The Man and the Challenge

1959
The Man and the Challenge

Seasons & Episodes

  • 1

EP1 The Sphere of No Return Sep 12, 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.

EP2 Maximum Capacity Sep 19, 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.

EP3 Odds Against Survival Sep 26, 1959

Plot of this episode is not specified yet.
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EP4 Sky Diving Oct 03, 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.

EP5 Experiments in Terror Oct 10, 1959

Plot of this episode is not specified yet.
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EP6 Invisible Force Oct 17, 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.

EP7 Escape to Nepal Oct 24, 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.

EP8 Border to Border Oct 31, 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.

EP9 Trial by Fire Nov 07, 1959

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

EP10 White Out Nov 14, 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.

EP11 The Breaking Point Nov 28, 1959

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

EP12 Jungle Survival Dec 05, 1959

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

EP13 I've Killed Seven Men Dec 12, 1959

Plot of this episode is not specified yet.
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EP14 Man Without Fear Dec 19, 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.

EP15 The Visitors Dec 26, 1959

Plot of this episode is not specified yet.
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EP16 The Storm Jan 01, 1960

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

EP17 Killer River Jan 09, 1960

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

EP18 Rodeo Jan 23, 1960

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

EP19 The Windowless Room Jan 30, 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.

EP20 Nightmare Crossing Feb 06, 1960

Barton tests candidates for command positions in space.

EP21 The Lure of Danger Feb 13, 1960

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

EP22 Recovery Feb 20, 1960

Plot of this episode is not specified yet.
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EP23 Buried Alive Feb 27, 1960

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

EP24 Recondo Mar 03, 1960

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

EP25 Flying Lab Mar 12, 1960

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

EP26 Hurricane Mesa Mar 19, 1960

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

EP27 Astro Female Mar 26, 1960

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

EP28 The Extra Sense Apr 02, 1960

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

EP29 Man in a Capsule Apr 09, 1960

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

EP30 The Dropper Apr 23, 1960

Plot of this episode is not specified yet.
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EP31 High Dive Apr 30, 1960

Plot of this episode is not specified yet.
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EP32 Daredevils May 07, 1960

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

EP33 Shooter McLaine May 21, 1960

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

EP34 Early Warning May 28, 1960

Plot of this episode is not specified yet.
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EP35 Breakoff Jun 04, 1960

Plot of this episode is not specified yet.
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EP36 Highway to Danger Jun 11, 1960

Barton researches highway hypnosis by subjecting himself to driving conditions that have killed five truck drivers.
8.5| 0h30m| en| More Info
Released: 12 September 1959 Ended
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Country: United States of America
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
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Synopsis

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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d-durham92 I am among the group who recall this series. I enjoyed it whenever I could watch it, and one particular episode stands out in my memory.This one involved three men wearing a type of space suit in the California Desert ? anyway, they were walking from one point to another point as the test required, and something went wrong ( ? ) not sure what, and If I recall, they had some sort of gun like weapon(? ) to test as well. Anyway, I remember there were cars along the highway and telephone poles. and I am quite sure it wasn't a Twilght Zone episode..wish i could recall more, but I am amazed I remember this much..Dave Durham Tacoma WA.
geoaar I've remembered the opening sequence of this show for quite some time, but no one I mentioned it to could ever come up with the show's title. Finally I found it with a properly worded Google search - amazing tools we have today.I remember a specific episode where there was a crazed driver who was tormenting the motorcycle cops by speeding through their speed traps and - once the motorcycles were in pursuit - releasing numerous logs out of his rigged trunk and the poor policemen would wreck their bikes after running over the logs. Yeah, far-fetched, but it got worse.The hero of the show then took some sort of mind-altering drug and demonstrated in the lab that - under the drug's influence - he was capable of amazing feats of concentration and dexterity. He grabbed speeding arrows out of the air effortlessly.So after the lab tests, the cops were given the drug and were then capable of driving their bikes around the logs and catching the demonic motorist.With some 50 years of retrospection, I'm wondering now if that magic drug might have been LSD? It was a more innocent time...Anyway, it was a favorite show of my 7-year-old self. That and "The Troubleshooters" and "Rescue 8".
qatmom I watched this series when it was on NBC (and I was 9) and a few years later when it had a brief syndicated run.It made a huge impression on my 9-year-old self. I was already a fan of science fiction by way of Science Fiction Theatre (remember that sf was considered purely of interest to male audiences in those days) and this series was far closer to actual science--I don't think they thought they were reaching 9 year old little girls.One episode in particular never left me--"Astro Female", which opened with the rescue of a woman who is the only survivor of a shipwreck; all the others, males, died, but the tough woman survived. This led to an exploration of women as astronauts, something the US never did until decades later. In an age where women on TV were almost invariably portrayed as emotional and weak, this show showed a different possibility that probably is part of why I am in a career in the sciences.Beyond that episode, there were many others exploring human potential beyond the expected.I'd love to see these episodes again. I'd buy them on DVD. I've gone and watched other series that I enjoyed, and usually I have been pleasantly surprised with how well they hold up, not just classics like Twilight Zone, but others like Route 66.
dd-kitt I was eight when this show aired and remember not missing an episode but later in life no one seemed to have ever heard of it. Thank goodness for the internet, now I know my memory is intact! From everyones comments it might explain my love of science, physics, and science fiction throughout my life. I wonder if the premise couldn't be updated for a new series. Does anyone know if the show is available on DVD or somewhere on the internet? I'd love to see how accurate my memory is. I remember the rocket sled, I remember a Pontiac(?) with a hidden compartment behind the radio, but the rest is a little hazy. Can anyone fill in some of the blanks?