Burma-Shave was an American brand of brushless shaving cream, famous for its advertising gimmick of posting humorous rhyming poems on small sequential highwasy roadside signs.  

Burma-Shave Tube and Box

Circa 1940s

Burma-Shave was introduced in 1925 by the Burma-Vita company in Minneapolis, Minnesota owned by Clinton Odell.  The company's original product was a linament made of ingredients described as having come "from the Malay Peninsula and Burma" (hence its name).  Sales were sparse and the company sought to expand sales by introducing a product with wider appeal.  Sales increased and at its peak Burma-Shave was the second-highest-selling brushless shaving cream in the U.S. though sales declined in the 1950s.

The Burma-Shave sign series first appeared on U.S. Highway 65 near Lakeville, Minnesota. The signs were originally produced in two color combinations: red-and-white. Burma-Shave signs were removed after 1963 when the company was sold to American Safety Razor Company, as faster interstates made the small, sequential signs unreadable and obsolete.  Rising maintenance costs, changing advertising trends and the 1965 Highway Beautification Act contributed to their disappearance.  Only a few originals remain, mainly in museums.

As highway speeds increased, drivers could no longer read the famous six-signs, rhyming advertisements. How many signs were there?  Roughly 35,000 signs, nationwide.  The cost of leasing land from farmers and maintaining the signs became too expensive. Interesting to note:  One complete set is housed in the Smithsonian National Museum of AmericanHistory with others in museums like The Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn Michigan, the Forney Transportation Museum in Denver, Colorado and the Virginia Museum of Transportation in Roanaoke, Virginia. 

There are nostalgia replicas re-installed on Route 66 in Seligman, Arizona as a nod to roadside history.

A preserved set of U.S. Route 66 signs promoting Burma-Shave.

Burma-Shave rhymes often blended humor with driving safety and lighthearted digs at "old-fashioned" shaving methods.

In the last year for the signs, most of which were repeats, including the final slogan, which had originally appeared in 1953:

"Our fortune / Is your / Shaven face / It's our best / Advertising space / Burma-Shave"

 

Special Promotional Messages

"Free offer! / Rip a fender off your car / Mail it in / for a half-pound jar / Burma-Shave"

A large number of fenders were received by the company, which made good on its promise.

"Free - free / a trip to Mars / for 900 / empty jars / Burma-Shave"

Arylss French, owner of a Red Owl grocery store did submit 900 empty jars.  The company at first replied: "If a trip to Mars / you earn / remember, friend / there's no return." Then Burma-Shave, on the recommendation of Red Owl's publicity team, withdrew the one-way offer and instead sent Mr. and Mrs. French on vacation to the town of Moers (often pronounced "Mars") near Duisburg, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. 

Frederick C. Mennen of LaPorte, Indiana a chemist, inventor and industrialist is credited with developing the product in 1958.  Mennen began mareting Jiffy Pop in 1959.

American Home Products purchased Jiffy Pop from Mennen that same year.  Alvin Golub, a pharmacologist, perfected the product and within one year it reached the national U.S. market.  In 1976, the stage magician Harry Blackstone, Jr. was endorsing what the television-commerical jingle called "the magic treat .. as much fun to make as it is to eat". 

Original Jiffy Pop packages used a plain, bright aluminum pan. 

Known for it interactive "magic" experience, it was often popular in the 1960-1980s. The old-fashioned popcorn that expanded in a foil pan on the stovetop was introduced in 1959.  It consisted of kernels, oil and flavoring inside a disposable aluminum pan with a metal handle and a heavy foil lid that puffed up into a bubble as the corn pops. 

 

 

Cherry Blossom Time

Washington, D.C.

www.nationalcherryblossomfestival.org

DC's iconic cherry blossoms are expected to reach peak bloom on Thursday, March 26.  The peak, defined by 70% of the Yoshino trees blooming is occuring early due to warm weather.  The best viewing at the Tidal Basin is expected to last though the weekend of March 28-29 following the peak. The peak blooms generally last 4-7 days, but can last up to 2 weeks under ideal, cool weather. 

The National Cherry Blossom Festival runs from March 20-April 12.  It features an opening ceremony, kite festival and parade. The festival honors American and Japanese cultures and represents a close bond forged between the two countries that began with Tokyo Mayor Yukio Ozaki's gift of the trees back in 1912. 

And speaking of trees, you can assist in the effort to preserve and protect DC's iconic cherry trees through the Trust for the National Mall's .. Adopt a Cherry Tree campaign.

