pafret Loc: Northeast

Burma Shave - Reminder of years long ago

For those who never saw any of the Burma Shave signs,
Here is a quick lesson in our history of the 1930's to the 1960's.
Before there were interstates, when everyone drove the old 2 lane roads,
Burma Shave signs would be posted all over the countryside in farmers' fields.
They were small red signs with white letters.
Five signs, about 100 feet apart, each contain 1 line of a 4 line couplet.....
And the obligatory 5th sign advertising Burma Shave, a popular shaving cream.


DON'T STICK YOUR ELBOW
OUT SO FAR
IT MAY GO HOME
IN ANOTHER CAR.
Burma Shave

TRAINS DON'T WANDER
ALL OVER THE MAP
'CAUSE NOBODY SITS
IN THE ENGINEER'S LAP
Burma Shave

SHE KISSED THE HAIRBRUSH
BY MISTAKE
SHE THOUGHT IT WAS
HER HUSBAND JAKE
Burma Shave


DON'T LOSE YOUR HEAD
TO GAIN A MINUTE
YOU NEED YOUR HEAD
YOUR BRAINS ARE IN IT
Burma Shave

DROVE TOO LONG
DRIVER SNOOZING
WHAT HAPPENED NEXT
IS NOT AMUSING
Burma Shave


BROTHER SPEEDER
LET'S REHEARSE
ALL TOGETHER
GOOD MORNING, NURSE
Burma Shave


CAUTIOUS RIDER
TO HER RECKLESS DEAR
LET'S HAVE LESS BULL
AND A LITTLE MORE STEER
Burma Shave


SPEED WAS HIGH
WEATHER WAS NOT
TIRES WERE THIN
X MARKS THE SPOT
Burma Shave


THE MIDNIGHT RIDE
OF PAUL FOR BEER
LED TO A WARMER
HEMISPHERE
Burma Shave


AROUND THE CURVE
LICKETY-SPLIT
BEAUTIFUL CAR
WASN'T IT?
Burma Shave

NO MATTER THE PRICE
NO MATTER HOW NEW
THE BEST SAFETY DEVICE
IN THE CAR IS YOU
Burma Shave

A GUY WHO DRIVES
A CAR WIDE OPEN
IS NOT THINKIN'
HE'S JUST HOPIN'
Burma Shave


AT INTERSECTIONS
LOOK EACH WAY
A HARP SOUNDS NICE
BUT IT'S HARD TO PLAY
Burma Shave


BOTH HANDS ON THE WHEEL
EYES ON THE ROAD
THAT'S THE SKILLFUL
DRIVER'S CODE
Burma Shave


THE ONE WHO DRIVES
WHEN HE'S BEEN DRINKING
DEPENDS ON YOU
TO DO HIS THINKING
Burma Shave


CAR IN DITCH
DRIVER IN TREE
THE MOON WAS FULL
AND SO WAS HE.
Burma Shave

PASSING SCHOOL ZONE
TAKE IT SLOW
LET OUR LITTLE
SHAVERS GROW
Burma Shave


HE SAW THE TRAIN
AND TRIED TO DUCK IT
HE KICKED THE GAS
AND THEN THE BUCKET !!
Burma Shave

A MAN A MISS,
A CAR A CURVE,
HE KISSED THE MISS,
AND MISSED THE CURVE,
BURMA SHAVE


Have a great day! Drive safe, sober and not on a cell phone!

slatten49 Loc: Lake Whitney, Texas

I both remember and miss those old signs...THANKS, Pafret

PoppaGringo Loc: Muslim City, Mexifornia, B.R.

I remember them well. I even saw one several years ago in one of the Southern states while traveling to FL.

karpenter Loc: Headin' Fer Da Hills !!

This Kind What They Looked Like
They Read From Near To Far As You Drive Past Them

Liberty Tree

I remember these well traveling from Virginia to Florida with my parents. I also remember the stops at Stuckey's.

wuzblynd Loc: thomson georgia

crazylibertarian Loc: Florida by way of New York & Rhode Island

I've often wondered why they're no longer even around. A piece of yesterday gone.

