Car of the day:
For today:
How in the world did I miss that one? I loved reading them. There were several we passed at least once a month for a couple years and I LOVED every sign. They appeared in all but 4 or 5 states between 1926-1963.
Someone at Burma Shave had gotten bored as a kid on car trips, I
bet!!
I just searched and this is what I found out about Alan the son
of the CEO:
Then one day, Alan Odell came up with a
suggestion. He suggested roadside signs like the ones he had seen on road trips
when he was out trying to sell Burma-Shave. However, his father would not hear
of such an idea, and was
sure that the boy was just homesick because of all the travelling he was doing.
Alan continued to lobby for his idea and finally his father gave in and gave
him $200 to try out his idea.
Just for fun I listed some from the Burma Shave signs:
PAST
SCHOOLHOUSES
TAKE IT SLOW
LET THE LITTLE
SHAVERS GROW
BURMA-SHAVE
or
IS HE LONESOME
OR JUST BLIND
THIS GUY WHO
DRIVES
SO CLOSE BEHIND?
BURMA-SHAVE.
Still other good examples
include
MANY A FOREST
USED TO STAND
WHERE A
LIGHTED MATCH
GOT OUT OF HAND
BURMA SHAVE
and
THE ONE WHO
DRIVES WHEN
HE’S BEEN DRINKING
DEPENDS ON YOU
TO DO HIS THINKING
BURMA SHAVE
Yep..
THIRTY DAYS
HATH SEPTEMBER
APRIL
JUNE AND THE
SPEED OFFENDER
BURMA SHAVE
And finally:
IF DAISIES
ARE YOUR
FAVORITE FLOWER
KEEP PUSHIN’ UP THOSE
MILES-PER-HOUR
BURMA SHAVE
I got a kick out of reading the information and history of the
Burma Shave signs. As a kid I really did enjoy them. Although I can see where
they could cause a traffic problem with the increase in traffic and speeds.…. L
Yep, Burma Shave was tops for years in a Advertisement Coup.
NiteShipslog
PS:
5 comments:
I remember seeing those signs right here in Ohio too. They were not just on route 66. I loved reading them and they helped make a long trip more pleasant. And they always got a good chuckle out of us too.Good memories for today !
Thanks for the shout-out, Jack! And these examples, too. Made me smile all over again.
PS - Fascinating back-story. Love the young-un's tenacity!
Clever idea and adverts. We never had these on our motorways.
God bless.
I haven't seen these signs before and that surprised me because we traveled as a family a lot when I was young and also with our kids when they were young. They sure are clever!
I remember those, My Sign was:
When you drive
remember Pard
that marble slab
is mighty hard
Burma Shave
Gary
Post a Comment