Frasier

It's Hard to Say Goodbye If You Won't Leave - S3-E10

Question: In this episode, Frasier is portrayed as being allergic to cats, and cannot be close to Kate's cat. What about the times when he had sex with Kate (at the radio station building, in the elevator in his building, etc.)? As a cat-owner, shouldn't her clothes have set off his allergies before?

Answer: Not necessarily. Cat allergies aren't caused by the cat's fur (so if she has cat fur on her clothes, it wouldn't actually bother his allergies). It's the cat's dander (dry skin flakes), saliva, and/or urine that people are allergic to, so if her clothes don't have traces of any of that, he would be fine. For example, she could have clothes at work she changes into, or simply keeps her clothes in a room the cat isn't around.

Bishop73

Answer: But this is complicated by the episode where Frasier cat sits for a friend.

If there is an episode where he cat sits, it may be worthy of a character mistake entry. Although, only if we see him come in contact with the cat somehow without his allergies acting up. Otherwise someone may submit a correction, such as just because he's allergic to cats doesn't mean he won't do a favor for someone and just deal with his allergies, etc.

Bishop73

Answer: It's just one of Frasier's little arcane witticisms. Roz is acting over-the-top surprised (hands on her heart, wide-mouthed gasp, etc.), the way theatre actors and actresses would back in the early 20th century. Tallulah Bankhead was a successful American stage actress of that era, so Frasier is comparing Roz to her after seeing her "performance." He (or, more accurately, whoever wrote the episode) probably chose to reference Bankhead out of all possible actresses because it's an unusual name, unlikely to be confused with some other, non-theatre Tallulah.

Answer: This is a reference to Tallulah Bankhead, a prominent stage and movie actress in the mid-20th century. She mostly played somewhat over-the-top, strong-willed, opinionated characters. Frasier appears to be comparing Roz's melodramatic behavior to her.

raywest

Answer: When Roz comes into the scene, she's complaining about Christmas shopping because she says that she never knows what to give the men in her life. Frasier replies, "Since when?", making a sly comment on Roz's sex life. Roz was often teased about having many men in her life (it was a different time back then). When Roz overacts in response to Niles' statement about getting back together with Maris, Frasier says, "That's enough, Tallulah." The reference is to Tallulah Bankhead, a stage and screen actress from the '30s and '40s who was also known for her sexual appetite.

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More mistakes in Frasier

Frasier: Niles, I would shave my head for you.
Niles: A gesture which becomes less significant with each passing year.

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