Who Framed Roger Rabbit: 13 Easter Eggs & References You Probably Missed
2. "Toon Revue. Strictly Humans Only.”
This historical reference isn’t funny, but shows the filmmakers are cognizant of the racial text in their story. For instance, R.K.Maroon’s observation of Toons that “They work for peanuts” squarely alludes to the historical pay disparities between white workers and minorities.
The “humans only” rule of the Ink & Paint Club directly parallels real-world racial segregation which might permit minorities to to work as entertainment and staff but not enter as paying customers. Jessica’s avian backing band alludes to the era’s common cartoon convention of crows as blackface characters (see Dumbo). Self-described “little black duck” Daffy Duck calls white-feathered Donald Duck a "wise-quacker"; “cracker” a once-common epithet for white people. The club’s gorilla bouncer “Bongo” is cringey in this context.
Doom's plan to eradicate Toontown to make may for the freeway also speaks to the reality that such public works projects frequently targeted ethnic minority communities which had neither the money nor political influence to fight back.
Sadly, all this social commentary is blunted because the Toons frequently live down to the stereotyping, often portrayed as minstrel-like characters: jolly, inept, infantilized adults who live just to make humans happy. Judge Doom is a self-hating Toon who makes himself up to "pass" as a human, and Roger can’t resist the “shave and haircut” bit in the same manner old films and cartoons racistly depicted Black characters as unable to resist the lure of a dice game.
The movie would have been stronger had it resisted the temptation to try to have it both ways.