Hold the Lion, Please

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Hold the Lion, Please is a 1942 Merrie Melodies cartoon, first released on June 6, 1942,^[1]^[2] distributed by the Vitaphone Corporation and Warner Bros. This is the first Bugs Bunny cartoon where the title does not refer "hare", "bunny", or "rabbit", the character's tenth appearance overall, and Chuck Jones' 39th Warner Bros. cartoon. Tedd Pierce handled writing duties, while Carl W. Stalling composed the music.

The title is a play on the expression used by switchboard operators of the day, asking the caller to "hold the line." The Three Stooges made a short with a similar title, Hold That Lion, which also featured a renegade lion.

Plot

The narrative centers on Leo the lion's endeavor to reaffirm his dominance as the preeminent figure in the jungle, a status challenged by a wager asserting his inability to hunt a rabbit. Employing a carrot as a lure, Leo initiates a pursuit of Bugs Bunny, only to be met with the rabbit's swift recognition of peril, prompting a hasty retreat. Subsequently, amidst Bugs' horticultural activities, Leo orchestrates an ambush, precipitating a frenzied chase.

At the precipice of confrontation, Leo's ferocious demeanor undergoes an abrupt transformation upon the intrusion of his wife, Hortense's, call, which serves to quell his aggression. Subsequently, Leo extends apologies to Bugs before hastening home to his spouse. Conversely, Bugs, depicted as subject to similar domestic dynamics, yields to the authority of his own wife, Mrs. Bugs Bunny, who commands his retreat. Mrs. Bunny's symbolic assertion of dominance, manifest through the donning of trousers, underscores her role as the arbitrating force within their familial dynamic.