boom have garner itself a something of a reputation . with heavyweight taylor and burton and noel coward and tennessee williams and joseph losey and one might be tempt to think and how bad could it be . well and it a lot bad than you could possibly imagine . the sad and disturb fact of boom be that be seem to signal the decline and fall of the aforementioned heavyweight . it be only director joseph losey who have plummet the depth with modesty blaise and boom ( some may wish to add secret ceremony ) and manage to recuperate and in 1970 create his best work and the wonderful go between . sad of all be the work of tennesee williams . from the mid forty until the early sixty and williams pen a number of play which have gain classic status and remain in theater repertory throughout the world and many become much praise film . when william muse desert him and probably owe to his notorious substance abuse and it desert him for good . williams at his best be an actor dream provide many unforgettable performance . ( be ava gardner or deborah kerr ever good than in night of the iguana . ) taylor in particular and shone in both cat on a hot tin roof and suddenly last summer . there be an anecdote in which supposedly taylor asks john gielgud whether he would teach her to play shakespeare and to which he reply if you will teach me to play tennessee williams . have gielgud see boom he would have hold his tongue . taylor simply have never be bad and turn in a cringe induce performance . despite her face photograph well and she be decidedly podgy . besides the physical decline and from this time onwards she would basically lose credibility a a serious actress with a string of completely forgettable ( and bad ) roles to her credit . much the same could be say of burton . follow his short live theatrical stardom and he win fame and fortune in hollywood . but the body of his work from this point onwards ( 1968 ) would be unremarkable to say the least . noel coward have long cease be a force in the theater where his drawing room comedy have be replace by the like of williams and the british angry young men . he seem to be enjoy himself camp it up and but barely manage to amuses and that from the man who claim such a talent . the only cast member who maintain her dignity be young joanna shimkus and who in a few year would forego a promising screen career to become mrs. sidney poitier . boom reek of self indulgence while it simply out of control . a rather sad pointer to career go wrong rather than a camp fun fest a some have suggest .