For those who wish to celebrate from afar, enthusiasts can see the cherry blossoms via the live BloomCam. The BloomCam is a live, 24/7 camera feed that provides a view of the cherry trees lining the Tidal Basin on the National Mall.  The camera is a partnership between the Trust for the National Mall, the National Park Service and EarthCam.  The camera changes angles every five minutes to provide a complete picture of the area.

An event called Petalpalooza takes place at the Wharf waterfront district in Washington along the Washington Channel of the Potomac River.  It features live music, art installations, family activities and a fireworks show over the Potomac River.

Few experiences capture the magic of Spring in Washington quite like the cherry blossoms.  The pale pink petals drifting across the Tidal Basin, the vibrant energy of the waterfront and the excitement of festivals like Petalpalooza combine to create an unforgettable seasonal atmosphere. 

There is one type of blossom that appears late among all the other spring pedals is the Kwanzan cherry tree.  It is the popular, ornamental Japanese flowering tree celebrated for its dramatic, deep pink, double-petaled blossoms. The Kwanzan Cherry Tree has the showiest blossoms of the cherry blossom trees.  The blooms are lush and have a nice light, slightly sweet almond scent.

 It is the hallmark of Washington, D.C.'s landscape.  

These blossoms resemble carnations.  The Kwanzan cherry trees were part of the original 1912 gift from Japan.  These trees can achieve a height of 26-39 feet and live to be over 100 years old.  

 

What Happened to the Drive-In Movie Theater?

Part II

At their peak in 1958, more than 4,000 drive-in movie theaters ooperated across the United States.  Today, only a few hundred remain.

For decades, the drive-in was one of the most affordable and flexible ways for American famillies to spend a summer evening.  You pulled in before sunset, clipped the speaker to your car window, watched the concession slides flicker across the screen and stayed as long as you wanted.  Kids fell asleep in the back seat.  Teenagers stayed for the second feature.  Nobody rushed you out.  

Some of the real reasons drive-in theaters declined were rising land values, the arrival of HBO in 1972, the spread of the VCR in the late 1970s and the rise of the indoor movie theater. Yet with the rise of television in the 1950s, indoor movie theaters faced competition.  The single-screen palace declined replaced by multiplexes which were single venues holding multiple screens which boomed in the 1980s. 

What Happened to the Drive-In Movie Theater? 

Part I

The first patented drive-in movie theater was opened by Richard M. Hollingshead on June 6, 1933 on Admiral Wilson Boulevard charging 25 cents per person in Camden, New Jersey.  The drive-in was designed as a family-friendly accessible alternative to indoor theaters.  After peaking in the 1950s and 1960s with over 4,000 U.S. locations, they declined due to the 1970s energy crisis, rising land values and home video, but experienced a niche resurgence as a nostalgic experience for another generation.

Richard M. Hollingshead, Jr., a sales manager at his father's company created the drive-in to solve the discomfort of traditional theaters and make movies accessible to families, regardless of how noisy children were. In 1932, Hollingshead tested his idea in his driveway by nailing a screen to trees, using a 1928 projector on his car hood and placing a radio behind the screen to test sound. He applied for a patent in August of 1932 which was granted in May 1933.  While the idea was novel the original drive-in was not immediately successful and Hollingshead sold it after three years.

Post WWII, with the boom in car culture, drive-ins exploded in popularity, particularly in rural areas and suburbs. The introduction of in-car speakers with volume control in 1941 by RCA significantly improved the experience.  Drive-ins often included playgrounds and miniature golf.

Drive-ins were not without challenges:  the sound broadcast from the screen reached viewers in the back with an annoying time delay, out of sync with what was happening in the films.  This was addressed first by more speakers, then by clip-on speakers, and ultimately by broadcasting the soundtrack directly to car radios.

Originally, the movie's sound was provided by speakers on the screen and later by individual speakers hung from the window of each car which was attached to a small pole by a wire.  These speaker systems were superseded by the more practical method of broadcasting the soundtrack through car radios. 

By 1958, the peak year for drive-in theaters in the United States, there were approximately 4,000 to 5,000 operating with specific figures citing around 4,063 locations marking the zenith of their popularity before television and home entertainment led to a decline.  The height of the drive-in era was driven by post-war culture and the baby boom. This boom was fueled by suburban growth and the demand for family--friendly entertainment, a niche drive-ins filled perfectly. 

Michigan has the largest drive-in theater, the Ford-Wyoming Drive-In in Dearborn which once held nine screens and capacity for 3,000 cars making it the world's largest though it now operates with fewer screens but remains a huge venue.  Another contender for the biggest screen is Gengie's Drive-In in Maryland known for its massive screen.

