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 seenes 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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Edgar Marcus Lustgarten was a British broadcaster and noted crime writer.
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