When she was filming Cat on a Hot Tin Roof in 1958 Elizabeth Taylor was under the supervision of a man whose job title was “BI”, short for bust inspector. It was the BI’s sole duty to ensure that Miss Taylor’s breasts did not break the Production Code, which was still in force at the time to ensure that films remained “decent” for general cinema release. Spotting the actress in one particularly low-cut dress, the BI was alarmed and asked for a stepladder, whereupon he climbed up, peered down and declared Ms Taylor’s cleavage to be too much.
In truth, everything about Taylor was too much. There was too much jewellery, too much marriage, too much champagne, too much surgery and too much general flap