, a kill. But why? Assuming somebody is doing this in Haiti. Why? Well, all the victims have been government officials. It looks like an attack on the government itself. Yeah. And the little hot spots have a habit of turning into big ones. Sure. Serbia, Spain. All right, Ken, go to it. Somebody stands to profit by this. The problem is to find out who. And the answer? Well, I guess I better look for it in Haiti. So long, Chief. Sir, are you Mr. Ken Thurston? Oh, yes, that's right. Captain Andreas, is that your service, sir? Oh, how do you do? I've been assigned to escort you to General Brock. General Brock? The general commands the Department of Police and Military Affairs. Oh, yes. Tell me, have there been any new developments? No, sir. Not since his Excellency, the finance minister, was killed in front of the government building two days ago. As I understand it, there hasn't been one of these zombies captured alive. That is correct. They're like mad dogs. One cannot take chances. Oh, it might be a well-taking chance to be able to question one of them. Well, so far there's been really no opportunity to capture one of them. I see. These affairs happen so fast that... That... What is it, Captain? This man coming towards us sees a special investigator hired by the consulate in New York. A terrible nuisance, really. Oh. Permit me to introduce myself, sir. I am Jose Cacahuate, my cop. South American agent of North American Van Lines. From Tucumcuri to Tallahassee, Chatanuga to Cucamonga will hold anything anywhere in... All right, Pagon. Take off that phony beard and come up for air. I can't take it off. I'm in a secret service. Well, that's one branch of government you should know all about. You've been running for several years. Mr. Thurston, that's my bread and butter you're stepping on. What are you doing down here, anyway? Well, I'm investigating this zombie business. Whatever that is. Oh, sure. Well, now, my dear... Captain, do you happen to have any ideas as to what may be behind this mess? Well, nothing definite, Mr. Thurston. There is a general feeling that the plantation owners may be responsible in some way. The plantation owners, why? Well, they've had very little voice in the government in recent years. Control has been in the hands of city politicians, so naturally... And when did you become a political commentator, my pet? Malu. Malu, this is Ken Thurston, Miss Broussard. How do you do? And Mr. Zell Schmidt, you know, of course. Sure. Higher pay. Oh, you horrid little man. Andres, I'm terribly sorry to break in on you this way, but I did want to remind you about dinner this evening. Well, I'm not sure, Malu. General Brock has assigned me his liaison to Mr. Thurston. Well, then, by all means, bring Mr. Thurston, too. You will come, won't you? Well, I... Oh, please. If you like Creole cooking your love Haitian food. All right. You found my weak spot. Good. Andres will bring you out, Mr. Thurston, and I look forward to showing you around my plantation. Don't mind confessing that it's relief to have you here, Mr. Thurston. I'm a man of action myself, and the mystery leaves me floundering. Well, this is all a mystery to me so far, General Brock. Possibly these cased records may help a little. Well, I hope so. I hope so, but they don't make sense to me. Five men in a row, struck down on the streets without any rhyme or reason to it. Oh, I think there's a rhyme and a reason. A matter of finding them. Well, I hope that happens soon, sir. One more murder will mean martial law, and then the whole business will be dumped right on my shoulders. Yes, I see what you mean. General Brock, have you considered the possibility that one of our own men may be involved in this? Well, that's ridiculous, sir. Police and army are absolutely trustworthy. Well, I know that's the usual theory, but... I can vouch for them to a man, sir. Something else, General. This idea of the plantation owners being responsible. Is that a possibility? Well, a possibility in theory, I suppose, but not in fact. Why, some of them are my best friends. Find people, all of them. I see. Well, I'll look over these records and talk with you later. Well, I dare say we'll find time tonight at dinner. You're coming to Miss Boussa's, too? Yes, yes. Fine girl, Mala. Wonderful person. Wonderful. Well, good luck, Mr. Thurston. Call on me if you need any help, sir. Thanks, General. I will. Over here, Mr. Thurston. Well, secret agent Zell Schmidt. Still wearing the beard, I see. I need the money, Mr. X. How did I know what I was getting into? When I heard they were having trouble with zombies, I thought somebody was watering the liquor. Well, what do you think now? I think I'm scared. There's a good reason to be, too. Chance of being turned into a zombie at any moment. Oh, don't say that. A glassy-eyed, mindless idiot with no intellect or... Hmm, come to think of it, I guess they're safe at