7.8 /10 1 Votes
6.8/10 TV Country of origin United States No. of episodes 36 First episode date 12 September 1959 Number of episodes 36 | 8.7/10 IMDb No. of seasons 1 Running time 30 minutes Final episode date 11 June 1960 Number of seasons 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Starring George NaderJack GingMichael MastersJoyce MeadowsMichael Keith Cast Similar The Aquanauts, Men into Space, This Man Dawson, Tombstone Territory, The DuPont Show wit | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The man and the challenge the dropper
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.
Contents
- The man and the challenge the dropper
- The man and the challenge the windowless room
- Selected episodes and guest stars
- References
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.
The man and the challenge the windowless room
Selected episodes and guest stars
Most guest stars on The Man and the Challenge were not well known at the time, though screen star Debra Paget appeared as Liza Dantes in the October 17 episode "Invisible Force", along with William Conrad, who was cast as Jim Harrigan. Here is a partial listing of some who appeared, their characters, the title of the episodes, and date of airing:
The Man and the Challenge continued in reruns until September 3, 1960. It was replaced by the western The Tall Man starring Clu Gulager and Barry Sullivan as Billy the Kid and Pat Garrett, respectively. It aired at the 8:30 Eastern slot on Saturdays opposite Steve McQueen's Wanted: Dead or Alive on CBS and Leave It to Beaver on ABC. It followed and preceded NBC westerns, Bonanza in its first season, and The Deputy starring Henry Fonda and Allen Case, respectively.
In 1967, The Man and the Challenge was introduced in West Germany.