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"In the fall of 1925, young Allan Odell conceived the idea of using consecutive signs along the roadside. . . . In 1963 the last signs were taken down, ending the most famous outdoor advertising venture ever."--1977 Minnesota Almanac The whole story is in this book, plus all the jingles used. The signs are gone now, except for one set on permanent display at The Smithsonian. You can have them all, always, in your own library with this book. "Rowsome's volume indexes each of the 600 jingles . . . and as you down the list, preferably reading aloud, it might evoke visions of 1940 Chevies, roadside diners, signs that said EATS. . . . Why were the Burma-Shave jingles so universally loved? Because they were light-hearted and humorous in hard times and war times."--Bov Swift, Knight News Service… (more)
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The book is short, with an adequate history of the advertising thinking behind the iconic signs, an interesting examination of the various classifications of sign sets, and the sad examination of what led to the end of it all. As I said, it's short (68 pages) so it doesn't get deeply into the theories of advertising. But that's fine. It may be there wasn't any deep theorizing in this campaign. It was fun, it was cheap, and it worked.
To me, the best part of the book was the appendix. There is listed every single jingle ever used! (It took 50 pages) And yes, I easily found the ones I knew. Gave me a warm 8 year-old feeling.
Super highways
Super speed
People have
No time to Read
Goodbye,
Burma-Shave