At Ralph's, now serving .... Vanna and Pat

Elaine Dodaro almost cried, because there in front of her, inside the family's South Philly restaurant Wednesday, stood Vanna White and Pat Sajak, close enough to buy a vowel from.

The hosts of Wheel of Fortune were on the second floor of Ralph's Italian Restaurant, about to take seats in front of a heaping plate of meatballs in marinara - cameras rolling.

The crew had tried to set up shop discreetly at the 115-year-old eatery on South Ninth Street. Producers wanted to get through the start of two days of filming in town without a ton of fanfare.

But in South Philly, minding your own business is like expecting nobody to take the last cannoli. It's not going to happen.

"Smile," Bob Dodaro shouted to White, snapping a picture of the ebullient letter-turner as she prepared to take a seat for a lunch scene. Wife Elaine stood next to him, smiling broadly.

"It's hard to believe," said Elaine Dodaro, 77, who has served her share of the famous at the eatery opened by her grandpop. The crooner Jimmy Darren is a close friend.

But Vanna and Pat? She's bonded with them every day for nearly half of her life - all 33 years the show has been on network TV.

"Celebrities," she said, "that we watch every night."

Wheel of Fortune producers on scene for the shoot said they chose Philadelphia and two other cities, Denver and Seattle, as part of a new promotion they are calling "Great American Cities."

For one full week in May, 15 Philadelphia-area contestants will travel to Wheel's Culver City, Calif., studio and solve word puzzles for prizes.

Hundreds of other locals will be flown to the West Coast to watch. And segments shot across the region will find their way into the broadcast before or after commercial breaks.

The exact week has not yet been set, but the idea is to bring cities to the storied show's viewers instead of lugging the wheel across the country.

Why Philadelphia? Because the buzz these days is strong.

It's also one of Wheel's most loyal markets, though executive producer Harry Friedman said strong local ratings and the powerhouse affiliate 6ABC were not the reason Philadelphia made the cut.

"We love Philly," said Friedman, who was leading the shoot at Ninth and Catharine Streets on Wednesday morning when, unannounced, some reporters stumbled into the ruckus.

"It's a mix of historic and traditional," Friedman said, "with a lot of things that are fresh and interesting."

Crews will film at two other restaurants (Friedman said naming them would distract the crew), and at the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall, and Headhouse Square on Second Street too, he said.

"Philadelphia is one of my favorite cities - and I'm not saying that because I'm here," White said during a quick break from the shoot. "Every time I come here, I have such a great time."

"It's beautiful," she said, "and clean."

Clean?

Old-as-Colonial-dirt Philly?

Really.

Sajak couldn't resist.

"Let me explain where we are," he told White, to laughter.

And then, the high-wattage host heaped praise on the city. Sajak said he and his wife visit Philadelphia a lot from a home they share near Annapolis, Md.

Sometimes, he dashes to Philly to watch the Washington Capitals face off against the Flyers. Other times, just for fun.

The city, he said, is as real as the contestants you'll see on Wheel on any given night: Its residents are all shapes, sizes, occupations and colors, which makes it a natural fit for the new promo.

But what stands out most to Sajak is the way the locals view their own town.

"They're really proud of the city, and they really want you to like it," Sajak said. "I think it's rather endearing."

mpanaritis@phillynews.com

215-854-2431 @Panaritism