The oldest continuously operating drive-in theater in America is Shankweiler's Drive-In Theatre in Orefield, PA. off PA Route 309 by Wilson Shankweiler.  It opened on April 15, 1934 and holds the Guinness World Record as the oldest in the world being the second drive-in ever built in the United States after the original in Camden, New Jersey. The Shankweiler's Drive-In was one of the first drive-ins to use FM radio for audio and later adopted digital projection. 

 

 

The Biltmore Hotel

150 Bradley Place

Palm Beach, Florida

Built in 1926 as a boutique hotel for $7 million by winter Palm Beach resident, Gustav Maurice Heckscher, the Alba Hotel was a grand 12-story, 550-room Palm Beach landmark designed for wealthy socialites.  Heckscher had developed properties in California and named the new hotel after his polo-playing friend, the Spanish Duke of Alba. The Duke was supposed to have attended the grand opening, but records show he didn't.  But who cared?  A Who's Who was still present.  

While Eva Roberts Cromwell Stotesbury* along with Paris and Lillie Singer, among others, helped with activities among the older crowd, Stotesbury's son from a previous marriage to Olver Eaton Cromwell, by the name of Jimmy Cromwell, who later married the richest-girl-in-the-world, Doris Duke caroused with a younger A-list group in the Alba's Isabella dining room and Muleteer Grill. Throughout its hotel years, it hosted famous visitors including the Duke and Duchess of Windsor and President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

The Alba was the talk of the town.  Unlike previous wooden Palm Beach hotels that succumbed to fire, it was a fortress of stucco, reinforced concrete and quarry-key rock. Though however robust its structure, the Alba Hotel wasn't strong enough to weather the financial crisis that lay ahead.  By the spring of 1926, the hotel was bankrupt as Florida's land boom began to bust.  By 1927, under new ownership, it reopened as part of the national Ambassador Hotels system and would be renamed The Ambassador. 

The Alba Hotel 

Circa 1920s

In 1934, under yet another owner, the name changed again and this time it stuck:  The Palm Beach Biltmore which drew guests equally as prominent as before.  Then everything changed all over Palm Beach.

The island in the early 1940s remained a resort town as ever, but one on wartime footing with a local Civil Patrol and numerous periodic blackouts as German U-boats lurked offshore during WWII.  The Breakers was pressed into service as an Army hospital while locals opened their homes to provide meals and comfort to servicemen stationed in the area.

At the Biltmore in 1943, "elaborate furniture and most everything else that once represented civilian luxury and comfort at the hotel had been removed in favor of austere double-decker cots, plain scant furniture and rigid discipline" a visiting Miami News reporter wrote.

Until February 1945, the nation's largest indoctrination and training center for the U.S. Coast Guard Women's Reserve was at the Biltmore.  Not long after, the Biltmore served as a U.S. Naval convalescent hospital with a doctor and nurse staff with rooms for 1,400 patients.

Circa 1943-1944

After the war, the hotel underwent other ownership changes, first with Hilton Hotels of America which lightened and brightened the building's Spanish theme dating from its Alba Hotel days. A new lounge was added called the Cascades along with a party room called Fiesta.  

By 1970, insurance magnate and philanthropist John D. MacArthur had bought the Biltmore for a reported $1.5 million after the previous owner filed for bankruptcy and closed the hotel which then temporarily lost its occupancy license. MacArthur was a force in the area.  He had already made a fortune investing in Florida real estate and by the mid-1950s alone, he reportedly had purchased hundreds of acres in today's Lake Park, North Palm Beach, Palm Beach Gardens and more.

Surely, he'd breathe new life in the Biltmore though after tussling with town leaders over what the building's future would look like and also suffering health issues, MacArthur put the property up for sale.  On more than a few occasions, he made it clear there was a contingency:  If you want to buy it, no demolishing the building.

It wasn't until 1975 that a sale finalized:  Stanley J. Harte, a developer with a local sensibility, paid $5.3 million for the Biltmore property.  He planned to convert it all into condominium apartments. Since that time,the residences have been fully renovated and remodeled to reflect the chic South Florida style. Condos at the Biltmore offer two bedrooms, two bathrooms with approximately 2,000 square feet of indoor living space.  Common appointments include marble floors, 10-foot ceilings, custom cabinets, gourmet kitchens, ample storage, private balconies, laundry rooms, floor to ceiling windows, impact resistant glass plus high-end fixtures and furnishings.

"Its high time that the unpleasant sight of a beautiful building deteriorating before our very eyes should be stopped and its beauty restored to the fullest extent."

