was the 1955 brainchild of Leo Burnett Worldwide. Originally played
by actors, it became apparent that the Marlboro man needed an auth-
enticity that would ring true with the cigarette's intended market. Real
cowboys were recruited from rodeos and ranches, including Darrell
Winfield, (shown in the second print ad below), an actual ranch hand who
played the part for over 20 years until his retirement in the 1980s. And
of course, the macho appeal of the ad icon was only that much more en-
hanced when coupled, in the 1960s, with Elmer Bernstein's brilliant theme
from "The Magnificent Seven."
