The Man and the Challenge

I, too, watched this series as a pre-teen and loved it. What new jet would George Nader fly, what new car would he test - one week he learned "body surfing" from notes left by a researcher who had died in the attempt - thus proving the concept and reinstating the reputation of the dead man. I guess they hired Nader for the way he looked in a T-shirt - biceps and pecs galore. It certainly wasn't for his acting skills. Various biographers place him as one of Rock Hudson's early Hollywood boy friends. If he'd stayed with it, like Hudson, maybe he would've improved on his acting.

With the death of GEORGE NADER, on 4 February 2002, I thought of this most interesting program, which even though it had only a short run, was a tremendous idea with good story lines throughout. Generally unseen for over 40+ years it would be worth viewing again. The opening credits showed many differing images, one of which was a snippit of COLONEL JOHN PAUL STAPP, riding his famed rocket sled, at the point where he was often referred to as "The Fastest Man Alive".

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.

I saw this show only a couple of times in its short run, but have the vivid memory of being excited by the ideas of physical and mental challenges posed by the pre- Mercury space race. I was disappointed to not see it more. I recall the intro to the show portrayed the star being propelled in a high-acceleration rocket sled along rails in the desert. This appealed in the same imagination stimulating and quasi-educational vein as Lloyd Bridges' Sea Hunt, and a few other shows of that period of the late 50's-early 60's.

I watched The Man And The Challenge when it was first on in 1960 and was intrigued. I was born destined to become an electrical engineer so this program presented a scientific challenge each episode that challenged my future knowledge of physics. Finally a show that wasn't complete fluff like a talking horse or a guy married to a witch. A thinking adult man who was drastically challenged each week and had to save himself or the situation using scientific principles. I wanted to learn so bad! And I wanted to solve the puzzles before the show revealed the solution. This show has never been publicized since, but I always remembered it all these years, and could stump most everybody else who had never ever heard of it. I'd love to see a show today to see how it matches my recollections.