Western Animation / Roman Legion-Hare

Nero demands a victim this instant! K'MON! (Be Careful What You Wish For.)

"Roman Legion-Hare" is a 1955 Looney Tunes cartoon staring Bugs Bunny and Yosemite Sam. It was directed by Friz Freleng.

Ancient Rome, via "another Appian Freeway," A.D. 54: "Detroit Lions in season opener; undefeated Lions out for first taste of victory."

From his balcony view, Nero plans to feed a victim to the lions in the opening ceremony. When he learns there are no more victims, Nero tasks Captain Sam of the Roman Guards with finding a victim (or become a victim himself). Marching out with his men, Sam's search is mistaken by Bugs for a parade. Once he's had time to reflect on the rabbit's admission to being the only one around as a potential victim, the captain of the guards sets his sights on him. However, while pursuing Bugs through the lions' holding cells, Sam finds that they have more of a taste for him than rabbit.

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"Roman Legion-Hare" provides examples of:

• Ancient Rome: The setting, specifically during the rule of Nero.
• Androcles' Lion: The Lions, who Bugs helped when Sam was chasing him, choose not to attack Bugs when he is feed to them in the arena, and instead go after Sam and the Emperor.
• Bowdlerization:
  • When this short aired on ABC, the part where Yosemite Sam beats the lion ("How many times do I have to tell... you... to... shut... up?") before realizing that there are no cage bars separating him from the lion had the beatings shortened from eight to two.
    • On CBS, the same scene was edited, but the beatings were cut from eight to one and a half.
    • On the syndicated Merrie Melodies Show, the same scene was edited, but the beatings were halved from eight to four.
  • For reasons unknown (possibly time constraints), Cartoon Network's and Boomerang's airing cuts out Bugs's line near the end of the cartoon (after Nero and Sam are chased to the top of the column by the lions), "Well, like the Romans say, E. Pluribus Uranium."
• Bullying a Dragon: When Sam passes by a lion's cell, he smacks it on the head for roaring at him. Unfortunately, it is then that Bugs raises the cell's bars.
  Sam: [smacking the lion for roaring again] HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO TELL YOU TO [realizes the lion is free] shut... up...
• Contrived Clumsiness: While being chased by Sam and his men, Bugs ducks behind a wall and sticks out his foot, tripping all of Sam's men and leaving him to chase Bugs on his own.
• Crocodile Tears: Bugs pretends to worry when, standing on one end of a pit of lions, he sees Sam about to cross the pit with stilts to avoid the lions. (He promptly gives the lions some axes and saws, which they then use to cut the stilts down enough to get to Sam.)
  Bugs: Oh, it looks like you've outsmarted me. Oh, woe is me.
• Delayed "Oh, Crap!": Sam repeatedly clubs a lion whom Bugs has just freed, and only after he's hit it a few times does he realize that there's no bars separating it from him.
• The Dog Bites Back: In the end (indeed, throughout the cartoon), the abused lions go after Sam (and ultimately Emperor Nero, too) instead of Bugs.
• Don't Wake the Sleeper: Bugs and Sam have to navigate across dozens of sleeping lions to safety. Of course, once Bugs is safe, he lowers an alarm clock to wake the lions while Sam is still there.
• Fed to the Beast: Nero is short of victims to feed to the lions for the Gladiator Games, so he orders General Sam to find a victim, "or you'll be the victim!" Eventually, Bugs is in the arena when the lions are released... but they pass him in favor of Sam and Nero.
• Irony: Nero threatens to make the Captain of the Guards the lions' victim if he doesn't get one of his own. Ultimately, they both become the lions' victims anyways — and the Captain suffers much abuse from them beforehand in bringing Bugs before Nero.
• Just Desserts: The ending implies that Emperor Nero and his Captain of the Guards got eaten by the lions.
• Karmic Death: Since Sam and Emperor Nero tried to feed Bugs to the lions, as well Sam's cruelty to the lions throughout the cartoon, the lions choosing to ignore Bugs attack, and presumably eat them, is very well deserved.
• Karmic Jackpot: Because he was a huge help to them during his clash with Captain Sam, the abused lions completely bypass and ignore Bugs in the arena and make a beeline for their abusers instead. Of course, Bugs was probably helping them to keep Sam from throwing Bugs to the lions, but it was still good enough for them to ignore him in the arena.
• Mean Boss: Waiting until he's out of His Neroship's earshot, Sam neatly sums him up: "Oooh, what a grouch!"
• Mickey Mousing: The marching steps of Sam’s guards are animated and timed beautifully to the snare drumbeat on the soundtrack.
• No Celebrities Were Harmed: Nero is a caricature of Charles Laughton, who played the emperor in The Sign of the Cross (1932).
• Nothing but Skin and Bones: Presumably due to Nero's harsh treatment and lack of feeding them, the lions are very skinny.
• Pulling the Rug Out: Sam escapes from the first lion Bugs frees by running through a door, shutting it in the lion's face, and barring it, only for the lion to pull a rug he's standing on under the door with him still attached. Cue mauling. Afterwards the lion slips the rug back under the door, with the now-battered Sam still still attached.
• Punctuated Pounding: When Sam passes by a lion's cage and then hits it for roaring at him, Bugs opens the cell while Sam is distracted. The lion then roars at him again, and he responds accordingly.
  Sam: How! Many! Times! Do I! Have to...! Tell... you... to... shut... up...?
• Taps: At the end of the cartoon, as the lions are chopping down the pillar they are on, Nero plays this on his fiddle while Sam removes his hat solemnly as they await their fate.

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