The Man and the Challenge

All Episodes 1959 - 1960

  • Ended
  • #<Network:0x00007f8995e962d8>
  • 1959-09-12T04:00:00Z
  • 30m
  • 18h (36 episodes)
  • Ivan Tors
  • United States
  • English
  • Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Science Fiction
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.

36 episodes

Series Premiere

1959-09-12T04:00:00Z

1x01 The Sphere of No Return

Series Premiere

1x01 The Sphere of No Return

  • 1959-09-12T04:00:00Z30m

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.

1959-09-19T04:00:00Z

1x02 Maximum Capacity

1x02 Maximum Capacity

  • 1959-09-19T04:00:00Z30m

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.

1959-09-26T04:00:00Z

1x03 Odds Against Survival

1x03 Odds Against Survival

  • 1959-09-26T04:00:00Z30m

1959-10-03T04:00:00Z

1x04 Sky Diving

1x04 Sky Diving

  • 1959-10-03T04:00:00Z30m

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.

1959-10-10T04:00:00Z

1x05 Experiments in Terror

1x05 Experiments in Terror

  • 1959-10-10T04:00:00Z30m

1959-10-17T04:00:00Z

1x06 Invisible Force

1x06 Invisible Force

  • 1959-10-17T04:00:00Z30m

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.

1959-10-24T04:00:00Z

1x07 Escape to Nepal

1x07 Escape to Nepal

  • 1959-10-24T04:00:00Z30m

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.

1959-10-31T05:00:00Z

1x08 Border to Border

1x08 Border to Border

  • 1959-10-31T05:00:00Z30m

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.

1959-11-07T05:00:00Z

1x09 Trial by Fire

1x09 Trial by Fire

  • 1959-11-07T05:00:00Z30m

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

1959-11-14T05:00:00Z

1x10 White Out

1x10 White Out

  • 1959-11-14T05:00:00Z30m

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.

1959-11-28T05:00:00Z

1x11 The Breaking Point

1x11 The Breaking Point

  • 1959-11-28T05:00:00Z30m

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

1959-12-05T05:00:00Z

1x12 Jungle Survival

1x12 Jungle Survival

  • 1959-12-05T05:00:00Z30m

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

1959-12-12T05:00:00Z

1x13 I've Killed Seven Men

1x13 I've Killed Seven Men

  • 1959-12-12T05:00:00Z30m

1959-12-19T05:00:00Z

1x14 Man Without Fear

1x14 Man Without Fear

  • 1959-12-19T05:00:00Z30m

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.

1959-12-26T05:00:00Z

1x15 The Visitors

1x15 The Visitors

  • 1959-12-26T05:00:00Z30m

1960-01-01T05:00:00Z

1x16 The Storm

1x16 The Storm

  • 1960-01-01T05:00:00Z30m

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

1960-01-09T05:00:00Z

1x17 Killer River

1x17 Killer River

  • 1960-01-09T05:00:00Z30m

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

1960-01-23T05:00:00Z

1x18 Rodeo

1x18 Rodeo

  • 1960-01-23T05:00:00Z30m

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

1960-01-30T05:00:00Z

1x19 The Windowless Room

1x19 The Windowless Room

  • 1960-01-30T05:00:00Z30m

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.

1960-02-06T05:00:00Z

1x20 Nightmare Crossing

1x20 Nightmare Crossing

  • 1960-02-06T05:00:00Z30m

Barton tests candidates for command positions in space.

1960-02-13T05:00:00Z

1x21 The Lure of Danger

1x21 The Lure of Danger

  • 1960-02-13T05:00:00Z30m

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

1960-02-20T05:00:00Z

1x22 Recovery

1x22 Recovery

  • 1960-02-20T05:00:00Z30m

1960-02-27T05:00:00Z

1x23 Buried Alive

1x23 Buried Alive

  • 1960-02-27T05:00:00Z30m

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

1960-03-03T05:00:00Z

1x24 Recondo

1x24 Recondo

  • 1960-03-03T05:00:00Z30m

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

1960-03-12T05:00:00Z

1x25 Flying Lab

1x25 Flying Lab

  • 1960-03-12T05:00:00Z30m

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

1960-03-19T05:00:00Z

1x26 Hurricane Mesa

1x26 Hurricane Mesa

  • 1960-03-19T05:00:00Z30m

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

1960-03-26T05:00:00Z

1x27 Astro Female

1x27 Astro Female

  • 1960-03-26T05:00:00Z30m

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

1960-04-02T05:00:00Z

1x28 The Extra Sense

1x28 The Extra Sense

  • 1960-04-02T05:00:00Z30m

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

1960-04-09T05:00:00Z

1x29 Man in a Capsule

1x29 Man in a Capsule

  • 1960-04-09T05:00:00Z30m

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

1960-04-23T05:00:00Z

1x30 The Dropper

1x30 The Dropper

  • 1960-04-23T05:00:00Z30m

1960-04-30T04:00:00Z

1x31 High Dive

1x31 High Dive

  • 1960-04-30T04:00:00Z30m

1960-05-07T04:00:00Z

1x32 Daredevils

1x32 Daredevils

  • 1960-05-07T04:00:00Z30m

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

1960-05-21T04:00:00Z

1x33 Shooter McLaine

1x33 Shooter McLaine

  • 1960-05-21T04:00:00Z30m

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

1960-05-28T04:00:00Z

1x34 Early Warning

1x34 Early Warning

  • 1960-05-28T04:00:00Z30m

1960-06-04T04:00:00Z

1x35 Breakoff

1x35 Breakoff

  • 1960-06-04T04:00:00Z30m

1960-06-11T04:00:00Z

1x36 Highway to Danger

1x36 Highway to Danger

  • 1960-06-11T04:00:00Z30m

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

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