He began his career as a child actor, most notably as Johnny in the Our Gang short comedy film series from 1923 to 1926.

He had a notable cameo in the 1945 film Rhapsody in Blue where he danced to Robert Alda's piano playing of "Swanee".

[4] He settled in Coronado, California where he sold real estate and became a respected amateur tennis player.

[5] The theme started as an airport hangar with Downs playing a former World War II pilot, "Johnny Jet".

Since one of the show's sponsors was Golden Arrow Dairy, Downs was regularly featured as a superimposed miniature dancer on top of an old-style milk bottle.

During this time he appeared as the Tin Woodsman in the San Diego Starlight Opera production of The Wizard Of Oz.

According to Carleton Carpenter's autobiography, Downs worked as a choreographer in the theater in the late 1950s on a production called Lock Up Your Daughters.

I do know it wasn't good, and it became a great source of amusement for all the company—behind Johnny's back, of course, but we were about a subtle as a bus wreck.