The Scales of Justice | |
---|---|
Genre | Drama |
Presented by | Edgar Lustgarten |
Composer | Johnny Douglas |
Country of origin | United Kingdom |
Original language | English |
No. of episodes | 13 |
Production | |
Producer | Jack Greenwood |
Running time | 30 Minutes |
Production company | Merton Park Studios |
Original release | |
Release | 1962 – 1967 |
The Scales of Justice was a series of 13 British cinema featurettes produced from 1962 to 1967 for Anglo-Amalgamated at Merton Park Studios in London. [1] The first nine episodes were made in black and white, and the last four were made in colour. The final episode, Payment in Kind, was Merton Park's last production.
They were based on criminal cases, and each film was introduced by crime writer Edgar Lustgarten. The series derives its title from the symbolic scales held by the statue of Justice, which is situated above the dome of London's Central Criminal Court, The Old Bailey. In the opening narration, she is described as having "in her right hand, the Sword of Power and Retribution, and in her left – The Scales of Justice". The opening scenes of the initial six episodes were narrated by Michael Hordern.
The end version of the theme music for the series (by Johnny Douglas) was performed by The Tornados. It was re-recorded and released as the B side of their single "The Ice Cream Man".
The series became widely known in the UK when it was broadcast as a TV series in various ITV regions during the 1970s. In July 2017, the series aired on the television channel Talking Pictures TV.
In October 2012, Network released the complete series as a two-disc DVD set.
Title | Date | Cast | Director | Format | Story |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1. "The Guilty Party" | 1962 | Zena Marshall, Anthony Jacobs, Derek Francis, Jack Gwillim, Wensley Pithey, Kenneth Thornett | Lionel Harris | B&W | Edward Sinclair and his wife Thelma live surrounded by wealth and luxury, but Sinclair is heavily in debt. |
2. "A Woman's Privilege" | 1962 | Bernard Archard, Ann Lynn, Patrick Wymark, Ernest Clark, Noel Hood, Pamela Greer, Gerald Cross | Anthony Bushell | B&W | On a cruise to cheer herself up after a broken romance, Shirley Fawsett meets Joe Ashton. The result is a court case where he sues her for breach of promise. |
3. "Moment of Decision" | 1962 | Ray Barrett, Pat Healy, Marjie Lawrence, Lisa Madron, Mike Sarne, Michael Aspel, Norman Claridge | John Knight | B&W | A nursemaid loses the baby in her charge. |
4. "Position of Trust" | 1963 | Derrick Sherwin, Imogen Hassall, Edward Atienza, Peter Barkworth, Geoffrey Chater, Cyril Luckham, Robert Lankesheer | Lionel Harris | B&W | The extroverted son of a powerful industrialist meets a pretty French girl named Yvonne at a Bohemian night spot, becoming infatuated, gradually growing their relationship resulting in an illicit weekend away from his fiancée. The weekend begins promisingly, but after their first night together, a man barges into their Brighton hotel bedroom, claiming to be a private detective acting for Yvonne's husband. |
5. "The Undesirable Neighbour" | 1963 | Vanda Godsell, Bridget Armstrong, Anthony Newlands, Ronald Hatton, Garfield Morgan, Dorinda Stevens | Gordon Hales | B&W | When a young married couple move into a new home, the wife is popular with the local men, which starts gossip. |
6. "The Invisible Asset" | 1963 | Kenneth J. Warren, Ronald Leigh-Hunt, Annette Carell, Gabriella Licudi, Stanley Morgan, Kenneth Benda, Peter Bathurst, Philip Latham | Norman Harrison | B&W | In a city restaurant, the owner blackmails influential customers by using a hidden microphone on a special table. |
7. "Personal and Confidential" | 1965 | Robert Cartland, Harry Littlewood, Howard Lang, Geoffrey Toone, Jeffrey Segal, Windsor Davies, Patrick Carter, Don McKillop | Geoffrey Nethercott | B&W | Found in the briefcase of the man in Room 755, who fell, or was pushed, from a seventh storey window is a red file, marked "Top Secret". |
The Hidden Face" | 1965 | Christine Finn, Richard Butler, Alex Macintosh, Robert James, Gretchen Franklin, Vernon Dobtcheff, Peter Stephens, David Garth | Patrick Dromgoole | B&W | Jane Penshurst writes a book attacking Ronald Milson MP. When Milsom shoots himself, his son William seeks revenge. |
