For those who never saw any of the Burma Shave signs, here is a quick lesson in our history of the 1930's and '40'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 containing 1 line of a 4 line couplet ...... and the obligatory 5th sign advertising Burma Shave, a popular shaving cream. Here are more of the actual signs:
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
Do these bring back any old memories? If not, you're merely a child. If they do - then you're old as dirt... LIKE ME!
Posted by Chuck Churchill (Member # 68) on :
Si, I heard you were one day older than dirt. I do remember seeing some of those Burma Shave ads in Northern Michigan during the mid 50's. I was just a "little shaver" then.
Posted by Si Allen (Member # 420) on :
Nahhhhhhhhh ... but I did take dirt in Shop Class!
Chuck ... I am only 12 years older than you!
Posted by Gary Winebarger (Member # 154) on :
There is a cool little book "The Verse by the Side of the Road - The Story of the Burma-Shave Signs and Jingles". Posted by Bill Modzel (Member # 22) on :
We were doing some "continuous reading" signs for a local gym last month and the owner was trying to explain that she wanted them to read correctly coming from both directions.
I told her that we do them all the time, like "Burma Shave" signs. She got a quizzical look on her face and said, "like what?".
. . . . she didn't look THAT much younger than me.
Posted by Dale Feicke (Member # 767) on :
Good trip back, Si! I remember those signs well, when I was a kid. Our family, from Ohio, used to make yearly vacations to the south, and these signs were a welcome sight along the highways.
Back then, we didn't have Ipods, video games, mobile TV's, or in-car movies. We had to depend on our own conversation, playing travel games (like counting types of cars, padiddle, etc.) and actually looking at the beauty of this country. These signs were a funny diversion. Now, I've told the grandkids "Wow, look at those beautiful waterfalls" or something like that. They look up for two seconds and "Yeah", and back to their more important video game.
Posted by Sam Sanfilippo (Member # 425) on :
Love 'em Si...I do remember some of them.
I'm not older than dirt, but I did sign for the first delivery of it.
Posted by Frank Magoo (Member # 3950) on :
Businessman from town I was from did a similiar tactic, his signs usually came along after a Burma-Shave sign, they showed a little cowgirl in a short skirt tossing a rope, proclaiming "For Men Only, Winslow, Arizona"...it was a men's clothing store...lol
And Si's being modest, I have it on good authority that he,(Si),knew the Dead Sea before it got sick...lolol
I assume these come from the great book, "The Verse By the Side of the Road" which has a complete listing of all the sign verses and the history as well. Great reference for all sign painters. By the way copies are currently available on Amazon and others.
Posted by Pierre Tardif (Member # 3229) on :
Thanks Si!!
Posted by Ron Costa (Member # 3366) on :
SI SPORTS WHISKERS UNDER HIS NOSE HANDY FOR FITCHES SO THE STORY GOES Burma Shave
Posted by Craig Sjoquist (Member # 4684) on :
remembers them well, since I grew up in Minnesota where the sign painters started doing these and well into the 50s and 60s if I remember before goverment made them illegal I so enjoyed reading them on those trips everywhere taken they were started out of the depression, alot of sign painters started during those hard times cause it was one of the few trades that still payed, as today people need to advertise
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