UPDATE: In a comment below Claudia mentioned that Jarvis Jeep had a very catchy jingle: Beep Beep Jarvis Jeep. Apparently, that jingle was played a lot in Oregon as a variety of folks from Oregon have mentioned it on the internet. I tried to find a commercial with jingle, but no luck. Also, at one time Jarvis Jeep was the largest jeep dealer in the nation. If I’d realized Robert Jarvis was still alive I’d have tried to contact him. Unfortunately, he passed away this past April.
Apparently, he was quite the character and boxer. According to the article in this magazine, during a boxing tournament in 1946 Rocky Marciano broke his hand on Bob’s head. After which, they became life long friends. (go here to learn more and then search for ‘Jarvis’.)
Here’s an image with the jingle on it that was posted on pinterest:
Craig scanned this from the January 1959 issue of Jeep News. It features the Jarvis Jeep dealership from Portland, Oregon.
The winching display should have attracted attention.
I agree, Steve. That definitely would stop people dead in their tracks and make them go over to check it out.
Love this. Wish I had a time machine…
Did you see the FC in the window
I love the white walls on the CJ-5 in the window!
I remember going into this dealer with my dad when I was a kid. Always a lot of neat stuff in there.
I still wonder if this is the dealer or the one in Vancouver that my grandfather bought his ’49 Wagon and his ’57 170. Here is a piece of trivia to help date the dealership. http://willysdealershipproject.com/OR/id535.htm
I’m sure someone must have more info from this dealership.
I remember catching the old Rosy city buses near here and passing it every time I went to work at Goodwill Industries of Oregon. I even remember the slogan: “Beep,Beep Jarvis Jeep” ; How many people who used to live in Portland Ore remember that slogan? I lived in the Sellwood area of Portland from 61 to 63, and in other areas of Portland til 89.
Claudia,
Thanks for the bit of history. I just learned that Bob Jarvis died a few months ago. Here’s his obituary that includes a reference to that slogan: http://obits.oregonlive.com/obituaries/oregon/obituary.aspx?pid=170893539
– Dave
I remember the jingle from the middle 1960’s, “Beep, beep. I’m a Jeep,” but I don’t know how it got stuck in my head. Can anyone remember if it was on the radio, or on television? It might have been a commercial featuring Danny Thomas on TV.
**Steve E.**
Was it this?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gk3ifqTPr6I
Steve: No, it can’t be that. Now I can’t get it out of my head … Beep Beep, I’m a Jeep .. make it stop!!
Mr. Jarvis was truly a memorable character. If I recall properly at some point in the late 1970’s I was shooting an ad (long before Photoshop) in front on Haystack Rock at Cannon Beach, OR one sunset and this guy walked directly down from his house to chat.
Turned out it was Jarvis. What a hoot. Apparently he’d retired there and he was still very interested in advertising and his Portland role in it. No details just a charming guy.
I don’t remember that it was a jingle, only a slogan. My siblings and I knew it in the late 60s in Portland.
I can remember sailing with members of the Jarvis family on our Hobie 16’s at Cannon Beach near Haystack rock, and then having a great dinner/outing at their home there on the beach. Lots of fun!
“Beep beep Jarvis Jeep” 🙂 My grandmother used to always says that an it became part of my vocabulary from her 🙂
Until now (Nov 2016) forty five years later I know what it meant – Lol. Grama passed away in 2008 and I never thought to ask her what it meant, just something we always said when we needed to get through and someone was standing in the way.
I have taught it to my three-year-old grandson. “Beep beep, Jarvis Jeep” will live on! 🙂
Those jingles can be powerful. During the 1970s/early 80s the state fair in Washington was held in Puyallup. Commercials for it used a “Do the Puyallup” jingle that I can still sing. You can see how this advertising has evolved from 1976 commercial here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S63ZPE9JL0g
To the more abbreviated version here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S63ZPE9JL0g
I’m rebuilding a 1976 Jeep cj7. I needs some info and remembered my dad saying they answered the phone “beep beep Jarvis jeep” (1960s) so I looked up Jarvis Jeep. That’s how I located this thread!
the tv ad at the end said something like: “come on down to Jarvis Jeep double lucky 1313 East Burnside” and then the beep beep jingle closed out the ad.