Are you old enough to remember these roadside messages?

For those of you who never saw the Burma Shave signs, here is a quick lesson in our history of the 1930's and 40's.  Before the Interstates, when everyone drove the old 2 lane roads, Burma Shave signs would be posted all over the country side 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.

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 SPEEDERS
LET'S REHEARSE
ALL TOGETHER
GOOD MORNING NURSE
**Burma-Shave**

CAUTIOUS RIDER
TO HER RECKLESS DEAR
LET'S HAVE LESS BULL
AND LOTS MORE STEER
**Burma-Shave**

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

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

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

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

PASSING CARS
WHEN YOU CAN'T SEE
MAY GET YOU A GLIMPSE
OF ETERNITY
**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 HO PIN'
**Burma-Shave**

AT INTERSECTIONS
LOOK EACH WAY
A HARP SOUNDS NICE
BUT ITS 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**

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

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

DON'T PUT YOUR ARM
OUT THE WINDOW TOO FAR
OR IT'LL RIDE HOME
IN ANOTHER CAR.
***Burma Shave***

YOU CAN DO
A MILE A MINUTE
BUT THERE AIN'T
NO FUTURE IN IT
***Burma Shave***

Do these bring back memories????
If not, you are such a child.
If they do, your older than dirt, like me!!

Time for a little Burma-Shave history.

Burma Shave was created by the O'Dell brothers who lived in Minneapolis and had a little plant in the Bryn Mar district.  The story goes like this:

On Monday they would leave town and drive along a highway near a town.  Then they would place Burma Shave signs (without having to pay for the placement) along all the highways leading to the town.  Each set of signs contained five placements, one for each line and then the last one that actually said "Use Burma-Shave."  Then they would proceed to the next town and do the same thing.  Late on Thursday and into Friday they would back track and call upon the local drug store(s) and ask, "No doubt you have had calls for Burma-Shave."  They would take orders and leave the merchandise along with reorder forms.  That's how they got started in the thirties and they did it for years.

Finally in the early 60's, Philip Morris became interested in this little Burma-Shave franchise.  As I remember, the company's sales were about $900,000 a year when the business was sold to Philip Morris.

Philip Morris then proceeded to buy a series of one minute TV commercials on NFL football.  The commercials cost something like $100,000 each.  This decision actually destroyed a good little profit making company in one football season.  You might say it went up like smoke!

BURMA SHAVE MADE THEIR SALES
USING SIGNS, POSTS AND NAILS
PHILIP MORRIS TRIED TV
AND NOW YOU NO LONGER SEE
 ***Burma Shave***