verse by the side of the road frank rowsome

Frank Rowsome and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. has documented the signs in his book “The Verse By The Side of The Road. Verse by the Side of the Road: The Story of the Burma-Shave Signs and Jingles by Jr. Patriotism had its turn during World War II withīurma-Shave signs disappeared in the early 1960s when the company was sold, but many of my generation can still rattle off their favorite jingle.įrank Rowsome Jr. Frank Rowsome Jr., Carl Rose (Illustrator), Bob Dole (Foreword) 3.91 avg rating 147 ratings published 1965 7 editions. Verse by the Side of the Road: The Story of the Burma-Shave Signs and Jingles. The Porcupine Club of Boston was offended by Average rating: 3.89 169 ratings 41 reviews 5 distinct works Similar authors.

Thousands of submissions were read and screened to eliminate those that might offend the public, but even signs that passed the good taste test could receive flack.

The company held contests each year to ensure fresh jingles. This was calculated to exceed the time an average person devoted to a newspaper or magazine ad. Six signs were used to deliver the message, maintaining interest with one line on each sign, always ending with the punch line “Burma- Shave.” Mounted on a post, each sign was placed 100 feet apart along the road.Īt 35 miles an hour it took almost three seconds to drive from sign to sign or 18 seconds to read the entire series. Though the fact whizzed right past my young head, each jingle had six lines. Verse by the Side of the Road The Story of the Burma-Shave Signs and Jingles by Frank Rowsome, Frank Rowsome Jr., and Carl Rose. Their purpose was to sell shaving cream, citing reasonable price and cautioning against substitutes, but the verses imprinted in red on rectangular white signs became part of the nation’s humor. Burma- Shave advertisements originated when roads, even interstate highways, had only two lanes and floor-boarding to 45 miles an hour was speeding.

Verse by the side of the road frank rowsome