About this season
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 (36)
1. The Sphere of No Return
Aired 12 September 1959 • 30 min
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
Aired 19 September 1959 • 30 min
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
Aired 26 September 1959 • 30 min
4. Sky Diving
Aired 3 October 1959 • 30 min
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
Aired 10 October 1959 • 30 min
6. Invisible Force
Aired 17 October 1959 • 30 min
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
Aired 24 October 1959 • 30 min
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
Aired 31 October 1959 • 30 min
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
Aired 7 November 1959 • 30 min
Barton enters an active volcano to test a new type of fire suit. He nearly loses his life in the experiment.
10. White Out
Aired 14 November 1959 • 30 min
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
Aired 28 November 1959 • 30 min
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
Aired 5 December 1959 • 30 min
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
Aired 12 December 1959 • 30 min
14. Man Without Fear
Aired 19 December 1959 • 30 min
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
Aired 26 December 1959 • 30 min
16. The Storm
Aired 1 January 1960 • 30 min
Glenn Barton is asked to clear the reputation of a man who died mysteriously.
17. Killer River
Aired 9 January 1960 • 30 min
On a cliff above the Colorado River, Barton rescues a parachuted pilot.
18. Rodeo
Aired 23 January 1960 • 30 min
Barton investigates the effects of a new rocket belt at a rodeo.
19. The Windowless Room
Aired 30 January 1960 • 30 min
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
Aired 6 February 1960 • 30 min
Barton tests candidates for command positions in space.
21. The Lure of Danger
Aired 13 February 1960 • 30 min
Barton looks individuals that subconsciously want to destroy themselves. He wants to learn why some men desire death.
22. Recovery
Aired 20 February 1960 • 30 min
23. Buried Alive
Aired 27 February 1960 • 30 min
Barton experiments with Yoga to show that it can be helpful in adverting tragedy.
24. Recondo
Aired 3 March 1960 • 30 min
A warden's daughter is held hostage by four escaped convicts.
25. Flying Lab
Aired 12 March 1960 • 30 min
Barton performs and experiment to show that ignorance and fear cause lack of efficiency.
26. Hurricane Mesa
Aired 19 March 1960 • 30 min
Barton conducts a test on a pilot to prove that he can be switched successfully to a desk job.
27. Astro Female
Aired 26 March 1960 • 30 min
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
Aired 2 April 1960 • 30 min
In order to prove that emotional stress promotes telepathy, Barton parachutes from a high precipice.
29. Man in a Capsule
Aired 9 April 1960 • 30 min
Barton conducts a survival test on the surface of the ocean.
30. The Dropper
Aired 23 April 1960 • 30 min
31. High Dive
Aired 30 April 1960 • 30 min
32. Daredevils
Aired 7 May 1960 • 30 min
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
Aired 21 May 1960 • 30 min
Barton almost dies when a scientist ignoring his own physical limits and Barton's warnings misreads important test instruments.
34. Early Warning
Aired 28 May 1960 • 30 min
35. Breakoff
Aired 4 June 1960 • 30 min
36. Highway to Danger
Aired 11 June 1960 • 30 min
Barton researches highway hypnosis by subjecting himself to driving conditions that have killed five truck drivers.