30 most shocking moments in late night history
By Jeremy Dick
2. Crispin Glover nearly kicks Letterman’s head off
Eccentric actor, musician, and filmmaker Crispin Glover is best known for playing George McFly in the original Back to the Future. Following the success of the movie, Glover was cast in the teen drama flick River’s Edge, and appeared on David Letterman’s show in 1987 to promote the movie. What happened next was one of the most outrageous moments in television history.
Wearing glasses, a wig, and platform shoes, Glover was very manic during the interview, unable to properly answer the questions being given. Letterman visibly started to get very annoyed with Glover, commenting that he was “drowning” by having to suffer through this interview with him. Finally, Letterman had enough when Glover claimed to be strong, demonstrating as much by kicking towards Letterman’s face, seemingly inches away from making contact. Letterman cut the segment short and had Glover leave during the commercial break.
What nobody realized at the time was that Glover was in character for another film he had acted in called Rubin and Ed, which hadn’t yet been released. Further production delays pushed the film’s release back several more years, making Glover’s appearance on Letterman’s show all the more confusing as nobody could yet connect the dots.
Next: 1. Was that real?