In “Three Letters from One Wife,” Alan says, “I’ll read it [the script for Project Greatness], no matter what Alice Amherst says”. For me, this is the series’ most obscure and puzzling use of nomenclature. Can anyone identify Alice Amherst and explain what exactly the reference means?

I don't know who Alice Amherst is but Alan was looking right at Mel when he said it so I'm guessing it was some sort of insult!

Maybe he was referring to the college named 'Amherst' and just added an alliterative first name to it. After all, the whole point of the episode was that he was doing an educational show which was supposedly beyond his usual pay grade.

Maybe he was referring to the college named 'Amherst' and just added an alliterative first name to it. After all, the whole point of the episode was that he was doing an educational show which was supposedly beyond his usual pay grade.

I agree. It would be as if he said, "No matter what Priscilla Princeton here says..."

..is located in Amherst, Massachussets, and is one of the "Top Five" in the country. Apparently, Alan knows something about college rankings (even though he doesn't have a college education), and would refer to Amherst when disparaging someone's intellect...

:tv: