"That's what I'm talking about!" where did that phrase originate?

Answer 1

The earliest I found the phrase was in an 1882 book, "Nobody," by Susan Bogert Warner.

'But he didn't give it, mother; that's what I'm talking about; neither the former nor the latter; though what that means, I'm sure I don't know; we have it all the year round, most years.'

The first reference I can find to the phrase, "Now, that's what I'm talking about," is in a 1950s play. Unfortunately, the reference to the exact phrase is not discernable on GoogleBooks.

Of course, the phrase has now evolved into, "Now, that's what I'm talkin' about and "Now that's what I'm talkin' 'bout."