Burma Shave Signs

They missed the turn
The car was whizzin'
The fault was her'n
The funeral hizzin
BURMA SHAVE
 
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When you're near, you are my master.
When you're far, I'm still your slave.
Just seeing you makes my heart beat faster.
I'll always adore you. BURMA SHAVE
 
One part of the great nostalgia of our Route 66 trip was to see the Burma Shave signs still maintained on that route west of Seligman, AZ. Took me back to my childhood when they were everywhere.
 
Old Henry said:
One part of the great nostalgia of our Route 66 trip was to see the Burma Shave signs still maintained on that route west of Seligman, AZ. Took me back to my childhood when they were everywhere.
Click to expand...

By Golly, here's a video on YouTube showing one set of the very BurmaShave signs we saw: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OSvf4_gzH1Y

And here's a great Brylcreem commercial from the 50's: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&NR=1&v=o6F4GtyRfto

And one for Kool Aid: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yKY2O4KFmMU&feature=related

How 'bout Bucky Beaver stumping for Ipana Toothpaste: :D
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0po-g28uTg&feature=related
 
A fairly complete list:

1940 saw an early reference to the idea of a designated driver:
  • It's best for / One who hits / The bottle / To let another / Use the throttle / Burma-Shave
More safety slogans in 1941, along with ads:
  • Don't stick / Your elbow / Out so far / It might go home / In another car / Burma-Shave
  • At intersections / Look each way / A harp sounds nice / But it's / Hard to play / Burma-Shave
  • From / Bar / To car / To gates / Ajar / Burma-Shave
  • Broken romance / Stated fully / She went wild / When he / Went wooly / Burma Shave
Possibly the ultimate in self-referencing signs, leaving out the product name. This one also adorns the cover of the book:
  • If you / Don't know / Whose signs / These are / You can't have / Driven very far
The war years found the company recycling a lot of their old signs, with new ones mostly focusing on World War II "propaganda":
  • Let's make Hitler / And Hirohito / Feel as bad / as Old Benito / Buy War Bonds / Burma-Shave
  • Slap / The Jap / With / Iron / Scrap / Burma-Shave
1947:
  • Don't lose / Your head / To gain a minute / You need your head / Your brains are in it / Burma-Shave (repeated in 1963)
  • Car in ditch / Driver in tree / Moon was full / And so / Was he / Burma-Shave
  • I use it too / The bald man said / It keeps my face / Just like / My head / Burma-Shave
  • In Cupid's little / Bag of trix / Here's the one / That clix / With chix / Burma-Shave
1950:
  • He tried / To cross / As fast train neared / Death didn't draft him / He volunteered / Burma-Shave
  • My job is / Keeping faces clean / And nobody knows / De stubble / I've seen / Burma-Shave
  • Her chariot / Raced 80 per / They hauled away / What had / Ben Hur / Burma-Shave
1951:
  • Drinking drivers / Don't you know / Great bangs / From little / Binges grow? / Burma-Shave
  • Proper / Distance / To him was bunk / They pulled him out / Of some guy's trunk / Burma-Shave
1952:
  • Pedro / Walked / Back home, by golly / His bristly chin / Was hot-to-Molly / Burma-Shave (repeated in 1963)
  • The wolf / Is shaved / So neat and trim / Red Riding Hood / Is chasing him / Burma-Shave
  • Missin' / Kissin'? / Perhaps your thrush / Can't get thru / The underbrush — try / Burma-Shave
  • A chin / Where barbed wire / Bristles stand / Is bound to be / A no ma'ams land / Burma-Shave
1953:
  • Around / The curve / Lickety-split / Lovely car / Wasn't it? / Burma Shave
1955
  • Dinah doesn't / Treat him right / But if he'd / Shave / Dyna-mite! / Burma-Shave
  • The big blue tube's / Just like Louise / You get / A thrill / From every squeeze / Burma-Shave
  • To change that / Shaving job / To joy / You gotta use / The real McCoy / Burma-Shave
  • The monkey took / One look at Jim / And threw the peanuts / Back at him / He needed / Burma-Shave
  • Slow down, Pa / Sakes alive / Ma missed signs / Four / And five / Burma Shave
1959's ads included perhaps the worst of the "cringe-worthy" safety slogans:
  • Said Farmer Brown / Who's bald / On top / Wish I could / Rotate the crop / Burma-Shave
  • This cooling shave / Will never fail / To stamp / Its user / First-class male / Burma-Shave
  • Don't / Try passing / On a slope / Unless you have / A periscope / Burma-Shave
  • If daisies / Are your / Favorite flower / Keep pushin' up those / Miles per hour / Burma-Shave
  • He lit a match / To check gas tank / That's why / They call him / Skinless Frank / Burma Shave
1960 saw the last group of original signs until 1963:
  • Henry the Eighth / Sure had / Trouble / Short term wives / Long term stubble / Burma-Shave
  • Ben / Met Anna / Made a hit / Neglected beard / Ben-Anna split / Burma-Shave
  • Dim your lights / Behind a car / Let folks see / How bright / You are / Burma-Shave
  • Angels / Who guard you / When you drive / Usually / Retire at 65 / Burma-Shave
1963 was the last year for the signs, most of which were repeats, including the final slogan, which had first appeared in 1953:
  • Our fortune / Is your / Shaven face / It's our best / Advertising space / Burma-Shave
One sign considered, but never used:[4]
  • Listen birds / These signs cost / Money / So roost a while / But don't get funny / Burma-Shave
  • (year unknown) Here lies / Heaven's neophyte / signaled left / then turned right / Burma-Shave
 
Mid fifties on US 41 in north Georgia:
Substitutes
Will let you down
Quicker than a
Strapless gown
Burma-Shave
 
Here is one I remember when I was a Kid just a few years back.
FREE FREE/A TRIP/TO MARS/FOR 10,000/EMPTY JARS/ BURMA SHAVE!
I hope I got it right only been fifty or sixty years ago;)
 
Route 66
The best thing ever out of Oklahoma.
Remember Whitting gas stations and their .02 and .03 discount cards.
Really helped.
Bruce

Works good
Lasts long time
 
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