9. "The Material Witness" | 1965 | Noel Travarthen, Reginald Marsh, Sally Nesbitt, Harry Locke, Hector Ross, John Horsley, Steve Peters | Geoffrey Nethercott | B&W | A young man is the personal assistant to a company executive who has little time for him. |
10. "Company of Fools" | 1966 | Barrie Ingham, Jacqueline Jones, Maurice Kaufmann, Garfield Morgan | Peter Duffell | Colour | Five strangers from varied walks of life investigate the life of a man who has caused them all serious financial losses, and they seek to exact their own private revenge. |
The Haunted Man" | 1966 | Keith Barron, James Ellis, Alexandra Bastedo, Isobel Black, Tenniel Evans, Dallas Cavell | Stanley Willis | Colour | Actor Bill Kenton, injured trying to prevent a raid on a shop, returns to his career, to find that he cannot remember his lines. Forced to leave the theatre, he becomes a man obsessed with finding the thieves. |
12. "Infamous Conduct" | 1966 | Dermot Walsh, Bridget Armstrong, Ewen Solon, Richard Warner, Terry Wale | Richard Martin | Colour | Struck off the medical register, surgeon Anthony Searle meets Dixon, a bank robber on the run, and Dixon wants a "face job". |
13. "Payment in Kind" | 1967 | Justine Lord, Maxine Audley, Brian Haines, Derrick Sherwin, Gwen Cherrell, Henry McGee, Peter Bathurst | Peter Duffell | Colour | The dedicated wife of a struggling businessman falls behind on the hire purchase payments, and the debt collector suggests "payment in kind". |
The Avengers is a British espionage television series that aired from 7 January 1961 to 21 April 1969. It initially focused on David Keel, aided by John Steed. Ian Hendry left after the first series; Steed then became the main character, partnered with a succession of assistants. His most famous assistants were intelligent, stylish, and assertive women: Cathy Gale, Emma Peel, and Tara King. Dresses and suits for the series were made by Pierre Cardin.
Have I Got News for You (HIGNFY) is a British television panel show, produced by Hat Trick Productions for the BBC, which premiered on 28 September 1990.
Paul James Martin, known by the stage name Paul Merton, is an English comedian.
Porridge is a British sitcom, starring Ronnie Barker and Richard Beckinsale, written by Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais, and broadcast on BBC1 from 1974 to 1977. The programme ran for three series and two Christmas specials. A feature film of the same name based on the series was released in 1979.
The Central Criminal Court of England and Wales, commonly referred to as the Old Bailey after the street on which it stands, is a criminal court building in central London, one of several that house the Crown Court of England and Wales. The street outside follows the route of the ancient wall around the City of London, which was part of the fortification's bailey, hence the metonymic name.
The Sweeney is a 1970s British television police drama focusing on two members of the Flying Squad, a branch of the Metropolitan Police specialising in tackling armed robbery and violent crime in London. It stars John Thaw as Detective Inspector Jack Regan and Dennis Waterman as his partner, Detective Sergeant George Carter. It was produced by the Thames Television subsidiary Euston Films for broadcast on the ITV network in the UK between 2 January 1975 and 28 December 1978.
The police procedural, police show, or police crime drama is a subgenre of procedural drama and detective fiction that emphasises the investigative procedure of police officers, police detectives, or law enforcement agencies as the protagonists, as contrasted with other genres that focus on non-police investigators such as private investigators.
Caroline Mary Aherne was an English actress, comedian, writer and director. She was best known for performing as the acerbic chat show host Mrs Merton, in various roles in The Fast Show, and as Denise in The Royle Family (1998–2012), a series which she co-wrote. She won BAFTA awards for her work on The Mrs Merton Show and The Royle Family.
Kojak is an American action crime drama television series starring Telly Savalas as the title character, New York City Police Department Detective Lieutenant Theophilus "Theo" Kojak. Taking the time slot of the popular Cannon series, it aired on CBS from 1973 to 1978.
