Patricia Margot McClain
Born in Long Beach California on May 3, 1954, the future Miss May’s Playboy career was controversial from the start. Her first photoshoot for the magazine was the November 1975 cover. A picture that is tame by today’s standards, but back then was a definite shot at Penthouse in the two magazines rivalry dubbed “The Pubic Wars.” Before it even hit the newstands, Huge Hefner was sorry the magazine went that far and vowed to not do so again. The cover caused so much uproar that it still ranks among the top ten most controversial Playboy Covers. Hefner’s vow did not last long, the same cover was reused for the July 1980 Playboy Spain Cover.
Playboy’s Controversial November 1975 Cover
The controversy didn’t seem to hurt Patricia McClain much. Six months later she was in the magazine again, this time as Miss May 1976 working with Photographer Ken Marcus.
Patricia McClain’s Centerfold
“You probably remember Patricia Margot McClain as our November 1975 cover girl. She was shown sitting in a movie theater holding – uh – a box of popcorn on her thigh. Saucy, sexy and outspoken, Patricia has a Mae Westian sense of humor and, as a liberated half-Apache female, is a proud member of two embattled groups. She was discovered by Playboy Editor-Publisher Hugh M. Hefner. “I was in a little night club, where you’d never expect him to show up,” she recalls, “but he came in, with about five people, got to meet me and invited me to his house. We’ve been good friends ever since.” Patricia attracted a great deal of attention with her cover appearance: At presstime, she was being considered for a part in a special based on the life of John Barrymore, Sr. And other offers have been coming in. It’s kind of a surprise route to success for a young lady who won awards for her dramatic ability at both Pasadena City College and UCLA (she has also studied broadcasting and gets a kick out of taping make-believe radio shows). But then, a lot of things about her are unlikely. Born on a ship off the California coast 22 years ago, Patricia is the daughter of an admiral in the U.S. Navy and an Indian lady who spent her early years on a reservation in New Mexico (“I visited there once; the people were so poor, it was pathetic”) but now lives in the San Bernardino Mountains. Patricia left home at 17 (“I was raised under my father’s thumb; he’s very strong and, as a triple Taurus, I’m very rebellious”) and worked for a while in a boutique. Thanks, however, to a trust fund set up by her father and her grandfather, she’s been able to do more studying than working. In fact, she admits that next to becoming a Shakespearean actress, her fondest ambition was always “to grow up and have nothing to do.” But, as a result of her cover shot, it looks as if she’ll get lots of work. Somehow we don’t think she’ll mind.”
Magazine Appearances
1975 – Playboy, November (Cover Model)
1976 – Playboy, May (Playmate)
1977 – Playboy, October (Masked Ball Pictorial)
1978 – Playboy, August
1980 – Playboy Spain, July (Same Cover as 1975)
1996 – Pocket Playmates No.4, Unknown
1996 – The Playmate Book: Five Decades of Centerfolds
Patricia in “Having a Masked Ball” as the lion tamer, taming Lillian Muller
Patricia Margot McClain continued to pose for Playboy for the next two years, generating some truly gorgeous photos.
In 1996, Patrica McClain was in the national news. Her inclusion in the 1996 the publishing of the “Playmate Book: Five Decades of Centerfolds” cost her her job as an office manager. As she had told the company about her past when hired but was told to keep it quite, she sued the company over (presumably,) unlawful termination. The lawsuit was settled out of court, but made the news including multiple prime time TV News shows. Playboy stepped up to give her a job in their editing department, and she did some modeling jobs on the side.
In 1999, Patricia decided to run for the California Legislature against Republican Senator Elton Gallegly. Activists in the Republican Party convinced her to attempt to run against Democratic Congressman Bob Filner in the San Diego district instead. They promised her support, but that fell through. Patricia’s attempt to run for office was aborted before it really got started. It is apparent though that she somewhat regrets her time with Playboy. During her political campaign she was quoted as saying “They took advantage of me with $15,000. That’s what I tell the feminists. It was a growing-up thing, and it was also a little girl’s dream.”
If you know anything more about Miss May, 1976, please comment below.