Stanley J. Harte

The 128-unit Palm Beach Biltmore Condominiums debuted in 1981 when Harte received an award from the Palm Beach Daily News.  "In simple terms, Mr. Harte's history in Palm Beach is written in the promises he made and kept" the Daily News then-publisher Agnes Ash said at Harte's winning Business Leader of the Year,

Back then, a one-bedroom condo might sell for $105,000. Today, units which include up to four-bedroom residences, start at significantly higher price points, of course.  A recent online search showed condos there with asking prices ranging from $3.975 million to $9.25 million. Amenities include a doorman and concierge service, an onsite building manager and other staff, as well as party rooms, gardens, a heated Olympic-sized saltwater swimming pool, private cabanas, locker rooms with infrared saunas, two Har-Tru tennis courts, bike and jogging trail, fitness center, conference rooms, on-site security, courtesy bus, valet and boat slips in the Intracoastal Waterway.  Nearby on Sunset Avenue is the Biltmore's beach club with a restaurant. It also offers a Grand Salon for grand parties.

Residents appreciate the deep dock access, private beach club and restaurant.  With its central location, residents of the Biltmore are never short on things to do.  From casual social events to black tie galas, the Palm Beach area is a mecca for charitable fundraisers, theatrical performances, symphonies, ballets, upscale shops, polo matches, championship golf courses, fishing excursions and equestrian events.

The historic building is situated on the lakefront just over a block north of Royal Poinciana Way facing the Intracoastal Waterway.  Opening in February 1926 with major society fanfare, it was built by a 1,400-member crew on the site.  Despite its luxurious debut, the hotel went bankrupt by May 1926 coinciding with the collapse of the Florida land boom through it continued to operate.  Known briefly as The Ambassador (1929) before being acquired a renamed the Palm Beach Biltmore by Colonel Henry Doherty in 1934. The hotel was famous for its glamorous parties and notable guests, reportedly including the Duke of Alba and mobster Al Capone.

The Palm Beach Daily News issued dated February 16, 2026 printed an article titled The Biltmore at 100, from Glamourous Hotel to Prestigious Address.

"Its halls have been roamed by everyone from royals to Hollywood stars and by social and financial elites from July Garland, Dorothy Parker and Arthur Hammerstein.  When it debuted 100 years ago this month, it was Palm Beach's tallest building:  Rising 12 stories with an architectural design bookended by towers, it was reminiscent of what The Breakers looks like today, an iconic 1896 founded Palm Beach property. In February 1926, the oceanfront Breakers was temporarily absent .. still under construction after an all-consuming 1925 fire.  So imagine the awe when, just a stone's hurl west, the soaring Hotel Alba on the lake opened just after the midpoint of the Roaring '20s.  With a Spanish flair to its architecture, it was tall and stalwart and grand.

Known as The Palm Beach Biltmore condominum since 1981, it has been a sought-after residential property.  The town designated the building protected landmark in 1991. 

A by-invitation centennial celebration took place Feb. 5 at the lakeside property at 150 Bradley Place, a little more than a block north of Royal Poinciana Way.  Among those present at the centennial party was longtime Biltmore resident Ambassador Eric M. Javits who has wintered in Palm Beach for years including the stays of his childhood.  He recalls how his late parents likely were the first overnight guests on the property in 1926 and weeks before The Alba debuted on February 17. The opening event complete with two orchestras onsite included such chairpersons as then so-called Palm Beach society queen Eva Stotesbury, who lived on the island's then-most extravagant estate, El Mirasol with her financier husband, Edward.  

With 500-plus guest rooms, the massive twin-towered Alba had risen, phoenix-like on a six acre property.  "The Alba", a local reporter noted, "towers above all other Palm Beach hotels and clubs in its commanding position facing the palm-fringed city across the way" .. a reference to West Palm Beach.

Logo of Palm Beach Condominium on gate leading to dock on the intracoastal waterway.

Sunrise over the Biltmore Condominium

*Eva and Edward Stotesbury, the same prominent couple behind the famed Whitemarsh Hall in PA (featured on this blog) and Wingwood in Bar Harbor, Maine also owned El Mirasol, a lavish Palm Beach estate.  Completed in 1920, the Mediterranean-style mansion boasted 37 grand rooms, a 40-car garage in the basement level and even its own zoo .. a true symbol of Gilded Age extravagance of South Florida. Designed by the famous Palm Beach architect Addison Mizner, the estate spanned the full width of the island (Atlantic Ocean to Intracoastal Waterway) encompassing more than 40 acres.

El Mirasol

Circa

January 19, 1933

Despite its stately splendor, El Mirasol a 37-room Spanish Colonial Revival met the same fate as many other opulent homes of its era and was sadly demolished in the 1950s, erasing one of Palm Beach's most remarkable architectural landmarks from the landscape.  El Mirasol was believed to be located on the Intracoastal Waterway near North County Road at 348 North Ocean Boulevard. Today, a luxury residence is on the former El Mirasol property.