It's a normal day at The Human Factors Institute. Dr. Glenn Barton is testing a male volunteer when a friend and former government official, Jim Harrigan pays him a visit. He has an unusual request. He wants Barton to organize a prison break. There are 3 American survivors of a downed airplane held in a maximum security prison in an Iron Curtain country. Two are GIs and one is an Army nurse. This is an off the book mission because the three survivors are officially dead and the State Department cannot force their captors to admit they are alive.
Barton agrees to undertake the daring and dangerous mission and he and Harrigan agree that an athletic team is best for the job. The team is to be an "Invisible Force". The only thing Harrigan doesn't tell Barton is, "If you or any of your team are killed or captured, the Secretary will disavow any knowledge of your actions. Good luck, Glenn." Barton selects his team: Liza Dantes, gymnast; Ed Carmody, acrobat; and Mike Sunday; judoka. Anyone who knows how a fictional special ops team is composed can immediately see a flaw; a flaw that will soon be nearly fatal.
Barton has trained his team but he wants a live exercise to see if the rescue plan will work. They are able to penetrate a Nike-Zeus antiaircraft missile base but are discovered and trapped behind a fence they could not break through.
The flaw has been discovered. Barton had selected Mike Sunday for strength but he doesn't have the strength needed for the mission.
Barton declares, "I need one more man." That man is Lou Brand, professional strongman, described in Nader's narrative track as "The World's Strongest Man". Barton tests the strongman; his strength is more than a match for the same kind of fence that had trapped the team. He replaces Sunday for strength.The team undertakes their mission, frees the prisoners and returns them to the United States.
I have to ding the script for a logical lapse. Barton doesn't want to take Dantes on the practice run because it's too dangerous. Why then does he have her on the team in the first place? The real mission will be far more dangerous yet he plans to take her on that. The others get to practice the mission but she can't. It makes no sense and should not have been there.
The acting is not spectacular but it's adequate. Debra Paget portrays Liza Dantes and comes across as determined to be an integral part of the team. Real life "World's Strongest Man" Jack Walsh pretty much plays himself as Lou Brand.
It is a very exciting episode and I rate it 9/10.
Barton agrees to undertake the daring and dangerous mission and he and Harrigan agree that an athletic team is best for the job. The team is to be an "Invisible Force". The only thing Harrigan doesn't tell Barton is, "If you or any of your team are killed or captured, the Secretary will disavow any knowledge of your actions. Good luck, Glenn." Barton selects his team: Liza Dantes, gymnast; Ed Carmody, acrobat; and Mike Sunday; judoka. Anyone who knows how a fictional special ops team is composed can immediately see a flaw; a flaw that will soon be nearly fatal.
Barton has trained his team but he wants a live exercise to see if the rescue plan will work. They are able to penetrate a Nike-Zeus antiaircraft missile base but are discovered and trapped behind a fence they could not break through.
The flaw has been discovered. Barton had selected Mike Sunday for strength but he doesn't have the strength needed for the mission.
Barton declares, "I need one more man." That man is Lou Brand, professional strongman, described in Nader's narrative track as "The World's Strongest Man". Barton tests the strongman; his strength is more than a match for the same kind of fence that had trapped the team. He replaces Sunday for strength.The team undertakes their mission, frees the prisoners and returns them to the United States.
I have to ding the script for a logical lapse. Barton doesn't want to take Dantes on the practice run because it's too dangerous. Why then does he have her on the team in the first place? The real mission will be far more dangerous yet he plans to take her on that. The others get to practice the mission but she can't. It makes no sense and should not have been there.
The acting is not spectacular but it's adequate. Debra Paget portrays Liza Dantes and comes across as determined to be an integral part of the team. Real life "World's Strongest Man" Jack Walsh pretty much plays himself as Lou Brand.
It is a very exciting episode and I rate it 9/10.