JD Hancock’s Stuff

Of course you remember how Roger Rabbit describes his wife when confronted with the “patty cake” photos in the 1988 film Who Framed Roger Rabbit. How could anyone forget?

Jessica’s the love of my life, the apple of my eye, the cream in my coffee.

I always assumed that this line of dialog was based on the comedy rule of threes and that “the cream in my coffee” was Roger’s personal, silly version of the first two phrases. Well, as it turns out, I was wrong.

While poking around on YouTube, I found a video from 1951 featuring Ken Carson and Ilene Woods singing the song, “You’re the Cream in My Coffee.” Ken Carson was in the musical group Sons of the Pioneers, known for recording “Tumbling Tumbleweeds” and performing in Roy Rogers movies. Ilene Woods was the singing voice of Disney’s Cinderella.

You’re the Cream in My Coffee - Wikipedia

Now, I know what you’re thinking. “But JD, this song is from 1951, and Who Framed Roger Rabbit was set in 1947, and since Hollywood films are known for their painstaking research and historical accuracy, how could Roger Rabbit remember a line from a song that hadn’t yet been recorded? Is everything I’ve been taught about music and temporal mechanics a lie?”

Well, thankfully, you don’t need a time machine to get your answers. The song was originally published in 1928, and it was covered by several different bands over the years.

• Annette Hanshaw - You’re the Cream in My Coffee (1928)
• Jack Hylton’s Orch. - You’re The Cream In My Coffee, 1928
• Ted Weems and His Orchestra - You’re the Cream in My Coffee (1928)

And that’s where “the cream in my coffee” comes from.

Don’t you feel a lot smarter now?!