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.
Episode 1
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.
Episode 2
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.
Episode 3
No overview available.
Episode 4
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.
Episode 5
No overview available.
Episode 6
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.
Episode 7
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.
Episode 8
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.
Episode 9
Barton enters an active volcano to test a new type of fire suit. He nearly loses his life in the experiment.
Episode 10
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.
Episode 11
A volunteer is sealed in a cell for 30 days and is subjected to psychological torment in order to determine his breaking point.
Episode 12
Glenn Barton is sent on a dual mission: test survival techniques in the Amazon Basin and determine the fate of four lost fliers.
Episode 13
No overview available.
Episode 14
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.
Episode 15
No overview available.
Episode 16
Glenn Barton is asked to clear the reputation of a man who died mysteriously.
Episode 17
On a cliff above the Colorado River, Barton rescues a parachuted pilot.
Episode 18
Barton investigates the effects of a new rocket belt at a rodeo.
Episode 19
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.
Episode 20
Barton tests candidates for command positions in space.
Episode 21
Barton looks individuals that subconsciously want to destroy themselves. He wants to learn why some men desire death.
Episode 22
No overview available.
Episode 23
Barton experiments with Yoga to show that it can be helpful in adverting tragedy.
Episode 24
A warden's daughter is held hostage by four escaped convicts.
Episode 25
Barton performs and experiment to show that ignorance and fear cause lack of efficiency.
Episode 26
Barton conducts a test on a pilot to prove that he can be switched successfully to a desk job.
Episode 27
Barton puts four women against four men in order to prove that woman can equal and perhaps surpass males as astronauts.
Episode 28
In order to prove that emotional stress promotes telepathy, Barton parachutes from a high precipice.
Episode 29
Barton conducts a survival test on the surface of the ocean.
Episode 30
No overview available.
Episode 31
No overview available.
Episode 32
Barton puts the king of syut drivers through an incredibly dangerous test believing that the secret to survival lies in body chemical reactions.
Episode 33
Barton almost dies when a scientist ignoring his own physical limits and Barton's warnings misreads important test instruments.
Episode 34
No overview available.
Episode 35
No overview available.
Episode 36
Barton researches highway hypnosis by subjecting himself to driving conditions that have killed five truck drivers.
