The Scales of Justice is a series of thirteen British cinema featurettes produced from 1962 to 1967 for Anglo-Amalgamated at Merton Park Studios in London. The first nine were made in black and white, and the last four in colour. The finale, Payment in Kind, was Merton Park's final production. Episodes were based on criminal cases, and each film was introduced by criminologist Edgar Lustgarten. The series derives its title from the symbolic scales held by the statue of Justice, situated above the dome of London's Central Criminal Court, The Old Bailey. The opening narration describes her as having "in her right hand, the Sword of Power and Retribution, and in her left – The Scales of Justice".
The Scales of Justice (Season 1)
The Guilty Party (Episode 1)
Writer: James Eastwood
Air date: 1962-01-11
Runtime: 30 min
Overview: The Sinclairs seem to be living in the lap of luxury, but their lifestyle is funded by a morass of debt.
A Woman's Privilege (Episode 2)
Writer: James Eastwood
Air date: 1962-11-02
Runtime: 30 min
Overview: A shipboard romance leads to a lawsuit for breach of promise.
Moment of Decision (Episode 3)
Air date: 1962-12-01
Runtime: 30 min
Overview: A woman yearning for a child takes a baby from a wealthy family.Her husband sees this as a financial opportunity.
Position of Trust (Episode 4)
Air date: 1963-09-01
Runtime: 30 min
Overview: A wealthy, spoiled young man, about to be married, arranges for an illicit liaison with a mysterious French girl who calls herself Yvonne. He is accosted in his Brighton hotel room by a man who claims to be a private detective in the employee of Yvonne's husband.
The Undesirable Neighbour (Episode 5)
Air date: 1963-09-02
Runtime: 30 min
Overview: A newly married woman becomes very friendly with her male neighbors, causing the neighborhood busybodies' tongues to wag.
The Invisible Asset (Episode 6)
Air date: 1963-10-01
Runtime: 30 min
Overview: A restaurant owner bugs one of his tables with a hidden microphone and uses the illicit knowledge he gains to blackmail his customers.
Personal and Confidential (Episode 7)
Air date: 1965-02-01
Runtime: 30 min
Overview: Police investigating a suspicious death find a file marked "Top Secret" in the victim's briefcase.
The Hidden Face (Episode 8)
Air date: 1965-02-02
Runtime: 30 min
Overview: When a member of parliament commits suicide, his son seeks the author of the book that triggered the tragedy.
The Material Witness (Episode 9)
Air date: 1965-12-01
Runtime: 30 min
Overview: A younger executive plots to replace a firm's manager, and turns him in to police as a drunk driver, then proceeds to charm his way into his daughter's affections.
Company of Fools (Episode 10)
Writer: Peter Duffell
Air date: 1966-09-01
Runtime: 30 min
Overview: Five strangers band together to exact revenge on a man who ruined them financially.
The Haunted Man (Episode 11)
Writer: James Eastwood
Air date: 1966-09-02
Runtime: 30 min
Overview: An actor receives a head injury breaking up a robbery. The injury effects his memory and he can no longer remember his part, thereby forcing him off the stage. He becomes determined to capture the thieves.
Infamous Conduct (Episode 12)
Writer: James Eastwood
Air date: 1966-10-01
Runtime: 30 min
Overview: A famous surgeon losses his license (and his wife) after a woman patient accuses him of conduct unbecoming a physician. Fleeing to the coast, the doctor meets a beautiful woman painter whose cousin is a criminal. Among his companions is a bank robber who wants the doctor to alter his appearance through plastic surgery.
Payment in Kind (Episode 13)
Writer: John Roddick
Air date: 1967-03-01
Runtime: 30 min
Seasons
Episodes 13