For the third and final interview from Shore Leave 41, its time to bring it on home – seriously! Our final actor was raised on Eastern Shore – Salisbury, MD. He has an extensive career that has lasted more than four decades. From playing Bryce Harper is the Christmas cult classic Scrooged to playing an NYC Billionaire with creatures on the loose in his self-named building in Gremlins 2: The New Batch, this actor has carved out a name for himself in comic book world playing Lionel Luthor in Smallville and playing The Riddler in Batman: The Animated Series, Superman: The Animated Series & The New Batman Adventures. Ladies and Gents, I present to you – Towson Tiger alum John Glover!

You’ve been in so many movies, John, and most of all, you are a Maryland native.

I am, I am. I was born in Kingston, NY, but I grew up in Salisbury, MD, on the Eastern Shore. Went to Towson State Teacher’s College, where I was going to be a teacher but I chickened out.

You chickened out?

Well, I didn’t feel I had enough knowledge to pass on to other human beings.

Oh, no!

Yeah. So, I was terrified of being a teacher so I got to be an actor instead so I could be all different types of people.

And you’ve been all different types of people. You’ve been Dr. Jason Woodrue in Batman & Robin, you’ve been The Riddler, you’ve been Brice from Scrooged, which is my favorite Christmas films of all time.

(playfully grabs Dean by his shirt collar) There’s no “I” in t-e-a-m.

No, definitely not. (laughs) So I’ve got to ask, what was it like to be in the classic film Scrooge, which I hear now is a cult classic?

Well, they play it every Christmas so I’m in a Christmas movie. Yeah, well we had a fun time and Bill Murray was fun to work with. And my friend, Carol Kane is brilliant in the movie. So, you know? I’m a lucky so and so.

You are definitely lucky, especially playing The Riddler in the animated series. How did you develop the right voice to play The Riddler?

You know, I read the script and I thought, “You know, this guy is really smart.” And he’s smarter than most people, but he likes to have fun in life, so I just went in and did that. I didn’t develop a voice; I read it like me. (laughs maniacally) I guess I’m The Riddler. When are you in the bathroom and you’re not American?

Mm-hmm. We’re you asking me?

Mm-hmm.

I don’t know.

When you’re a-peein’. (European)

(laughs) Wow!

See, that’s my kind of joke, but The Riddler has real riddles that are really meaningful and fun and everything. So, I didn’t write The Riddler; I just read it.

Absolutely.

Yeah.

So now, you went from The Riddler and you’re in the new Shazam! that just came out recently.

I am. I play one of the worst fathers in the world in the new Shazam! Oh, you know worst fathers than that?

Somewhat, yes.

I guess you’re right. I guess as Lionel; I gave my son Lex shock treatment to make him a stronger boy. That was—some people would see that as torturing him. I think it was an event that strengthened him and made him a better person. It’s all bullshit anyway. Can I say bullshit on your station?

Oh yes, you can. We’re good.

Ok, good. Alright.

(laughs) So, what are some of your fondest memories of growing up in our home state of Maryland?

Of being thirty minutes from the ocean.

Pretty much, yeah.

And, you know, the time when above 25^thStreet was all sand dunes and everything in Ocean City, so you could just…yeah. What else? Well, there’s always Frank Perdue chickens. (laughs)

Oh, yes! The old Frank Perdue chickens. I remember that.

Yep. I don’t know, Salisbury. A lot of people I went to high school with. I’m going to miss our 75^th…you know, now that we’re so old, so we celebrate years of our graduating, major birthdays. We’re all turning 75. So, now I’m doing a play, so I won’t be able to go.

What type of play are you doing?

It’s called Fern Hill, it’s in New York. There’s a theater there. It’s called 59E59, which is on East 59^thStreet. It’s a play by—you’re probably too young to have been an L.A. Law fan. Michael Tucker, Jill Eikenberry. They were the “butterfly kiss” people.

Ok, how old do you think I am?

27?

38.

Oh, my God! You’re just as old as the hills. My, God. So Michael Tucker wrote this play. We’re doing it there. Jill Eikenberry’s in it. Jodie Long, David Rasche. We’ve got a good cast, and it’s a play about some people kind of bonding together to help each other as we go on life’s journey.

(Editor’s note) If you like to see this play – go to https://www.59e59.org/shows/show-detail/fern-hill/

Excellent. So, what do you want to say to the fans who not only listening but watching—

What do I say to them?

Yeah.

About what?

Anything, specifically about—

Ok, in your life, live honestly, be a good person, think before you do somethings that you shouldn’t do and just be kind and generous. Yeah.

That’s pretty cool. So, what is it like to come to a convention and meet all of your fans from the different movies and different television projects that they know you from?

It’s terrific. We all want to be loved. And I’ve met some bad people in the movies and stuff, but in spite of that, people still love me. They seem to.

Yeah. In fact, the earliest memory I have of you is when you were in a commercial for RoboCop 2, and the car electrocuted a guy and I thought, “God, I hope I don’t meet that man, and here I am standing next to you thirty-one years later.

(mimics electrocution scene from RoboCop 2)

(laughs) Well, John, it’s been a pleasure, thank you very much. Special thanks to my good friends at The Star Trek Association of Towson for giving us another round of Shore Leave to enjoy! For more information on Shore Leave – check them out at www.shore-leave.com and check out the Alex Mallari Jr. and Aaron Ashmore Shore Leave 41 interviews 

About The Author

Dean Rogers

Editor-in-Chief/Entertainment Reporter

I knew early on that I wanted to take my place among the stars. One day, my mother saw me reading The Washington Post at a very young age. Who would have known that it would be the building blocks of my journey? Since that day, I dedicated my life to learn all that is learnable. I read everything from encyclopedias, to books, to dictionaries, to magazines. I’m also an avid consumer of television, with my favorite genre being game shows. If you’ve seen me on Who Wants to be a Millionaire or Wheel of Fortune, then you know that this interest has served me well!

My unique style of reporting began back in junior high school, when I started to chronicle the events that shaped my life. Whether it was the annual family vacation or the local science fiction convention, I shot numerous pictures and recorded my thoughts so I could truly appreciate the history. During my senior year at Friendly High, I wrote what was to be my first masterpiece, “Advanced Space Academy – A One Week Journey.” I sent the eleven-page article back to the U.S. Space Camp staff. The article was highly praised for being “one of the best written articles in the history of U.S. Space Camp.” From then on, I knew what I wanted to do for rest of my life — to be a reporter.

Since then, I have trained in Broadcast Journalism at Bowie State University (2008) in Bowie, MD earning a B.S. in Communications. I gained experience in news production and editing through field experiences with Bowie Community Media Corporation, Prince George’s Community Television, and Bowie State University Television. I also wrote scripts for a variety of quiz shows for over five years.

As a lifelong movie buff, I now see close to 100 films every year. I took this love of movies to the next step when I became a co-host for Eclipse Magazine TV in the fall of 2005. While at EMTV, I interviewed celebrities, worked red carpets, and attended a wide variety of movie screenings. In January 2009, I took a leap of faith and started my own entertainment news magazine, The Rogers Revue. Shortly afterward, my life-long journey of studying the silver screen and writing about what I learned finally earned me a place in the Washington Area Film Critics Association.

All of this has led me here, giving you the latest entertainment news for the DMV and the entire nation, and I am truly excited for whatever will come next.

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