AustLit

'The long distance road transport industry provides us with a change of pace and locale, a chance to exploit the vastness of the Australian bush, and to depict the colourful characters involved in the trucking business - the 'truckies' who push their giant rigs through thousand mile runs, and back again.

'We meet "Fibber", a loquacious truckie of the old school, when his load of cigarettes is stolen in an incredible "travelling hijack" - in which the thieves jump from one truck to another, and offload the cigarettes while the trucks move at high speed.

'(This incident is based on an actual Australian case.)

'Ryan is hired to find out how the cigarettes could have "disappeared", and then to track down the men responsible for the daring theft.

"Meanwhile, we're getting to know "Fibber" - he's an old larrikin and we come to love him and sympathise with his problems. He won't admit that he's getting too old to drive, that the industry is changing .. [sic] he'd rather bore anyone who will listen with his interminable stories about the "old days" - "When we pushed a rig from Perth to Port Hedland in record time - and an hour off for beer and oysters."

'One serious problem is that his old driving partner, now the Manager of the company, is going to sack him - until Ryan establishes Fibber's innocence. But, by that time, Fibber is out on the highway with a twenty-five ton truck - and no brakes.'

Source: Synopsis held in the Crawford Collection in the AFI Research Collection (RMIT).

The script held in the Crawford Collection in the AFI Research Collection contains the following character notes (excluding regular characters):

'FIBBER: 55. Real name is Don Stewart, but is nicknamed "Fibber" for reasons that will be obvious. He has driven heavy trucks all his life, knows nothing else, and is a wealth of yarns about the good old days. This is part of his problem; he lives in the past, and is almost completely insensitive to the present - even toward his wife and his best mate. He is a simple man, but a man who - despite his outward insensitivity - occasionally comes up with some remarkable insights. He is loud and rough and crude and sometimes loveable. Physically he should be stocky but solid, tall, reasonably fit, with a tanned, outdoorish complexion. Should smoke.

'JACK HAYES: 55. Jack and Fibber used to co-drive heavy rigs between Perth and Port Hedland back in the old days, and because of the difference in their sizes (Jeff is much shorter than Fibber) they were known as Mutt and Jeff. They were the top drivers at the time; they had a lot of good times together, most of which Jack would now like to forget. Ten years ago Jack quit driving and took an indoor job. He worked hard, polished the right boots, and was eventually promoted to General Manager of the company. He likes his job, but deeply regrets that it has thrown him into a situation of conflict with his old mate Fibber, who continually ignores safety regulations for the sake of speed. As the story begins, Jack has just about made up his mind that he will have to sack Fibber, but doesn't know how to go about it.

'LANCE: 30's. Dispatch officer at trucking company. A responsible, likeable man with no obviously unusual characteristics. Should look like a truckie.

'WIFE: 50's. Fibber's wife. She's put up with a lot in her married life, and has never really been satisifed with her role as a truckie's wife. When Fibber is away she counts the hours, but when he arrives home she pretends to be as insensitive as he is. Where he has tried to keep himself young and fit, she has let herself go; where he has never accepted old age as a reality, she is willing to face it bravely; where he lives in dreams, she lives in harsh reality. Despite all this, deep down she loves him.

'VICKI: 20's. Young, pretty, shapely bitch. She sleeps with Jack so as to gain information about valuable shipments for her three male accomplices.

'FREEMAN: 20's. One of the robbers. Few speaking scenes, but a lot of physical action. Drives.

'ROGERS: 20's. Another robber. Rogers has no speaking lines, and for this reason he may be an actual stuntman. In fact, he will have to be a bloody good stuntman.

'WALSH: Solicitor who hires Ryan on behalf of an insurance company.

'SLADE: Head mechanic at the truck depot.

'CHESTER: A short, pudgy, spectacled little maggot, with whom Ryan has had prior dealings. A coward and petty hood. Should swim.

'STUNTMAN: Friend of Ryan's who works as a stuntman. A bit of a clown at times. Need not be an actual stuntman.

'BARMAN: 50'S. That type. Knows and likes Fibber.

'POLICEMAN: One uniformed constable with very small speaking part. Must drive.

'2 THUGS: Two great heaving gorillas. No dialogue, but some heavy action. Their size is very important. Two T.V. wrestlers would be ideal.

'WOMAN: Tiny part. Must drive. One scene.

'STOP-GO MAN: Tiny part. One scene.

'EXTRAS: Line of motorists held up on highway.'