Edgar Lustgarten
Encyclopedia
Edgar Marcus Lustgarten (born 3 May 1907, Manchester
, England, died on 15 December 1978) was a British broadcaster and noted crime writer.
His books included crime fiction, but most were accounts of true-life criminal cases. The legal justice system and courtroom procedures were his main interests and his writings reflect this. He also wrote numerous articles for newspapers and presented the radio series Advocate Extraordinary. He used to say that he had no schedules, writing everywhere any time, on bars, on cars and while walking by the streets.
He is most widely remembered for hosting the filmed crime series Scotland Yard and The Scales of Justice
in the 1950s and 1960s, filmed at Merton Park Studios, London, SW19. One of those programs, Scotland Yard
was broadcast beginning on November 17, 1957, on the American Broadcasting Company
in the United States.
Lustgarten died at the Marylebone
library
while reading The Spectator
. In the decade following his death, Lustgarten briefly ascended into the realm of pop culture when his inimitable voice appeared in dance music. Samples of him reading from "Death on the Crumbles" were used in the Australian band "Severed Heads" 1984 hit song "Dead Eyes Opened". His works are still used as introductory readings in several law schools in different countries because of their accuracy on the atmosphere of trials and attorneys' behaviour. He was famously mimicked as the Narrator in the Rocky Horror Picture Show.
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
, England, died on 15 December 1978) was a British broadcaster and noted crime writer.
His books included crime fiction, but most were accounts of true-life criminal cases. The legal justice system and courtroom procedures were his main interests and his writings reflect this. He also wrote numerous articles for newspapers and presented the radio series Advocate Extraordinary. He used to say that he had no schedules, writing everywhere any time, on bars, on cars and while walking by the streets.
He is most widely remembered for hosting the filmed crime series Scotland Yard and The Scales of Justice
The Scales of Justice
The Scales of Justice was a series of thirteen British B-movies produced between 1962 and 1967 for Anglo-Amalgamated at Merton Park Studios in London.They were based on actual criminal cases and each film was introduced by crime writer Edgar Lustgarten...
in the 1950s and 1960s, filmed at Merton Park Studios, London, SW19. One of those programs, Scotland Yard
Scotland Yard (TV series)
Scotland Yard is a half-hour ABC crime/drama television series, which uses police files from the British Scotland Yard investigative force in the shaping of each episode. The series aired on Sunday evenings in the 1957-1958 season, having premiered on November 17, 1957, but the sixty-three episodes...
was broadcast beginning on November 17, 1957, on the American Broadcasting Company
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
in the United States.
Lustgarten died at the Marylebone
Marylebone
Marylebone is an affluent inner-city area of central London, located within the City of Westminster. It is sometimes written as St. Marylebone or Mary-le-bone....
library
Library
In a traditional sense, a library is a large collection of books, and can refer to the place in which the collection is housed. Today, the term can refer to any collection, including digital sources, resources, and services...
while reading The Spectator
The Spectator
The Spectator is a weekly British magazine first published on 6 July 1828. It is currently owned by David and Frederick Barclay, who also owns The Daily Telegraph. Its principal subject areas are politics and culture...
. In the decade following his death, Lustgarten briefly ascended into the realm of pop culture when his inimitable voice appeared in dance music. Samples of him reading from "Death on the Crumbles" were used in the Australian band "Severed Heads" 1984 hit song "Dead Eyes Opened". His works are still used as introductory readings in several law schools in different countries because of their accuracy on the atmosphere of trials and attorneys' behaviour. He was famously mimicked as the Narrator in the Rocky Horror Picture Show.