

The Man and the Challenge
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.
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Cast
Seasons
- Ep 1
1.The Sphere of No Return
12-09-195930mIn 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
19-09-195930mBarton 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
03-10-195930mTo 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
17-10-195930mIn 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
24-10-195930mIn 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
31-10-195930mTwo 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
07-11-195930mBarton 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
14-11-195930mBarton 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
28-11-195930mA 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
05-12-195930mGlenn 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
19-12-195930mBarton 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
01-01-196030mGlenn Barton is asked to clear the reputation of a man who died mysteriously.
- Ep 17
17.Killer River
09-01-196030mOn a cliff above the Colorado River, Barton rescues a parachuted pilot.
- Ep 18
18.Rodeo
23-01-196030mBarton investigates the effects of a new rocket belt at a rodeo.
- Ep 19
19.The Windowless Room
30-01-196030mA 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
06-02-196030mBarton tests candidates for command positions in space.
- Ep 21
21.The Lure of Danger
13-02-196030mBarton 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
27-02-196030mBarton experiments with Yoga to show that it can be helpful in adverting tragedy.
- Ep 24
24.Recondo
03-03-196030mA warden's daughter is held hostage by four escaped convicts.
- Ep 25
25.Flying Lab
12-03-196030mBarton performs and experiment to show that ignorance and fear cause lack of efficiency.
- Ep 26
26.Hurricane Mesa
19-03-196030mBarton conducts a test on a pilot to prove that he can be switched successfully to a desk job.
- Ep 27
27.Astro Female
26-03-196030mBarton 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
02-04-196030mIn order to prove that emotional stress promotes telepathy, Barton parachutes from a high precipice.
- Ep 29
29.Man in a Capsule
09-04-196030mBarton 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
07-05-196030mBarton 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
21-05-196030mBarton 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
11-06-196030mBarton researches highway hypnosis by subjecting himself to driving conditions that have killed five truck drivers.
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