Remember Burma Shave signs?
To my Old-As-Dirt friends and relatives! (and for those who never saw any of the Burma Shave signs…
Those of us whose parents took us on road trips before the interstate system will appreciate this little bit of history. I used to love seeing these Burma Shave sayings. The company was sold in 1963 and the signs came down.
They were small red signs with white letters, aout 100 feet apart, each containing 1 line of a 4 line couplet and the obligatory 5th sign advertising Burma Shave, a popular shaving cream.
I’m sure that those signs actually saved lives. After all, we slowed down so we could read them! People laughed and then were likely to be more careful. It was a REAL “service” to America even though it was an advertisement. And, it was useful as well as fun.
PASSING SCHOOL ZONE TAKE IT SLOW LET OUR LITTLE SHAVERS GROW. Burma Shave
NO MATTER THE PRICE, NO MATTER HOW NEW THE BEST SAFETY DEVICE IN THE CAR IS YOU. Burma Shave
AROUND THE CURVE LICKETY-SPLIT BEAUTIFUL CAR WASN’T IT? Burma Shave
DON’T LOSE YOUR HEAD TO GAIN A MINUTE YOU NEED YOUR HEAD YOUR BRAINS ARE IN IT. Burma Shave
AT INTERSECTIONS LOOK EACH WAY A HARP SOUND NICE BUT IT’S HARD TO PLAY Burma Shave
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Do we sometimes get a little “heavy-handed” when reminding folks of the “right” thing to do? Burma Shave had it right, don’t you think?
Make them laugh. Make them look forward to the next message so they can laugh again! Sort of a “spoonful of sugar makes the medicine go down” if you know what I mean.
5 Comments
I think our whole family enjoyed those things on those cross country trips, Pat. Of course, dad wrote similar things, too, so we could read them in our cards and notes from him. Always a smile. Always a little gentle lesson.
As a young kid the family traveled from the ranch to Salt Lake City for supplies. Our route took us across the Salt Flat. From Wendover to Salt Lake City the Burma-Shave signs were a fixture. We all enjoyed them.
Thank you Pat, It was fun to see them again.
Sometimes I don’t realize I miss something until it is shared with me. These signs were one of those things! Good to hear from you, Doris. Hope you and your family are well.
I don’t remember the Burma-Save ones, but I do remember continuing signs for other things, like The Winchester Mystery House in San Jose.
I have such good memories of seeing Burma Shave signs along Highway 2 between our home and Spokane, WA when we were kids. So fun! Thank you for the reminder, Pat!