Quirky and beloved ticket-taker, fired from Morristown theater, eyes a comeback

MORRISTOWN — Eric "Fluffy" Glover is looking to make his movie theater comeback.

The flamboyant ticket taker and Morristown-area fan favorite was let go from his longtime position at the AMC Headquarters 10 theater in Morristown earlier this month. But he said he's trying to "stay strong" and has interviewed with another Morris County theater.

"The lady I interviewed with said the general manager would call me within two weeks. I guess after the holidays," Glover said.

Glover said he is okay financially. "I'm still renting this room. I wanted to get an apartment," but those plans have been put off until he finds a new job.

"A lot of people have come up to me and apologized to me because they know I got terminated. I tell them to try and stay strong," Glover said. He said that getting fired at Christmas time is the worst."

Glover, 55, was known for his dancing, hand gestures and beat-box noises as he took tickets at the AMC Headquarters 10 — but was fired recently by the theater. His trademark style was captured in the 2009 video above:

Glover told New Jersey 101.5 he believes that several incidents led to his dismissal by a manager name Robin.

Glover said a woman started screaming at him when she went to the wrong area for her movie. "I told her not to embarrass me in front of people. My boss said I shouldn't be yelling at people and I told (Robin) she was yelling at me," he said.

In another case, Glover said, after a longtime fan gave him a hug, Robin told him he wasn't supposed to touch the customers. Touching was also a problem, according to Glover, when six women on a scavenger hunt were supposed to find him and put their hands on his shoulder to take a picture. Glover said he was again reminded of the touching policy.

"The last thing that got me fired unnecessarily was when maybe 20 teenagers  were making real loud noises. I couldn't hear myself tell customers where the movies was," Glover said. He said he asked them to lower their voices. "My boss told me I wasn't allowed to do that .She called corporate and squealed on me and the next thing you know corporate came and fired me. That was so unnecessary."

Glover said he tried to explain to Robin that customers have always hugged him and taken pictures. "I couldn't help it if people love me and hug me and take pictures of me," Glover said.

Glover first became part of the theater staff in 1987, when it was an AMC. When it closed in 2012, then as a Clearview, he was left without a job. AMC took over the space again in 2013, and brought him back on a part-time basis. He was let go this month.

Glover said there's "no chance" of him getting his job back. "Once corporate fires you that's it. I can't get my job back," Glover said.

Customers have expressed their disappointment at Glover's dismissal.  Lucas Shafrin started an online petition to rehire the him, calling him "a staple in the community" that eveyone loves and "would not hurt a fly." Zoë Gulliksen said she would go out of her way to go to the Morristown theater.

“Every single time it was the best. You go on a Saturday night, he was always there. Everyone wanted to get their ticket ripped by him," she said.

It’s not the first time the community has rallied to help Glover out. Nearly 12,000 people joined a Facebook page to support him — originally, to get him re-employed by AMC when it took over the theater, and later to ask the company to employee him full-time.

Almost a year ago, reacting to news Glover was living in his car as he struggled to make ends meet, supporters raised more than $65,000 to help him.

In 2011, fans bandied together to throw him a giant party and buy him a car for his 50th birthday. The celebration was caught on video by MorristownGreen.com at the time.

In a statement, AMC spokesman Ryan Noonan said,Glover "repeatedly exhibited behaviors inconsistent with AMC’s policies and standards. We recognize Eric’s popularity within the Morristown community, and while this decision may not be popular, it is warranted and appropriate.” The chain has declined comment ever since.

Contact reporter Dan Alexander at Dan.Alexander@townsquaremedia.com.

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