'Detroit 1-8-7' rolls on the river

A Polish wedding featuring local talent is filmed on the Detroit Princess

Susan Whitall / The Detroit News

Nit-picking critics -- that includes all of us -- will be happy to hear that the second episode of ABC's new crime show "Detroit 1-8-7," airing tonight at 10 p.m., has an infusion of Detroit flavor: Polish flavor, to be exact. Part of the action takes place at a raucous Polish wedding (warning, sexual shenanigans are in play) on the Detroit Princess river boat.

Local talent figures in: "Big Al" Muscovedo, of the now-defunct WOMC Dick Purtan morning show, plays a polka band leader who announces the traditional "money dance," or pani mloda. There's also some comic relief back at police headquarters when detectives try -- and fail -- to pronounce the last names of wedding guests called in as witnesses.

The second episode also features numerous shots of the GM-logoed Renaissance Center, Hart Plaza (where a body is discovered), and many moody views of the Detroit River at night, dark water rippling ominously around the lit-up Princess. The city's late 19th/early 20th century housing stock -- those familiar, sturdy red brick or white frame buildings with second-floor balconies, and often, an iron-barred front door -- gives the right tone to the neighborhood scenes. Musically, Aretha Franklin's voice is the last thing you hear in tonight's show, singing "Drown in My Own Tears."

The word for pop that created such a ruckus locally after the show's debut -- "soda," used more properly on the east and west coast -- does figure in this episode again, although coming from the mouth of Det. Louis Fitch (Michael Imperioli), with his East Coast accent, we'll let it go. And he pointedly corrects soda to "beverage" in the scene, so now it appears to be part of the back story.

Muscovedo, who does acting jobs and voiceover work under his real name of Alan Muskowitz, isn't seen close up, but in a long shot, as Sgt. Jesse Longford (James McDaniel) and Det. Aman Mahajan (Shaun Majumder) watch from the back of the Princess' ballroom. "Somebody dropped some serious coin for this," Mahajan notes, looking around at the packed room and elaborate cake.

Muskowitz is a small figure at the top left of the screen, but his voice booms out: "OK, everybody dip into your pockets, time for the pani mloda ... can somebody find me the groom? Come on, we know you're out there, lucky guy. Too late to hide now!"

"The detectives walk in at a very critical point, and they arrest Kwame Kilpatrick," Muskowitz reports.

Oh, just kidding.

He also reveals that it's a real Detroit polka band he's pretending to lead, but they're only pretending to play; the music is being piped in. Muskowitz believes that the Detroit content in "1-8-7" will grow exponentially each week.

"There'll be a big step up, now that they're shooting in Detroit," Muskowitz said. "When they shot the pilot, they were still down in Atlanta. Now that they're anchored here, they can relate to things for real. They feel more comfortable in their roles."

The former Purtan sidekick reports that the "1-8-7" crew took 6-7 hours to shoot the wedding scenes on the Princess, and he was geeked to be given his own dressing room. He found the cast, especially McDaniel, to be "absolutely enamored" with Detroit.

"They could not speak more highly about Detroit," Muskowitz said. "It's a welcome relief from their Hollywood thing, being with regular folks in a regular town. During a script reading, (producer/director) Kevin Hooks went out of his way to say 'Hey guys, when you're out there represent really well because we like this city and we want to be here for a while.' "

Muskowitz got the gig through one of the talent agencies he's signed with, Productions Plus: the Talent Shop. As all actors know, he has had to try out for many more roles that he didn't get.

To prepare for his scenes, Muskowitz called three Polish restaurants to ask how to correctly pronounce "pani mloda." "I got three different answers," he says with a laugh. "One also said, it doesn't mean 'money dance,' but 'pretty girl.'"

The practice, usually the last number played at a Polish or Ukrainian wedding, is for wedding guests to request dances with the bride. For the privilege of dancing with her, they give gifts of money.

Another bit of local flavor that figures in several scenes is a copy of The Detroit News with the front page headline, "Squad Room Shooting," waved around by Wayne County Assistant Prosecutor Alice Williams (Rochelle Aytes) as she complains to Lt. Maureen Mason (Aisha Hinds) about an incident in the pilot episode when a suspect shot a rookie cop in the squad room.

"This is a major nightmare," the assistant prosecutor rants, waving the newspaper. A snarky exchange ensues with Det. Fitch. The News' red-banded logo and layout was used (with permission from the publisher), repurposed with a special "1-8-7"-generated headline.

There's even a little racial tension in the scene, if you pay attention, which could also be deemed pure Detroit.

On TV

'Detroit 1-8-7'

Episode 2: "Local Hero/Man Overboard."

10 tonight on ABC

Extras, extras

"Detroit 1-8-7" is looking for extras. Metro Detroiters interested in participating can register online at at www.realstyleonline.com.

swhitall@detnews.com (313) 222-2156