Front Lines

Prime Time!

From behind the mike
to in front of the camera.

Alan Muskovitz

Special to the Jewish News

I

f you missed the second episode of Detroit 1-8-7, ABC's
locally produced crime drama (Tuesdays at 10 p.m. on
Channel 7), then you missed one of the most compelling
14 seconds of primetime television since David Hasselhoff
was kicked off Dancing With the Stars.
That's because I appeared on the Sept. 28 episode for 14
seconds as ... "The Polka Band Leader" (24 seconds if you
count pausing my DVR). After 14 years on the radio as "Big
Al Muskavito" on the Dick Purtan Show, I suddenly was
making my network television debut. And I had five lines!
The same lines that I completely botched during my audi-
tion, which proved to me that it was more important to look
like a polka band leader than to sound like one. But I did
end up in the credits. Actually, I think my name was on the
screen longer than I was.
Speaking of time; it took seven hours to shoot my scene, a
scene that accounted for only 34 seconds of the hourlong show.
As "Polka Band Leader," I was conducting the band at a wed-
ding, complete with a decorated ballroom and approximately
200 extras portraying guests. A beautiful wedding except
... the groom ended up suffering a fatal heart attack, which
caused him to flip over a balcony, all due to the fact he had
snuck away from his own wedding party to enjoy a fling with
one of the bridesmaids. Honestly, after seven hours of listen-
ing to polka music, I'm lucky I didn't suffer a similar fate.
Now, while my appearance on Detroit 1-8-7 may not have
been the role of a lifetime, it really did provide a lifetime of

memories. A major highlight — getting my own dressing
room with my name on the door! Can you imagine what my
accommodations might have been had I had a 20-second
speaking part? And they said I could keep the sign, which I
forgot to do. No worries; I embarked on a one-hour round trip
back downtown at 11 p.m. to retrieve it. I figured that will be a
good story to tell during my Emmy acceptance speech.
So, could "Polka Band Leader" be the role that launches
my new career as a thespian? Perhaps. Because it was only a
couple days after my appearance on 1-8-7 that I was invited
to audition for a film being shot here in Michigan. The part
called for a "squatty" Danny DeVito-type man in his 50s to
play a shlubby Russian man. Talk about a boost to one's self-
esteem. Plus, it's not even a speaking part! Was I really that
bad in Detroit 1-8-7?
Since Dick Purtan's retirement in March, I've been on an
exciting journey to reinvent myself. Besides "acting," I've
also been doing voiceovers, freelance writing, emceeing and
speaking engagements. But if all else fails, I'll go with my
true passion. I'll run away and join the circus. So as the song
goes "Send in the clowns." Wait, I'm already here! ❑

.114 CONTENTS

JEWISHNEWS.com

Alan Muskovitz, left, as a bandleader in Detroit 1-8-7.

Follow Big Al's new exploits on his "Big Al Muskavito" Facebook Fan

Page.

Oct. 28-Nov. 3, 2010 I 20-26 Cheshvan 5771 I Vol. CXXXVIII, No. 13

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Torah Portion
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Columnists

Robert Sklar
Robin Schwartz
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Health

p. 52

Cover Story on page 17

Ann Arbor
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Shabbat Ends: Saturday, Oct. 30, 7:12p.m.*

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As a former president of Federation's
Young Adult Division, David Kramer
was familiar with Hebrew Free Loan,
but a conversation with a current HFL
Board member gave him the desire
to be part of the agency's Board.
"For me, it's about the community,
and giving recognition to the larger
picture," David said. "My grandparents
were Holocaust survivors, and to go
from that situation, to me attending
good schools and my family living in
comfort, puts us in a fantastic position
to make life better for others. I think
Jews have survived because we
take care of each other.
"HFL does something that's unique.
The agency gives directly to those
who need help, and everyone should
know borrowers are paying us back.
HFL's 98 percent repayment rate
means those loans are more to our
borrowers than just cash. People
remember that feeling of support and
relief when HFL helped them, and
they want others to have that feeling,
that sense of community," David said.
"Until I became involved with HFL,
I didn't have a full appreciation for the
emotional impact a dollar can make."

The Power of Recycling

Hebrew Free Loan gives interest-
free loans to members of our
community for a variety of
personal and small business
needs. HFL loans are funded
entirely through community
donation's which continually
recycle to others, generating

many times the original value

to help maintain the lives of
local Jews.

www.hfldetroit.org
248.723.8184

HEBREW
FREE*LOAN

hfldetroit.org

411111.1.011

-

We Provide Loans.
We Promise Dignity.

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Jewish
Federation

of Metropolitan Detroit

WE'RE PART OF THE TEAM

October 28 2010

3