Items From The ZB's

New Zealand Listener, Volume 6, Issue 152, 22 May 1942, Page 21

Items From The ZB's

Le ns cement HE sponsor of " Musical Jingles" presented over 4ZB every Monday night, has had to cope with a heavy correspondence since the session’s first broadcast last month. Entries are pouring in, and it says something for the musical knowledge of Dunedin listeners that the judges have an increasingly difficult task. Competitors are asked to identify 20 musical compositions, fragments of which are played by a studio pianist. In many instances it has been necessary to make the trial a little more difficult by playing extracts from the verse rather than the chorus of some well known tunes. The " musical jingle" itself is solved with the aid of a chart. * * ® Lou VERNON, whose picture appears on this page in character as "Doctor Mac," has rejoined the staff of the Macquarie Network in Australia Apart -from being featured regularly in Macquarie productions, he will also work as a producer. It is almost ten years since Lou Vernon made his last stage appearance in the musical comedy Music in the Air, and since then he has worked ex. clusively in radio, with an occasional appearance in films. He was one of the original members of the B.S.A. Players, and later joined the Macquarie Players. Then he went free-lancing, though still maintaining his connection with 2GB and Macquarie. % % * USHLA DE LANGE, who recorded and sent over for 2ZB’s fifth anniversary programme a selection of three songs and a message of greeting, has recently been engaged by the Australian station 3DB as featured artist in " Yells a Poppin" and Don Baker’s " Women’s Hour." She began her career as one of the winners in a _ personality contest staged by 1ZB. Later she went to Australia and studied for two years under Adolf Spivakovsky, who decided that her voice was soprano rather than contralto, and trained her accordingly. She appeared on the stage in J. C. Williamson’s production of The Waltz Dream, and recently, representing New Zealand, she sang at an " Allies Concert" in the Melbourne Town Hall. Her ambition is to sing in opera. K Da Bd M® AND MRS. J. McFARLANE, Jimmie and Tui to everybody at 4ZB, where they conduct the Tuesday evening children’s session, have been teamed very successfully for ten years now, on the stage and in radio. Tui was a L.T.C.L. Gold Medallist in elocution, and also has a pleasant singing voice. Jimmie won a vocal scholarship at the Dunedin competitions. Together they have appeared in many local musical comedy shows, such as Sally, The Belle of New York, and The Vagabond King. When -4ZB opened, Jimmie joined the announcing staff and soon both the McFarlanes were heard in studio presentations. They appeared together at the 1ZB Radio Theatre, Jimmie having been engaged as artist-producer for several of the opening broadcasts from the new station. 7