First Song - Home on the Range

10-2-4 Ranch

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First Song - Home on the Range

10-2-4 Ranch • Episode 153

15 minutes

Part of a 85-episode series

Episode Description

The show begins with Dick Ferran welcoming listeners to the 10-2-4 Ranch, where he performs the song "Home on the Range." Art Gilmore discusses the importance of maintaining energy for wartime efforts, promoting Dr. Pepper as a quick source of energy at 10, 2, and 4 o'clock. Musical performances follow, including a humorous song about the rising price of beef called "Chuck Wagon Blues." A segment features news from Truthful Jones about a fellow cowhand who won't participate in a victory garden due to scientific pursuits. The show emphasizes the contributions of women during wartime and highlights the strict sanitation standards upheld by the Dr. Pepper Company. The episode concludes with encouragement to support war bonds and stamps, promoting good health with Dr. Pepper.

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10-2-4 Ranch

10-2-4 Ranch is a classic 1940s Old Time Radio western-themed musical variety program, created as part of a nationwide advertising campaign for Dr Pepper. Rather than telling ongoing cowboy stories, the show used a friendly “ranch” setting as a backdrop for music, light banter, and sponsor messaging built around Dr Pepper’s famous slogan: “Drink a bite to eat at 10, 2, and 4.” Airing in short, approximately 15-minute episodes, 10-2-4 Ranch featured popular western and contemporary music performances, often by well-known acts of the era such as Sons of the Pioneers, alongside announcer segments that seamlessly folded advertising into the entertainment. The tone was upbeat, informal, and family-friendly—designed to be easy listening during daytime hours while reinforcing the idea of Dr Pepper as a mid-day energy pick-me-up. The program was sometimes billed under related titles such as 10-2-4 Time, reflecting slight format shifts, and is occasionally confused with other Dr Pepper–sponsored radio shows from the same era. Today, 10-2-4 Ranch stands as a clear example of mid-century branded radio at its best—where western music, variety entertainment, and advertising blended together into a uniquely nostalgic listening experience.

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