Wise advice from James Young and Ted Buckner on the subject of keeping one’s domicile safe — Homeland Security in its most local usage — delivered irresistibly by Fats Waller and his Rhythm in 1941. Thanks to cdbpdx on YouTube for posting this, Tom Collins and Ricky Riccardi for bringing it to our attention:
d,
Three thoughts.
First, JAMES Young might very well be our own Trummy, who was witty in his own right — he and Ted Buckner were members of the Jimmie Lunceford Orchestra in 1941.
Second, I have no proof for this beyond an intuitive hunch — but I think that “twenty-four robbers” as an expression is a euphemism for a massive hangover rather than a burglary. Play the video again and see if you can’t imagine two people, bedraggled after an exuberant night:
“Man, what happened to you?”
“I don’t know. But I feel like twenty-four robbers broke into my house.”
Third, can we all marvel once again at the delightful exuberance of Thomas Waller? He’s not clowning, not showing off — he’s just swinging himself and the band better than anyone before or since. I was reminded of the Ralph Sutton story: if you told Ralph he sounded better than Fats, he was well and truly annoyed because he thought NO ONE sounded better than Fats.
As for me, I’m going to play this video again.
May your happiness increase.
JAZZ LIVES 
I believe Lunceford recorded before Fats. This is his version, with vocal by James Young. Indeed, the one-and-only Trummy. Nice arrangement that makes think it’s the work of Sy Oliver.
Chris–looks like the wrong link ended up here–