When we were kids one of the greatest pastimes as we traveled any distance at all was reading the Burma Shave signs. We would race to count the Fords (remember the ad, "Watch the Fords go by") that went by and to see who could see and read the Burma Shave signs.

About every forty miles another little verse would begin: HIS FACE WAS SMOOTH/AND COOL AS ICE/ AND OH LOUISE!/ HE SMELLED/ SO NICE/ BURMA SHAVE.

Actually, for the time and circumstances; no divided highways, cars whose speed was around 40/mph, the sequence of little signs were an ideal way to advertise. Easy to read and a pause between phrases, was more time than we now give to advertising—and we didn’t skip to the end to see what the product was. It was a drastic change from the other advertising of that day which went on and on with reasons why you should use particular products.

Clinton Odell and his two sons were the ones who developed the brushless shaving cream and named it Burma because some of the ingredients came from there. They tried door-to-door selling, but that didn’t work. Then one of the sons came up with the idea of the little signs. Getting permission to put them on a farmer’s land, about $25 per year, was inexpensive. In fact, most farmers seemed proud to have them. Soon everyone was watching for the signs: PAST SCHOOLHOUSES/ TAKE IT SLOW/ LET THE LITTLE/ SHAVERS GROW. Of course, the last sign always read BURMA SHAVE.

The advance man for the company would cruise along main highways watching for spots that met his requirements. Then he’d approach the farmer, give him a jar of the product, show him a sign and negotiate. Farmers seemed ready to cooperate and even notified the company when any damage was done: LISTEN, BIRDS/ THESE SIGNS COST/ MONEY/ SO ROOST A WHILE/ BUT DON’T GET FUNNY.

Once the sons felt they had made a grave mistake when they erected this series: OLD MC DONALD/ ON THE FARM/ SHAVED SO HARD/ HE BROKE HIS ARM/ THEN HE BOUGHT/ BURMA SHAVE. It was too late to change when they noticed on the mailbox that a man named McDonald lived there. Apologetically they went to the man expecting anger, but he began to laugh and had them leave it.

During the years when the signs were so popular, not many things were funny. Smiles were few during the Depression years. Maybe that’s why the signs got so much attention. Who could help but smile at: WITH/ A SLEEK CHEEK/ PRESSED TO HERS/ JEEPERS! CREEPERS!/ HOW SHE PURRS. Next one might have been: THE ANSWER TO/ A MAIDEN’S/ PRAYER/ IS NOT A CHIN/ OF STUBBY HAIR.

The whole family was involved in the reading and remembering until the next sign, or deciphering when we craned our necks out the window to read the reverse ones across the road: THEM FOR SEED/ TO LEAVE ON HALF/ YOU DON’T NEED/ WHISKERS/ WHEN CUTTING.

The makers of our favorite shaving cream warned of substitutes, too. GIVE THE GUY/ THE TOE OF YOUR BOOT/ WHO TRIES/ TO HAND YOU/ A SUBSTITUTE.

At first the sons made all the jingles, but after the signs were erected from coast to coast they began to run out of ideas, so they began to have contests. Prizes of $100 each for selected jingles brought thousands of entries. Father had the job of sorting and choosing at first, but when the entries began to exceed 50,000, he yelled for help. They hired a couple of experts, women who worked as ad-agency copywriters, to come in for a few weeks and filter out the best. SAID JULIET/ TO ROMEO/ IF YOU WON’T SHAVE/ GO HOMEO. Another predition of doom read HE HAD THE RING/ HE HAD THE FLAT/ BUT SHE FELT HIS CHIN/ AND THAT/ WAS THAT.

Transportation changed. Roads became super highways and cars speedier. Some things didn’t change: The signs are not altogether lost to history. When the makers were asked to donate one series to the Smithsonian Institute, they chose: WITHIN THIS VALE/ OF TOIL/ AND SIN/ YOUR HEAD GROWS BALD/ BUT NOT YOUR CHIN.

So now, since we’ve said: FARE WELL TO VERSE/ ALONG THE ROAD/ HOW SAD TO/ KNOW YOU’RE/ OUT OF MODE, Ray and I listen to books on tape as we travel the freeways. Our favorites are Mary Higgens Clark mysteries.