The Batman is an American animated television series based on the DC Comics superhero Batman. Developed by Michael Goguen and Duane Capizzi, and produced by Warner Bros. Animation and DC Comics for seasons 3–5, the series first aired on Kids' WB on September 11, 2004, then Cartoon Network on April 2, 2005. The show would become exclusive to the former network for its third, fourth, and fifth seasons in early 2006. The Batman won six Daytime Emmy Awards over the course of its run. Many elements from previous Batman storylines were borrowed and adapted, such as those from the comic books, film series and the animated shows like Batman: The Animated Series from the DC Animated Universe, but it remained strictly within its own distinct continuity. Jackie Chan Adventures artist Jeff Matsuda served as art director and provided the character designs. The production team altered the appearances of many of the comic books' supervillains for the show, such as the Joker, the Penguin, Mr. Freeze, Bane, and the Riddler.
Zienia Merton was a British actress born in Burma. She was known for playing Sandra Benes in Space: 1999.
Freewheelers is a British television series made by Southern Television between 1968 and 1973 for the ITV network. It was created by the television producer Chris McMaster, who was aware of the popularity of adult action series such as The Avengers and Department S amongst teenagers and saw the potential of a version aimed at a younger audience.
Edgar Marcus Lustgarten was a British broadcaster and noted crime writer.
The Edgar Wallace Mysteries is a British second-feature film series mainly produced at Merton Park Studios for Anglo-Amalgamated. There were 48 films in the series, which were released between 1960 and 1965. The series was screened as The Edgar Wallace Mystery Theatre on television in the United States.
Merton Park Studios, opened in 1929, was a British film production studio located at Long Lodge, 269 Kingston Road in Merton Park, South London. In the 1940s, it was owned by Piprodia Entertainment, Nikhanj Films and Film Producers Guild.
The Bill is a British police procedural television series, broadcast on ITV from 16 October 1984 until 31 August 2010. The programme originated from a one-off drama, Woodentop, broadcast on 16 August 1983. ITV were so impressed with the drama that a full series was commissioned. The title originates from "Old Bill", a slang term for the police and show creator Geoff McQueen's original title for the series.
Law & Order: UK is a British police procedural and legal television programme broadcast from 2009 to 2014 on ITV, adapted from the American series Law & Order. Financed by the production companies Kudos Film and Television, Wolf Films, and Universal Television, the series originally starred Bradley Walsh, Freema Agyeman, Jamie Bamber, Ben Daniels, Harriet Walter and Bill Paterson. Dominic Rowan, Georgia Taylor, Paul Nicholls, Ben Bailey Smith, Sharon Small, Peter Davison and Paterson Joseph joined the cast in later series. This is the first American drama television series to be adapted for British television, while the episodes are adapted from scripts and episodes of the parent series.
Criminal Justice is a British television drama series produced by the BBC and first shown in 2008. Written by Peter Moffat, each five-episode series follows the journey of an individual through the justice system and was first broadcast over five successive nights on BBC One. The first series, first shown in 2008, starred Ben Whishaw as Ben Coulter, a young man who is accused of murder after a drunken and drug-filled night out, though is unable to remember committing the crime. It was directed by Otto Bathurst and Luke Watson. In 2009, the second series featured Maxine Peake as troubled housewife Juliet Miller whose husband was stabbed in their bed. Yann Demange and Marc Jobst directed the second series. The first series won two British Academy Television Awards for Best Drama Serial and Best Writer, three Royal Television Society Awards and an International Emmy. The first season has been re-made into an HBO miniseries The Night Of, starring John Turturro and Riz Ahmed.
Downton Abbey is a British historical drama television series set in the early 20th century, created and co-written by Julian Fellowes. It first aired in the United Kingdom on ITV on 26 September 2010 and in the United States on PBS, which supported its production as part of its Masterpiece Classic anthology, on 9 January 2011. The show ran for fifty-two episodes across six series, including five Christmas specials.
Motherland is a British sitcom set in London, which explores the trials of middle-class motherhood. A pilot episode, written by Graham Linehan, Sharon Horgan, Helen Serafinowicz and Holly Walsh was first broadcast on BBC Two on 6 September 2016 as part of its "Sitcom Season". The BBC subsequently ordered a full series of six episodes, the first of which aired on 7 November 2017.