DANGEROUS ASSIGNMENT

Steve Mitchell is an agent with the State Department.

Exactly what section inside that large organization he works for is not mentioned but considering the large number of missions he is handed and the importance of those assignments, it has to be one of some considerable weight. In the several years we are able to follow his activities, he will visit dozens of different countries on every inhabited continent, putting his life on the line more times than he would like to remember.

Mitchell, a graduate years before from the U.S. Naval Academy, answers to a man with the title of Commissioner (though as I indicated, we do not know what commission he is in charge of). The two show from the very beginning that they are very friendly with each other, at ease when orders are handed out and when reports are handed in. It is obvious that they have been doing this sort of work together for some time and have the utmost confidence in each other; the Commissioner knowing that Mitchell will do whatever it takes to get the job done and Mitchell certain the Commissioner would never send him into danger unless the stakes more than demanded it.

In the office of the Commissioner, his secretary is a woman named Ruth and as close as Mitchell is with his boss, he is even closer with Ruth. Whether their relationship has ever crossed the line of flirtatious banter is not known but they both obviously enjoy the repartee. She is very much there in the office setting up his travel arrangement for a lot of the earlier missions, even having to track Mitchell down when he is out of pocket. As time passes, her actual presence is not heard but she is mentioned at the beginning of many episodes. Towards the end, sadly, however, she is nowhere to be found.

When he is out in the field on assignment, Mitchell "as usual" uses the cover of a foreign correspondent. That normally works like a charm, getting him close to whatever is going on before the other party knows he is something else. When it does go wrong, of course, it does so suddenly and violently. Luckily for Mitchell, he has been down that road a time or three.

Mitchell is most certainly an excitement junkie considering the many times he throws himself into the path of danger without hesitation. He is also definitely a man quite interested in getting to know as many beautiful women around the world as he can; he does not pass up any opportunity to use his glib patter to get to know them and from the frequent responses we hear, his advances are appreciated. It is important to note, though, that Mitchell is never crude or obnoxious or demanding. He truly enjoys the company of women.

On quite a few of the many adventures we follow Mitchell, there are references by the Commissioner or Ruth or even Mitchell himself to various "deals" he is involved in which routinely get interrupted by the call to duty. They are never explained in any detail although their nature is shown in the second adventure when the Commissioner admonishes "there is to be no women and no gambling". I mention this because not only does the matter get mentioned often, at least in the earlier missions, it shows clearly that while we do not get to follow Mitchell on many of his outside-work activities, he most certainly that him. Mitchell not only works hard, he knows how to play hard as well. While "deals" might make it sound like he is handling business transactions, when the term is used, mention is always made of a blonde or brunette or redhead.

When we are able to view Mitchell's adventures instead of listening to them, we are shown that the door to the Commissioner's office has on its glazed glass the emblem of the unnamed department; a octagon with a scale in the center and words on the periphery: Justice at the top, Peace at the bottom, Honor and Strength on the sides.

Good lines:

"Trouble usually starts from empty stomachs."

"That gun's safer with me."

Complaining about being always on the go, Mitchell laments, "I've a dirty shirt in practically every city in the world."

From the first of the radio episodes I heard, I was a big fan of the series. I really enjoyed spending the time to listen to so many of these in order to get the synopses and was a tad saddened when I reached the last one I could find. The humor of the character and the talented way his banter was delivered was quite appealing and the stories were very entertaining and varied.

The television show suffered, though. Mitchell on the screen was not as energized ad Mitchell on the radiowaves was. Even though most of the plots on the small screen were the same as on the radio, they did not grab me anywhere near as much.

Still, just like what was really a sister show, A Man Called X, this series deserves to be remembered fondly and periodically listened to again.