that. Mr. Thurston, I... Pagon, what's the tie-up between Mala Boussa and Captain Andreas? Well, who knows, except he follows her around like a moon-struck calf, a lucky dog. She wraps him around her little finger. Why, Mr. Thurston, she's practically got him hypnotized. This is my only guest whom you haven't met. Mr. Thurston, Dr. Weimar. Oh, Dr. Ender. I knew Dr. Weimar in Vienna before the war. Carl, I think his name was. My brother, Mr. Thurston. He is no longer living. Oh, I'm sorry. Sakaipir, wasn't he? Yes, with a specialty in hypnotherapy. Oh, your field, too, Dr. Weimar? It was, originally. My practice here, however, is primarily medical. I see. It's such a lovely night that I decided we'd have dinner on the verandah. Oh, wonderful. We'll go out through the side doors. General Brock. Yes, my dear? Would you and Andres like to leave your firearms in here? Oh? I'm not really so dangerous that you have to be honest. On the contrary, my dear, you are so completely dangerous that mere firearms wouldn't do us the least bit of good. Obviously, General Brock. This way, Mr. Thurston. Thanks. You're all right. It is lovely out here. I wouldn't trade it for all the rest of. But what's the matter, Mr. Thurston? No, the other's just listening to the drums. Oh, yes. Voodoo drums or signal drums. Opinions vary. Miss Imala, you excuse, eh? Oh, yes, Granaloo. Is a proof of with you if me go now? Of course, Granaloo. I'll see you in the morning. Good night, Miss Imala. She's been with me for years. Devoted. A wonderful woman. But where's she going? Well, she has a little house of her own in the bush. Holds voodoo ceremonies in it, I'm quite certain. A lot of natives still believe in it, you know? As they do in zombism. Yes. Shall we sit down? You on my right, Mr. Thurston. Thank you. Andre's there. Well, thank you. And you on the other side, General Brock. Thank you, my dear. Dr. Weimar, over here. No, wait. Look. Wait. Yes. Look, what's the devil? His eye is grassy, fixed. It's a zombie. Now, now get back. I can hold his attention. Swing this chair. Inside, Captain Andre, let's get our guns. Just one swing, now, and up. Good timing, Mr. Thurston. He's knocked unconscious. Stand back, everybody. Where is he? Where did he go? No, Captain. Put down that gun. No, don't. There was no need of that, Captain. The man was unconscious. It wasn't a man. It was a zombie. You can't take chances. You'll, well. You were a little hasty, though, weren't you? You have to kill zombies. It's the only way to, the only way to. It's all right, Andre. You come in the house with me now. You did the right thing, my dear. You were right, of course. Mr. Thurston, the boy was hasty. But confounded you don't understand the pressure of a surrender out here. Maybe not, General Brock. But I don't understand why you've never captured one alive. Well, yes, I know. But, oh, confounded, I'd better go see what's eating them all. Mr. Thurston, am I correct in assuming that you noticed the same thing I did? I saw something, Dr. Weimer. That's fantastic, though. Is it? Good night, Mr. Fester and my daughter. All right, Pager. You can come up from under that table now. I'm only hired to investigate these zombies, Mr. Thurston, not to fight with them. Well, so that's what they look like, eh? Some of them. The other one here tonight looks different, though. Other one? Sure. Captain Andres. Huh? Didn't you notice him when he ran out here and shot this man? He had the eyes of a zombie. We will continue with the man called X in just a moment. Now for some news of a special event, news that deserves and gets a fanfare. Right now is the time to get famous cannon towels. Big cannon towel sales are booming all over town. They're packed with value. Don't wait. Get to your store today and get in on these great money-saving cannon sales. Cannon towels give you the most for your money. Cannon towels absorb more, wear longer, stay lovely longer. You'll need more towels for summer. Get famous cannons now. The big, fluffy, thirsty towels in every size. Bath towels, hand towels, and wash clothes to match. Complete ensembles. 18 beautiful colors to choose from. More people buy cannon towels than all other towels combine. Get the most for your money. Get cannons. Get them now, right now, in the big, big, big value-packed cannon towel sales. Now to continue with the man called X, starring Herbert Marshall with Leon Balasco as Pegan Zelschmidt. Five assassinations in three weeks and the island of Haiti is swept by a wave of terror. One word is whispered over and over on the plantations and through the dark years. Zombies, the walking dead. Ken himself was an eyewitness to killing number six. And now he and Pegan make their way cautiously through the midnight bush, heading for the heart of a voodoo or a old, old granaloo. What do you want with this granaloo woman anyhow? Just checking. That zombie came out of the bush about a minute after she went