The Man and the Challenge
The Man and the Challenge
TV ShowEnded

The Man and the Challenge

1959
1 season
36 episodes
Sci-Fi & FantasyAction & Adventure

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.

Sign in to add to your list

What critics are saying

Verdicts use the same scale as your list: highly recommended through avoid — plus optional scores and blurbs.

Highly recommended Recommend Give it a go Neutral Avoid

Nobody on Critic, Sir! has logged a verdict for this title yet. The silence is either respectful or suspicious.

Sign in and use Add to My List below to share your own verdict.

Cast

Seasons

  • Ep 1

    1.The Sphere of No Return

    12-09-195930m

    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 draw...

  • Ep 2

    2.Maximum Capacity

    19-09-195930m

    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 i...

  • Ep 3

    3.Odds Against Survival

    26-09-195930m
  • Ep 4

    4.Sky Diving

    03-10-195930m

    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...

  • Ep 5

    5.Experiments in Terror

    10-10-195930m
  • Ep 6

    6.Invisible Force

    17-10-195930m

    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.

  • Ep 7

    7.Escape to Nepal

    24-10-195930m

    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 Roc...

  • Ep 8

    8.Border to Border

    31-10-195930m

    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.

  • Ep 9

    9.Trial by Fire

    07-11-195930m

    Barton enters an active volcano to test a new type of fire suit. He nearly loses his life in the experiment.

  • Ep 10

    10.White Out

    14-11-195930m

    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 wi...

  • Ep 11

    11.The Breaking Point

    28-11-195930m

    A volunteer is sealed in a cell for 30 days and is subjected to psychological torment in order to determine his breaking point.

  • Ep 12

    12.Jungle Survival

    05-12-195930m

    Glenn Barton is sent on a dual mission: test survival techniques in the Amazon Basin and determine the fate of four lost fliers.

  • Ep 13

    13.I've Killed Seven Men

    12-12-195930m
  • Ep 14

    14.Man Without Fear

    19-12-195930m

    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.

  • Ep 15

    15.The Visitors

    26-12-195930m
  • Ep 16

    16.The Storm

    01-01-196030m

    Glenn Barton is asked to clear the reputation of a man who died mysteriously.

  • Ep 17

    17.Killer River

    09-01-196030m

    On a cliff above the Colorado River, Barton rescues a parachuted pilot.

  • Ep 18

    18.Rodeo

    23-01-196030m

    Barton investigates the effects of a new rocket belt at a rodeo.

  • Ep 19

    19.The Windowless Room

    30-01-196030m

    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 confiden...

  • Ep 20

    20.Nightmare Crossing

    06-02-196030m

    Barton tests candidates for command positions in space.

  • Ep 21

    21.The Lure of Danger

    13-02-196030m

    Barton looks individuals that subconsciously want to destroy themselves. He wants to learn why some men desire death.

  • Ep 22

    22.Recovery

    20-02-196030m
  • Ep 23

    23.Buried Alive

    27-02-196030m

    Barton experiments with Yoga to show that it can be helpful in adverting tragedy.

  • Ep 24

    24.Recondo

    03-03-196030m

    A warden's daughter is held hostage by four escaped convicts.

  • Ep 25

    25.Flying Lab

    12-03-196030m

    Barton performs and experiment to show that ignorance and fear cause lack of efficiency.

  • Ep 26

    26.Hurricane Mesa

    19-03-196030m

    Barton conducts a test on a pilot to prove that he can be switched successfully to a desk job.

  • Ep 27

    27.Astro Female

    26-03-196030m

    Barton puts four women against four men in order to prove that woman can equal and perhaps surpass males as astronauts.

  • Ep 28

    28.The Extra Sense

    02-04-196030m

    In order to prove that emotional stress promotes telepathy, Barton parachutes from a high precipice.

  • Ep 29

    29.Man in a Capsule

    09-04-196030m

    Barton conducts a survival test on the surface of the ocean.

  • Ep 30

    30.The Dropper

    23-04-196030m
  • Ep 31

    31.High Dive

    30-04-196030m
  • Ep 32

    32.Daredevils

    07-05-196030m

    Barton puts the king of syut drivers through an incredibly dangerous test believing that the secret to survival lies in body chemical reactions.

  • Ep 33

    33.Shooter McLaine

    21-05-196030m

    Barton almost dies when a scientist ignoring his own physical limits and Barton's warnings misreads important test instruments.

  • Ep 34

    34.Early Warning

    28-05-196030m
  • Ep 35

    35.Breakoff

    04-06-196030m
  • Ep 36

    36.Highway to Danger

    11-06-196030m

    Barton researches highway hypnosis by subjecting himself to driving conditions that have killed five truck drivers.

Watching Lists

Sign in to create and edit public lists.

Loading lists…

Purchase & Discovery

Find this title on Amazon

Digital

Prime Video & digital

Amazon mixes rent, buy, and Prime in one place — one search covers the usual options.

As an Amazon Associate, Critic, Sir! earns from qualifying purchases. Full disclosure