Kankakee is China's Town

A Chinese student hired to attend to the needs of an elderly woman was on trial for allegedly shoving her down a flight of steps. The girl is facing deportation.

''Judge Fred Carr,'' not appearing much like himself, allowed a Chinese man to be removed from potential jurors after brief questioning.

''Are you Chinese?'' the man was asked.

''Yes, I am,'' he answered.

The prosecutor, expressing an obvious prejudice against Chinese, asked for the man's dismissal from the jury pool because ''there is no land left for development'' - an apparent reference to the history of Chinese coming to America seeking their fortune. The judge allowed the motion.

Has the local judicial system gotten so far out of hand as to allow this to happen? Have local prosecutors gone awry with prejudice? Has Judge Carr forgotten about the right to a fair trial by a panel of peers?

Not at all.

The trial was part of a Chinese television series that was being shot in several Kankakee locations, including the county courthouse. Ironically, the script writers decided to use the name of a real local judge, Fred Carr. Another local judge, Sheldon Reagan, was actually filmed playing himself in one scene Saturday.

Local filming began Thursday evening and will wrap up today.

The filming brought to the Kankakee area a crew of 37 from China, in addition to several production managers and actors from the Chicago area. Extras used in the filming were all local residents of this area. (There's still a chance for extras. Show up 9 a.m. at the courthouse circle drive, dressed as if you were going to court. Filming will continue though about 7 this evening and people may show up as possible extras through the day. Don't expect pay, but they will feed you. For a first- hand account of being an extra, turn to the Entertainment section, pages E5-8.)

Of all possible locations in the country, including Chicago, why would a Chinese production be filmed in Kankakee?

According to Chasney Suskovich, a producer and location director for the Chicago Chinese Corp., Kankakee was chosen ''because of the looks and feel of the courtrooms.

''The courtrooms look old and that is what we were striving for in this production.''

In addition to filming in Kankakee, Ms. Suskovich said, filming was also done in various parts of Chicago, including O'Hare International Airport, Loyola University Medical Center, and Mercy Hospital downtown.

The series is scheduled to air in China later this spring, with a U.S. airing slated for late May, director Peter Sun said Friday.

Sun said his latest series, presently dubbed ''Dignity,'' is something of a mini-soap opera. It will run for eight consecutive days in China, for one hour each.

The lead actor in the film, Cun Xin Pu, is described in a background sheet on him as ''an actor with exception abilities and a demonstrated record of achievement in theatrical, motion picture, and television production in China.''

Pu, according to Ms. Suskovich, is ''the equivalent of Brad Pitt in China.''

Speaking through an interpreter between scenes Friday, Pu said: ''Kankakee and Chicago is really enjoyable. The courthouse here is really beautiful, too. And there's a lot of churches here.''

Pu said that, although many Christian churches exist in China, the number in this area seems overwhelming.

''The people who live here have really nice houses,'' Pu said.

He compared Kankakee's relation with Chicago, to the area where he lives near the Chinese capital of Beijing, saying he likes his home because it is quiet ''like Kankakee.''

The man, indirectly responsible for bringing the filming to town is Tim Schmidt, executive director of the Kankakee Development Corp.

Pictures of the courthouse were on file in the office of the Chicago Film Commission, and when Ms. Suskovich saw the pictures, she said ''this is the site.''

On Jan. 9, she contacted Schmidt for a tour.

''This has all moved very quickly, and rightly so,'' Ms. Suskovich said. ''Mr. Pu's visa expires on Sunday, so we have to be done with all the filming, but this is where we wanted to do the filming.''

Schmidt said the production, which has a $400,000 budget, may not impact the area as much as a major Hollywood production, but benefits are being reaped. ''I know they're having some economic impact on the area,'' he said. ''And I'm helping with that. They are being directed toward local vendors and local motels.''

Community interest in the project is also making a positive impact on the Chicago-based production company. ''If we can make this experience pleasurable and smooth,'' Schmidt said, Sun's staff will ''go back and talk of the beautiful courthouse we have and how it is to work here and that could lead to bigger productions being filmed here.''