Gartenberg Media Enterprises (GME) is honored to memorialize the passing last week of entertainment giant Hugh Downs by presenting a rare visual essay, “A Day in the Night of Hugh Downs,” photographed by Raimondo Borea. Hugh Downs was a regular television presence from the 1940’s through the 1990’s. He was an announcer for Tonight Starring Jack Paar from 1957 to 1962, co-host of the NBC News program Today from 1962 to 1971, host of the Concentration game show from 1958 to 1969, and anchor of the ABC News magazine 20/20 from 1978 to 1999.

Raimondo Borea was an accomplished photo essayist. From 1957 to 1982, Borea gained unprecedented behind-the-scenes access to NBC television broadcasts, most notably The Today Show and The Tonight Show, where he captured candid portraits of the show’s hosts and guests, as well as all the production activity behind-the-scenes. This particular photo essay was taken by Borea in 1963, as he shadows Hugh Downs preparing for a Today show broadcast. This series begins with Borea capturing Downs’ solitary pre-dawn arrival at the NBC studios and concludes with his appearance before the studio cameras ready to transmit his image for millions of viewers to see.

GME is the exclusive representative of the Estate of photographer Raimondo Borea. For more information about this photographer’s life and career, and GME’s work to further his legacy, please see Raimondo Borea.