Artifice, allure, and enchantment play a powerful role in the notion of glamour conceived by Lloyd Whitesell. His Wonderful Design: Glamour in the Hollywood Musical establishes a thoughtful new approach to exploring the auditory conventions of the film musical within the advent of what he calls “style modes,” which are distinct from other signifiers like musical idiom or musical topoi in conveying meaning and offering commentary, and operate independently from musical language, genre, or topic. Though Whitesell defines several prominent style modes that would be instantly recognizable to any film musical fan (“ordinary,” typified by simple characters, common dialects, and accessible music; “children's,” which draws upon the whimsical and expressive; “razzle-dazzle,” or that which is flashy and bold; and “burlesque,” characterized by salacious dress, gestures, and sonic elements), his main focus is “glamour,” which he demonstrates as the dominant mode for the film musical genre. To explore this mode's visual and sonic abilities to evoke sophistication and luxury, he provides numerous detailed examples that highlight glamour's presentation in individual numbers (as well as a few large-scale structures) through expression, style, and orchestration. Ultimately, Whitesell's investigation attempts to answer broad questions of style: “How does style interact with expression? When does it come to the fore, and when does it recede into the background? What undertones can style convey to audiences even when they are not paying attention?” (4). His inquiries are trans-sensory, aspiring to delineate glamour's expression in both the sonic and visual realms, and he builds on other similar scholarship, such as Stephen Gundle's Glamour: A History (2008), and Alice Friedman's American Glamour and the Evolution of Modern Architecture (2010), to provide a thorough examination of artifice, allure, and enchantment as recurring musical phenomena within the genre of the Hollywood musical.

According to Whitesell, the “illusion of enchanted beauty or luster” (34) that typifies the artifice in which glamour presents itself across the film musical lexicon is particularly evident through auditory qualities such as sensuousness, restraint, elevation, and sophistication. For instance, he demonstrates the artifice inherent in the sensuousness of Judy Garland's dreamy rubato delivery of “Over the Rainbow” from The Wizard of Oz (1939) when coupled with lush harmonies and a shimmering variety of tone colors. Whitesell notes that artifice is just as prominent in the restraint displayed by the soft dynamics and almost subdued expression in Ann Sothern's reverent rendition of “The Last Time I Saw Paris” from Lady Be Good (1941). Similarly, he argues that “I Concentrate on You” expresses elevation sonically in its angelic, high-voiced choir's wordless musical colors, as well as visually in the dim lighting reminiscent of moonlight and the dramatic start-and-stop choreography of Fred Astaire and Eleanor Powell's ethereal duet in the 1940 film, Broadway Melody of 1940. Finally, he suggests that the sophistication of artifice might be expressed in various ways, as in the elaborate harmonies of “All the Things You Are” (Till the Clouds Roll By, 1946), the complex rhythms in “Who?” (Till the Clouds Roll By, 1946), and the intricate formal structure of “Begin the Beguine” (Broadway Melody of 1940). Whitesell is, however, careful to note that these parameters must work together to evoke glamour, and he draws attention to the crucial role of the arranger in producing these effects. Additionally, by examining the formal design of short, medium-length, and longer routines within the film musical genre, he demonstrates the fluidity of glamour's expression, which may appear fleetingly or be present for a number's entire duration. He further shows how design itself contributes to the evocation of glamour through choreography, pacing, and texture. Ultimately, he attests that artifice is expressed in a multitude of pervasive musical techniques, illustrating glamour's prominence in the Hollywood musical.

Another important element of glamour for Whitesell is allure, or “the palpable desire aroused by a glamourous entity, environment, or sensation” (34). Central to allure in Whitesell's view is the spectator's reaction to the object of captivation, as in the fetishization of Marilyn Monroe's rendition of “Lazy” (There's No Business Like Show Business, 1954), wherein she dons chunky jewelry and high heels to deliver a sensuous, teasing, and erotic song. For him, the evocation of fantasy is equally relevant to the expression of allure, as in Doris Day's escape to the countryside in “Secret Love” from Calamity Jane (1953), which is accompanied by elaborate, sparkling arpeggiations. Likewise, distance plays a role in Whitesell's understanding of allure, such as that created by the Princess's refined, high-style operatic delivery in “Isn't It Romantic?” (Love Me Tonight, 1932). Whitesell also demonstrates instances when glamour exhibits aestheticist values, or “the exaltation of style for its own sake” (127), in order to create an artificial world. For example, during “Dancing in the Dark” from the Band Wagon (1953), Fred Astaire and Cyd Charisse dance to the point of narrative breakthrough as the orchestral textures become brighter and more heavily layered, culminating in a climax of beauty from which the dancers seem hesitant to depart at the number's end. In these ways, Whitesell argues, musical techniques evoking allure can create desire for spectators in their conjuring of extravagant, artificial worlds of glamour.

Finally, Whitesell demonstrates glamour's use of enchantment through “special perceptual effects . . . associated with an extraordinary inherent quality or sense of presence” (34). For instance, Whitesell proposes that the ethereal accompaniment and magical visuals in “When You Wish Upon A Star” set the stage for the supernatural setting of Pinocchio (1940)—a world where fairies and puppets come to life. Beyond the screen, Whitesell notes that a culture of idol worship and iconography reflects this magic through glamourous portraits of celebrities that resemble those of religious icons, evoking reverence and commanding devotion. He notes that, musically and visually, this celestial portrayal of movie stars is exemplified in “Cover Girl” (Cover Girl, 1944): Rita Hayworth's spatial elevation and the metallic musical halo of brass and cymbals decorate the sonic space before she descends—accompanied by an undulating harp and arpeggiated accompaniment—to the kneeling, devoted male dancers waiting to worship her below. Whitesell posits that glamour's ability to magically enchant can also be expressed through trickery, treating it as “a joke . . . [,] lost hope . . . [,] no more than a fantasy . . . [, or through] magical realism” (190–201). For instance, as Tony lies dying in the final scene of West Side Story (1961), Maria attempts to sing “Somewhere” but falls short as she realizes that she has lost her true love. In this instance, Whitesell describes how the glamourous musical halo created by the strings in the orchestra fizzles out, creating a disillusionment in magic. The author argues that this interplay between enchantment and disenchantment is a prominent aspect of the Hollywood musical, which is as rife with “archetypal images of fraudsters, dupes, worthless baubles, and empty show” as it is with “glittering fetishes and pleasure palaces” (206). Enchantment, he suggests, demonstrates more than artifice and allure an ability to bring spectators back to reality just as easily as it conjured the initial fantasy.

Wonderful Design achieves its author's goal of establishing a theory of glamour applicable for other scholars wishing to study the phenomenon in a variety of genres and across music history. His descriptive writing is as sensory and vivid as his subject matter, and his many scrupulous case studies outlining glamour's various components and manifestations within the film musical genre provide a clear methodology for others to emulate. The monograph is therefore a valuable model for other film scholars, as well as scholars of musical theater and glamour studies, alike. More broadly, Whitesell's conception of “style modes” creates enormous potential for further study across many other styles and media.