into it. And she may be a voodoo leader. She's devoted a... Wait a second. Yeah, she is in front of the hut. Jeepers, creepers. Let's get out of here, Mr. Thurston. Please come on up here where I can see you. Oh, it's too late. Come on, Pegan. I've been waiting for you, Mr. X. Why, granaloo? My people out there in the hills, they ask what will be done to save them from this terror. And I have not known what to tell them. Then what will you tell them now? That you have come. You knew I would come. And you know who I am. How, granaloo? There is still much knowledge in the jungle that has never yet been found. Have you found the answer, Mr. X? Yes, I found it. But I don't know yet how to deal with it. You will. My people will be very happy when I kill them. I thought they're on the brink of that. Your pigeon English was all put on. One must play many roles in this life, Mr. X. Yes, I know. I will speak to my people now. Good night, granaloo. Come, Pegan. Wait for me in the car, Pegan. I'm going to stop in at the house. Mr. Thurston, wait. No, no, the gun isn't necessary, Mr. Thurston. I wasn't waiting here to threaten you. The thing is, I'm, well, I'm scared. Yes, I can understand how you would be, Captain Andreas. You see, tonight is the second time something like that has happened. You mean shooting first and thinking later? It's not like me, Mr. Thurston. I don't understand it. I don't understand it at all. You want to understand it, Captain? Yes, no matter what the answer is, no matter what I've got to find out. All right, listen. Come with me now and don't say anything to anyone. Stay at my hotel tonight, and in the morning we'll go see Dr. Weimar together. I don't trust Weimar. You don't have to trust him. Trust me. He's rather far under the drug now, Mr. Thurston. And the trance too is about as deep as I care to take him just now. Well, it's entirely up to your judgment, Dr. Weimar. I'm a little out of my field here. Then I think we might try for some of the phrases, some of the commands that were given him when he was hypnotized previously. And do you agree, Mr. Thurston? Yeah, go ahead, Dr. Captain Andreas, can you hear me? Yes, sir. I can hear you. And do you understand who's here with you and what's happening? Yes, sir. You're Dr. Weimar, Mr. Thurston is here, and you've hypnotized me. A part of me is asleep. A part of me is awake and listening to you. You called it a dissociation. Yes, sir. Now the awake part of you, Captain Andreas, is the part I'm talking to. It's the part that remembers, remembers everything, including the last time you were hypnotized. Yes, sir. I remember. What were you told at that time, Captain? I was told to kill zombies, take no chances. How were you told? What were the words? You can hear the command now. What is it, Captain? What is it? Kill all zombies after they've killed. Kill all captured zombies. Forget you were told this. It's almost as though a woman were talking. You can't always be sure, Mr. Thurston. He's been given a lot of commands to forget. It's going to take quite a lot of work to get it out of him. Well, I'm afraid I'll have to leave him in your hands, Dr. Weimar. I've got an appointment with the General Brock. Those case records, then, Mr. Thurston, no use to you at all, so it seems, eh? Well, not much, anyway, General Brock. Oh, I've got a few hazy ideas, but nothing really worth mentioning. That's too bad, too bad. I've managed to stall off martial law until tomorrow morning. That's about as far as I'll be able to push it. Well, that still gives me some time. Time? That's the enemy I've fought all my life. Action is the thing. Which accounts, I imagine, for all these trophies on the walls, eh? Oh, oh, the animal head, yes. Collected in Central Africa over a good many years. Nothing any fool couldn't do. But, uh, here is a trophy for you, Mr. Thurston. Oh, yes. What is it, polished quartz? No, it's rutile. Beautiful job of cutting, isn't it? I attached it to this watch chain so I could swing it like a pendulum. Watch it glitter. Glitter this way. Back and forth. Back and forth. Notice the fire in it, Mr. Thurston? The play of lights deep inside the stone. Yes, it's fascinating. I could watch it for hours, glittering, centralating, shifting, changing, patterns of light as it swings back and forth, back and forth. Yeah, yes, I see. Makes me drowsy sometimes. Sleepy. My eyes get heavy like yours are now. Yes. Heavier and heavier. Sleepier and sleepier. So sleepy you can't open them. Sleep, sleep. And now you're sound asleep. Yes, sound asleep. You can't open your eyes, Mr. Thurston, you're sound asleep. I'm sound asleep. Sleep. Good. Mr. Thurston, you're a fool. Yes, I'm a fool. Hypnotism is such a simple art. You ought to learn more about it. Now I'm going to give you some orders, Thurston, commands. And then I'm going to wake you up. You won't remember being hypnotized. You'll forget all about this. But when