The Man and the Challenge is a 36-segment half-hour television adventure/science fiction series which ran new episodes on NBC from September 12, 1959, to June 11, 1960. It starred George Nader as Dr. Glenn Barton, a research scientist for the Institute of Human Factors, an agency that conducted experiments designed to measure human endurance for the United States government. The series was produced by Ivan Tors.
Nader's costars included Jack Ging as Dan Wright, Michael Masters as Bill Locke, the Canadian-born Joyce Meadows as Lynn Allen, and Michael Keith as Matt Adams. The episodes focused on various individuals setting world records of strength, endurance, and mastery of various difficult skills.
The program also featured appearances by Bethel Leslie as Eleanor Beck in "The Early Warning", Ted Knight, as Dr. Herter in the episode "Daredevils", and Raymond Bailey, in the role of Dr. Kramer on the series opener "The Sphere of No Return". Joining Knight in that segment was Paul Burke.
Episodes
Cast
Season 1
1. The Sphere of No Return
30min
12th Sep 1959
In order to test human stamina at high altitudes, Barton and two other men go up in a balloon. When one panics and fails the required standards he is replaced by a woman which draws a hostile response from the remaining pilot.
2. Maximum Capacity
30min
19th Sep 1959
Barton sends two men into the frozen north to test their endurance in extreme levels of cold and isolation. He wants to determine the best way to train men for high security jobs in the Arctic.
3. Odds Against Survival
30min
26th Sep 1959
4. Sky Diving
30min
3rd Oct 1959
To study the effects of gravity on potential astronauts, Barton goes to France to learn free fall parachuting from a brother-and-sister team of skydivers: Suzanne and Georges Bolet.
5. Experiments in Terror
30min
10th Oct 1959
6. Invisible Force
30min
17th Oct 1959
In a hostile country, three Americans are being held captive. Barton is asked by a Washington official to form a clandestine athletic unit to free them.
7. Escape to Nepal
30min
24th Oct 1959
In order to test the U2-21 drug which supposedly increases a man's ability to retain oxygen at great heights, Barton puts a group of mountaineers through a rigorous test in the Rockies before sending them to the Himalayas for a final test.
8. Border to Border
30min
31st Oct 1959
Two antagonistic jet pilots are entered into a Mexican auto race to prove that a team can overcome obstacles better than any single person could.
9. Trial by Fire
30min
7th Nov 1959
Barton enters an active volcano to test a new type of fire suit. He nearly loses his life in the experiment.
10. White Out
30min
14th Nov 1959
Barton researches hypothermia in Antarctica by reducing the body temperature of two doctors. He hopes the experiment will lead to an understanding of how to freeze astronauts to withstand certain aspects of interplanetary flight.
11. The Breaking Point
30min
28th Nov 1959
A volunteer is sealed in a cell for 30 days and is subjected to psychological torment in order to determine his breaking point.
12. Jungle Survival
30min
5th Dec 1959
Glenn Barton is sent on a dual mission: test survival techniques in the Amazon Basin and determine the fate of four lost fliers.
13. I've Killed Seven Men
30min
12th Dec 1959
14. Man Without Fear
30min
19th Dec 1959
Barton uses a chemical names LSD-25 on a firefighter. The chemical removes fear, but raging forest fires prove that fear is a necessary part of courage.
15. The Visitors
30min
26th Dec 1959
16. The Storm
30min
1st Jan 1960
Glenn Barton is asked to clear the reputation of a man who died mysteriously.
17. Killer River
30min
9th Jan 1960
On a cliff above the Colorado River, Barton rescues a parachuted pilot.
18. Rodeo
30min
23rd Jan 1960
Barton investigates the effects of a new rocket belt at a rodeo.
19. The Windowless Room
30min
30th Jan 1960
A crack test pilot crashes his aircraft. After the crash he experiences a self-induced paralysis that slowly destroys his career and marriage. Barton restores the pilot's confidence by using hypnotic techniques.
20. Nightmare Crossing
30min
6th Feb 1960
Barton tests candidates for command positions in space.
21. The Lure of Danger
30min
13th Feb 1960
Barton looks individuals that subconsciously want to destroy themselves. He wants to learn why some men desire death.
22. Recovery
30min
20th Feb 1960
23. Buried Alive
30min
27th Feb 1960
Barton experiments with Yoga to show that it can be helpful in adverting tragedy.
24. Recondo
30min
3rd Mar 1960
A warden's daughter is held hostage by four escaped convicts.
25. Flying Lab
30min
12th Mar 1960
Barton performs and experiment to show that ignorance and fear cause lack of efficiency.
26. Hurricane Mesa
30min
19th Mar 1960
Barton conducts a test on a pilot to prove that he can be switched successfully to a desk job.
27. Astro Female
30min
26th Mar 1960
Barton puts four women against four men in order to prove that woman can equal and perhaps surpass males as astronauts.
28. The Extra Sense
30min
2nd Apr 1960
In order to prove that emotional stress promotes telepathy, Barton parachutes from a high precipice.
29. Man in a Capsule
30min
9th Apr 1960
Barton conducts a survival test on the surface of the ocean.
30. The Dropper
30min
23rd Apr 1960
31. High Dive
30min
30th Apr 1960
32. Daredevils
30min
7th May 1960
Barton puts the king of syut drivers through an incredibly dangerous test believing that the secret to survival lies in body chemical reactions.
33. Shooter McLaine
30min
21st May 1960
Barton almost dies when a scientist ignoring his own physical limits and Barton's warnings misreads important test instruments.
34. Early Warning
30min
28th May 1960
35. Breakoff
30min
4th Jun 1960
36. Highway to Danger
30min
11th Jun 1960
Barton researches highway hypnosis by subjecting himself to driving conditions that have killed five truck drivers.