Production
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".
A newlywed fears she's going mad when strange things start happening at the family mansion.
Recently paroled from prison, legendary burglar "Doc" Riedenschneider, with funding from Alonzo Emmerich, a crooked lawyer, gathers a small group of veteran criminals together in the Midwest for a big jewel heist.
A woman's attempted murder of her uncaring husband results in everyday quarrels in the lives of Adam and Amanda, a pair of happily married lawyers who end up on opposite sides of the case in court.
A shady business man has perpetrated a fraud that has resulted in the death of a large number of people. His business partner has evidence of the fraud and threatens the fraudster with exposure in the event of any further dishonest dealing. But when the fraudster suddenly receives death threats he decides to fake his own murder in a plan both to get his hands on the evidence.
The late, great impresario Florenz Ziegfeld looks down from heaven and ordains a new revue in his grand old style.
Pat Pemberton is a brilliant athlete, except when her domineering fiancé is around. The ladies golf championship is in her reach until she gets flustered by his presence at the final holes. He wants them to get married and forget the whole thing, but she cannot give up on herself that easily. She enlists the help of Mike Conovan, a slightly shady sports promoter. Together they face mobsters, a jealous boxer, and a growing mutual attraction.
Passengers on an ocean liner recall their greatest loves.
A Texas carnival showmen team is mistaken for a cattle baron and his sister.
When a robbery at a racetrack goes wrong ex-con Johnny Bannion is caught and sent back to prison. He won't tell the rest of the gang where he has stashed the loot leading to violent consequences.
A writer of murder mysteries finds himself caught up in a string of murders in London.
A gang of jewel thieves rob a house which has just become empty following the recent death of it's rich lady owner. The robbery is not a complete success and one of the gang hides the jewels in the house as he's about to be captured. Later the house is put up for sale and events lead the estate agent to conclude that the jewels may still be there.
A cop investigates the shooting of another policeman... that may have been involved in crooked activities.
The Police investigate the theft of emerald jewellery which had led to murder.
A bedridden and gravely ill man believes his wife and doctor are conspiring to kill him, and outlines his suspicions in a letter.
A slick young man buys a jewel with a cheque that bounces. He then disappears and both the police and a lawyer try to find him. The lawyer hires a female detective to track down the missing man, but when his body is found in the Thames the case is by no means over.
A group of crooks accidentally kill an elderly shop assistant while stealing the keys to the jewellery shop where she works. When his superiors think that the case is better handed over to Scotland Yard, the local detective inspector, Sparrow, decides to go solo to investigate the crime himself.
An international criminal arrives in London, and a detective is anxious to pin something on him for some unprovable murders of former lovers. The villain starts to suspect servants and henchmen of being a police spy known as "Number Six".
A singer and her apartment manager get mixed up in a creepy Park Avenue murder and find themselves facing danger at every turn.
Two rival gangs are trying to fix horse races and a jockey is attacked and left for dead in a stage-managed car crash. An insurance investigator makes routine enquiries into the "accident" and one of the gang leaders feels threatened by this and takes counter measures.