AmericanTexan

They are not around now because with the help of the large billboard companies has caused the states to ban them..
They were done before the Lamars of the world took over and begin bribing city and state lawmakers to favor them.

PoppaGringo Loc: Muslim City, Mexifornia, B.R.

The primary reason is because of the Interstates. We no longer have highways with bordering fields where the signs could be posted.

AmericanTexan

Nope........plenty of highways with bordering fields down my way..
I travel 5 states and not all on interstates.

PoppaGringo Loc: Muslim City, Mexifornia, B.R.

How heavily traveled are they? To be effective, the signs must have thousands of viewers.

AmericanTexan

VERY!
Do not need "thousands" of viewers......
Need only enough to attract attention to your business and services.
A little history of the Burma Shave Signs...
A family manufactured this shave cream and had no sales reps or money for mass advertising.
His son came up with the idea, took a wood barrel apart and used the staves and hand painted and installed them.
Were a huge hit with the public and he kept at it all the way into the history books.
OBTW.. you can still buy Burma Shave at all drug and grocery stores even today.

pafret Loc: Northeast

From a 2007 Wikipedia Article:


'Twould be more fun
To go by air
If we could put
These signs up there
Burma-Shave

Anyone looking for a bit of Americana needs only to travel to northwest Yavapai County. There, north of Interstate 40 starting at Crookton Road, is a 20-mile stretch of Historic Route 66. Yavapai County owns and maintains the two-lane highway. The county's public works road crew installed 12 five-sign sets of Burma-Shave signs along this patch of Route 66. Crews placed the signs at 5-mile intervals on both sides of the road east and west of Seligman. "Historically, signs were located along Route 66, but nothing was removed to put these signs up," Public Works Director Phil Bourdon said. Supervisor Carol Springer "loves" the signs, which crews set up in late July and early August. Bourdon said public works officials worked with Springer and local residents to improve the Route 66 experience. "Carol worked with her staff and reviewed some of the signs from the past. They found the Burma-Shave signs. Burma-Shave is a trademark, so using the name required a trademark agreement with the company," Bourdon said. He said Burma-Shave officials happily signed the agreement at no cost to the county so long as the county used the name within one year. Staff members found the creator of a number of the original Burma-Shave sayings for the signs. Bourdon said sign crews recreated some of the original lettering.

Passing cars
When you can't see
May get you a glimpse
Of eternity
Burma-Shave

Springer said she became interested in Route 66 and the Burma-Shave signs while attending town hall meetings in Seligman and Ash Fork. Springer said she met many local residents when the county collaborated with the Arizona Department of Transportation to develop the Route 66 Museum. The supervisor said a visit to a local gift shop ignited her interest in the Burma-Shave signs. "I was in the gift shop and asked why I wasn't seeing any Burma-Shave signs," Springer said. "They didn't know what I was talking about. "Springer said when she took office Bourdon told her the county owns 20 miles of Route 66. "Since it is in my district, it seemed natural to do something that would enhance the Route 66 experience," Springer said. Route 66 is one year older than the Burma-Shave signs. Officials of the U. S. Highway system established Route 66, one of the original federal routes, on Nov. 11, 1926. It originally ran from Chicago through Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico and Arizona before ending in Los Angeles. U. S. Highway System officials officially decommissioned Route 66 on June 27, 1985, after replacing it with the Interstate Highway System.


http://wwwcdn.printmag.com/wp-content/uploads/raycrockett.jpg

AmericanTexan

LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!!
Thanks so much for sharing!

GmanTerry

When I was a kid, on our Sunday picnics, we all read and discussed the Burma Shave signs we encountered. Another piece of Americana that has almost totally been forgotten.They were a fun part of my childhood. Thanks for the post, pafret.

Semper Fi