RONALD REAGAN. AUTOGRAPH MANUSCRIPT IN PENCIL, AGOURA, CALIFORNIA, C. 1953, PITCHING A RADIO REALITY SERIES

Autograph manuscript in pencil, 13 pp. (10 7/8 x 7 1/8 in.; 276 x 181 mm) on his Yearling Row letterhead, Agoura, California, c. 1953; first and last leaves with minor wear, small nicks, and rust staining from paper clip,

Condition as described in catalogue entry.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Ronald Reagan pitches a radio reality series based on his experiences at his Yearling Row Ranch. Reagan and his new wife Nancy Davis pitch the idea of a radio series "based on the personal incidents as well as the ranch happenings of a Hollywood couple, an Actor and Actress who go into ranching. Not only is the usual Husband and Wife situation enhanced by a motion picture  background but it is played in a setting boasting its own glamour and adventure, a thoroughbred horse farm. Remember too that we ride then as well as raise them …. Yearling Row is the home of fine hunters and jumpers, one has even been featured in several pictures of mine." Reagan's wit is evident throughout the narrative, as he details his misfortunes as a ranch owner.

The ranch reflected Reagan's passion for the outdoor life, but he and Nancy looked upon the horse-breeding business as supplemental income against the vagaries of acting jobs. "Retirement," Reagan complains, "has gone the way of the buffalo nickle thanks to the U. S. dept of Internal Revenue whose legal take can amount to as much as 91% of an actors salary." His response: "So! Back to the farm or as us Westerners put it, 'Back Out Yonder to the ranch' (rancho if you like the latin flavor)."

He also praises his wife Nancy, as "she must certainly stem from pioneer stock. I know of no other way to explain her courage in being willing to trade the familiarity of curb stones for the unexplored mystery of ploughed ground." Although her "unexplainable conviction that my ideas made sense" had something to do with it, Reagan still hopes that "this latter quality … will survive the familiarity of the forthcoming years of marital experience."

Reagan details at length the hazards and pitfalls of ranching: "Do you know what it is like to be awakened at 2 AM of a dark foggy night by a telephone call from the Sheriff's office? 'Your cattle have gone through the fence and are blissfully headed for Ventura blvd.'" He ends by waxing poetic about his ranch. "When later the stars come out in greater numbers than they do over all the cities of the world and when we turn on the radio and hear that one of our foals (a leggy little creature we helped into the world on a cold winter night) is now a winner at Santa Anita we feel kind of snug. But not for long, because out in the stable on a bed of straw another foal will be born tonight and tomorrow there are yearlings to be trained because this is Yearling Row."

Reagan's Yearling Row Ranch (named for the two films he made with his first wife Jane Wyman—The Yearling and King's Row) was located in Agoura, California, near Malibu Lake, "an easy 45 min. to Beverly Hills—50 if the Cops are out." Reagan purchased the original 236 -acre ranch in 1951for $85,000, added smaller parcels to it, and sold it in 1966 for $1,900,000, to pay debts from his successful run for governor of California. The ranch is now part of Malibu Creek State Park.