RIP HUGH DOWNS

1921-2020

Hugh Downs was born on February 14, 1921 in Akron, Ohio. A regular television presence from the mid-1940s through to the end of the 1990s, for several years he held the certified Guinness World Record for the most hours on commercial network television, before being surpassed by Regis Philbin. Downs served as announcer/sidekick for “Tonight Starring Jack Paar” from 1957 to 1962, co-host of the NBC News program “Today” from 1962 to 1971, host of the game show “Concentration” from 1958 to 1969, and anchor of the ABC News magazine “20/20″ from 1978 to 1999. He died on July 1, 2020 (appropriately enough) at age 99.

Downs first met Lucille Ball in his capacity as substitute host of “Tonight Starring Jack Paar” on December 29, 1960. This was Lucille Ball’s very first appearance on “The Tonight Show”. Eight months after her divorce, she also brings along her children Lucie and Desi Jr.. Lucy is in New York City (where the show was then done) appearing in the Broadway musical Wildcat.  

Ball returned to “Tonight” just two weeks later, on January 12, 1961, again to promote Wildcat, but Paar was still on vacation.  This time Arlene Francis is the guest host and Hugh Downs is the announcer / co-host, a role taken by Ed McMahon when Johnny Carson takes over “Tonight”. 

On January 26, 1961, her third and final appearance on Paar’s incarnation of “Tonight”, she finally is interviewed by the host in the title with Hugh Downs nearby as announcer / co-host. She is in the company of her “I Love Lucy” co-star Vivian Vance.

Cyril Ritchard, Arthur Treacher, and Joan Fairfax are also on the show that night. Lucy was still in New York appearing in Wildcat. Ten days later, Wildcat went on a two-week hiatus due to Lucille Ball’s illness.