Photos stir memories of ‘Marlboro Man’ shoot in ’71

ORIGINALLY WRITTEN JULIE ANDERSON
Chuck and Lori McLinden’s latest addition to the decor in their ranch home east of Marion is more than one more pretty picture.



The McLindens recently had three photographs framed of the “Marlboro Men,” a popular advertising campaign for Marlboro cigarettes.



They wanted the photos framed not only because they liked their cowboy look, but because of the story behind the photos.



The pictures were taken with Chuck’s grandfather, Bud McLinden, while he was working cattle at the ranch in 1971.



“They were special to me because of the heritage of it,” Chuck said. “It’s not everybody’s dad who is involved with the Marlboro Man. I wanted to get their permission to have them and get them framed so we could hang them up out here and they could be seen rather than be in a folder in the back of the closet.”



It was Oct. 22, 1971, when the elder McLinden was joined by men from the Marlboro company to take photos for their ads. He had gotten involved with the company through Wayne Donovan, an acquaintance who also is involved with livestock.



Donovan knew Bud still had cattle out that late in the year.



Marlboro representatives called Bud to see if they could bring some cowboys down to help him work, while photos were taken for the ads.



For Bud, it was just another day of work.



“I was just glad to get the help,” Bud said. “That was free help.”



He said the men brought in were good horsemen and knew how to handle cattle.



Bud was joined by two cowboys, two drivers and a photographer and his helper.



The day started when they arrived at McLinden’s Mulvane Ranch, north of Elmdale. The ranch covered 11,280 acres, divided into three pastures.



“We had a big day of moving cattle out of a ranch over there north of Elmdale and he brought two of these cowboys,” Bud said. “I wouldn’t say they were professional cowboys, they were just honest-to-goodness cowboys.”



The hired men used McLinden’s horses, but brought their own saddles and equipment.



“We got up there early in the morning, of course,” he said. “It must have been about four or five miles from the close end of the pasture. We tried to be in the pasture by daylight.”



The assembly of cowboys had to ride across the pasture, which was three miles long, and drive 350 head of cattle four to five miles to the shipping pens.



During that time, the Marlboro company followed them with two station wagons full of cameras.



“They went over hills and everything,” Bud said. “They would run over any kind of rocks. They took several hundred pictures and were with us all day on that move. Later we went over northeast of Strong City and took pictures of a band of brood mares.”



Bud would outline the general direction they were going to take and the photographer would get ahead of them to set everything up for a shot when they rode by.



“As soon as the guys were by, they would load everything up, go on back down the trail and set up for the next shot,” Bud said.



During the day, Bud’s wife, Roseva, brought the group lunch so they would not have to leave the pasture.



The cowboys were working the entire time except when they had to have a photo taken. The photographers also wanted them to be smoking every time a photo was taken.



“These boys, they would burn up two or three or four or five packs a day,” he said. “Every time they wanted to take a picture, they had to have a cigarette in their mouth. That was a must.”



They also continuously changed shirts throughout the day, but always rode the same horses.



“We spent the day with them,” Bud said. “We started at six o’clock that morning and ended up eating supper at Kingfisher that evening.”



His payment for the day was supper at the Marion restaurant and the photos the Marlboro company sent him.



“They mailed us those pictures shortly after,” Bud said. “We had them put up in a closet since then.”



The McLindens also gave away some of the photos because they didn’t think much about it. To them, the event was just another day’s work.



“The ironic part is he has trouble remembering some of the names of the people, but he remembers the names of the horses in those pictures that the guys are riding,” Chuck said.



The cattle were owned by traders and Bud took care of them while they were in the pasture. The horses were owned by Russell Klotz.



Bud said a year after the photos were taken, he was in south Texas with Roseva going down the main highway when he saw a picture of the man on the gray horse on a billboard. He said he thought he recognized the horse and turned around to look at it.



“Clear in South Texas, that gray horse got clear down there,” Bud said.



Said Chuck: “That tells you how well he remembers his horses, driving down the interstate at 60 miles an hour and he sees a horse on the billboard and knows the horse.”



Bud said the experience means a little more to him now. The only problem: He doesn’t have anyone to prove it by because he is the only one still living.

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