| Genre: | Adventure fiction |
| Starring: | George Nader |
| Country: | United States |
| Language: | English |
| Num Seasons: | 1 |
| Num Episodes: | 36 |
| Producer: | Ivan Tors |
| Runtime: | ca. 25–26 mins. |
| Company: | Ivan Tors-Ziv Television Programs |
| Channel: | NBC |
The Man and the Challenge is an American adventure fiction television series about a scientist who tests problems of human survival. It stars George Nader and aired on NBC during the 1959–60 television season.
Dr. Glenn Barton is an athlete, explorer, adventurer, and former United States Marine who has become a physician and a research scientist for the Institute of Human Factors, a U.S. government agency that designs and conducts experiments to study human endurance and its limits.[1] [2] His wide-ranging curiosity and interests suit him well for his assignments, which involve him testing equipment and personnel under conditions of extreme stress in a variety of research areas. He frequently subjects himself to the tests before allowing others to participate.[2] Emergencies often arise which force Barton or his test subjects to go past the limits of previous tests in an attempt to save the situation.[2] Lynn Allen is his assistant.
The Man and the Challenge was an Ivan Tors-Ziv Television Programs production, and Ivan Tors produced the series.[1] Episodes were filmed at Ziv Studios in Hollywood.[3] Each episode tells its story in a semi-documentary format. Alternate sponsors were Winston cigarettes and the Chemstrand Corporation.[3]
Episodes were filmed on location rather than in a studio. Experts from government agencies coached the actors about activities with regard to specific subjects.[4]
The Man and the Challenge premiered on September 12, 1959, and 36 episodes were produced.[1] [2] It aired on NBC on Saturdays at 8:30 p.m. Eastern Time[1] [2] against ABC's Leave it to Beaver and CBS's Wanted: Dead or Alive. The show was cancelled after a single season, and its last new episode was broadcast on June 11, 1960. Prime-time reruns of The Man and the Challenge then aired in its regular time slot until September 3, 1960.[1] [2]
| No. overall | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date |
|---|
Critic Jack Gould summarized an episode of The Man and the Challenge as "Quickie hokum" in a two-paragraph review in The New York Times[5] He also commented that the episode "began at 8:30 and for some reason persisted until 9."