photo courtesy Memphis and Shelby County Room, Benjamin L. Hooks Central Library
Whistle wasn’t exclusively a Memphis concoction; instead, it was originally produced by a bottling company based in St. Louis. Even so, it had a busy Memphis operation, as shown in this photo from 1919.
The company lined up its fleet of trucks — and probably all of its employees — outside the bottling plant and offices located at 303-307 South Main. The company’s slogan, painted across the top of the building, was “Just Whistle.” The two large trucks carry the name of salesmen above the doors, and several of the men wear Whistle caps.
Look carefully for an odd addition to this group. What appears to be a little girl sitting stiffly among the burly workers is, in fact, a mannequin — probably designed to be a soda fountain display, since “she” is pouring herself a glass of Whistle. Memphians apparently never puckered up for Whistle. Based on old city directories, the company opened its bottling plant here in 1919 and closed it just three years later.
The Whistle Bottling Company’s Memphis building is still standing on South Main, most recently home to the Rumba Room club.