the time comes, you'll carry out the commands. Do you understand? Yes, I understand. All right. Now listen, I'm having a little dinner party at my residence this evening. The same group that was out at Mallard's last night. And during this dinner, at my signal, you're going to draw your gun and kill Dr. Weimar. Do you understand? At your signal, I'm to kill Dr. Weimar. And here is the signal. I'll say, doesn't it seem a little hot in here? Good. And now I'm going to wake you up, Thurston. At the count of three, you'll be wide awake, and you won't remember any of this. Understand? Yes, sir. All right then. One, two, three. Natives of that particular area polish the stones by some method or their own. I never could discover how they did it. That's very interesting, General. Well, I guess I better get back to work. Oh, by the way, Mr. Thurston, I'm having a little dinner party here at my place this evening. Like to have you join us. Fine, what time? Oh, let's make it 8 o'clock. All right, General. I'll see you later. Then I swore before I came here tonight that I keep the dinner conversation off that subject, and here we go again talking about what? Zombies, naturally. Would somebody please pass the salt? Well, it's a little hard to ignore your subject. It's called six deaths in a row. What have you found out, Mr. Thurston? Any results yet? Well, it depends on what you mean by results, Captain Andres. None of these would have led to what General Brock would call action. Well, unfortunately, I'm being forced into action. Martial law goes into effect at 8 o'clock tomorrow orders of the cabinet. It's the old familiar pattern and a bad one. Armed guards everywhere, a curfew, law courts closed, bulletins, orders in force. Yes, it's an ugly picture, Dr. Weimar. For most people. For most people? I'd say for everybody concerned. Not necessarily, Mal. I came down here with one idea in mind. To look for the person most likely to profit from this zombie terror. Well, I found that person pretty quickly. It wasn't really much of a problem. I say, doesn't it seem a little hot in here? The problem was deciding how to deal with the situation. Mr. Thurston, doesn't it seem a little hot in here? Not to me, General Brock. But what I said was, doesn't... I know what you said. I also know a few things about hypnotism. Enough at least not to fix my attention on a shiny pendulum. All right, Captain Andres. General Brock, I have here a presidential warrant authorizing your arrest. But Captain Andres, I bid. Look, first, and as a zombie. They're gone, please. Look, don't you understand? First, and as a zombie. General Brock, Dr. Weimar worked in the captain for five hours today. Your number one mop up zombie is unzombified. This way, General. March. All right. This way. Dictatorship by way of martial law. Was that his idea, Mr. Thurston? Of course, ma'am. It's an easier way than revolution. Well, one thing at least. There won't be any more of those zombies now. No, maybe not the kind he was creating. But there are other kinds. They're fighting and killing and dying all over the world. Millions of them. Mindless and blind, they... They follow just one command. Kill, destroy, kill. And yet who's really to blame? The zombies themselves? Or the men who create them? Our star, Mr. Herbert Marshall, will return in just a moment. Here's a word from RCA Vector. 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Oh, here is our star, Mr. Herbert Marshall. Thanks for being with us. The folks you heard in tonight's cast were Barbara Fuller, DJ Thompson, Will Wright, Lou Merrill, Stan Waxman, and Bill Conrad. Next week, a man and a girl and a plot that sent Kane halfway around the world on one of the most exasperating cases he ever tackled. And speaking of exasperation, of course, Leon Balasker will be there as Pagon Zeltsmith. Join us, won't you, when next I return as the man called X. Good night. The Man Called X is the Friday Night Feature on NBC's 5-Show Festival of Comedy, Music, Mystery, and Drama. Transcribed for you by the makers of Anderson for fast relief from panopetic neuritis neuralgia. By Cannon Towers, famous for color, for design, for durability. Among Towers, America's number one best seller. And by RCA Victor, world leader in radio first in recorded music first in television. The Man Called X, starring Herbert Marshall, is a J. Richard Kennedy production with music composed and conducted by Felix Mills. Tonight's story was written by Les Crutchfield. All characters and incidents on this program are fictitious, and any resemblance to actual characters or incidents is purely coincidental. Be sure to hear the magnificent Montague with Monty Woolley, formerly heard on Friday, now brought to you as the Saturday Night Feature of NBC's All-Star Festival. On station, this is Jack Latham saying good night for The Man Called X. William Bendick stars in the life of Riley. Enjoy it on NBC.