The bookworms are turning

Press, Volume CXVI, Issue 34133, 21 April 1976, Page 14

The bookworms are turning

(By

A. K. GRANT)

TVlf announced today that filming has hegun on the first of 13 episodes of a ma jor new dramatic series. Entitled “Little Library on 'the Plains,” the series deals [with the continuing struggle of a public library to remain closed during holiday weekends. Details of the series were given to the press at a news conference by the head of TVIJ Drama, Mr Sophocles Rattigan. “Little Library on the Plains,” said Mr Rattigan, “shows how the ignorant and prejudiced desires of members of a small closeknit community to uorrow books on holiday week-ends are frustrated by the lonely courage of two brave individuals who fight for what they know to be right. One is the Librarian Stringleperson. a man whose first loyalty is to the principle of long week-ends for his staff, and who alone can see what an hour and a half’s borrowing on holiday week-ends could lead to? The other protagonist is a battling city councillor. Helen Attic, whose fierce loyalty to the

principles for which Stringleperson stands is a small beacon of sanity, flickering and guttering in the dark gales of public bookborrowing.” A host of lesser charac-j ters, said Mr Rattigan, included A. K. Grass, a cyni-| cal, wisecracking, bedwetting! newspaper columnist; a! young and beautiful librar-j ian, Cynthia Overdue, who is placed in a fearful dilemma between her love for 'Grass and her loyalty to the Library; and a rabblerousing demagogue, Reed Quickly, who foments community hatreds against the library and its lending policy. “We at TVl|”, said Mr Rattigan, “are particularly proud of the very strong cast we have assembled for this series. The lead role of Stringleperson will be played by lan Mule, whom viewers will remember as the star of ‘Muleskinner,’ a serjes about a courageous F.O.L. President and his battle against a knighthood. Helen Attic will be played by Margaret Thatcher, whom we have not seen on qur screens since her assumption of the leadership of the British Conservative Party, and whom we are very pleased

to welcome back. A. K. Grass will be played by Max Cryer, and Kiri te Kanawa takes the role of Cynthia Overdue. Kiri will also sing the series title song, 'They .Ain’t No Way You Gonna [Get Any Everlovin’ Books 'Out Of This Library On A [Holiday Week-end, Baby, [Country Road'. We are especially delighted by the fact that Don Hearte, star of ‘Close to Home’, and Merv Smith have no part of any| kind, however small, in any; episode of this series.” The first episode, now being filmed, is entitled “Easter Rising.” It tells of the tragic, doomed assault on the library by a tiny band of borrowers on Easter Saturday, 1976. “In future episodes,” says Mr Rattigan, “we will see how’ these deluded fanatics are transformed into martyrs by an ignorant and credulous community, and how all the strength and courage of Stringleperson and Attic is needed to protect the library from those who want to get their hands on its books. ‘Little Library on the Plains’ is quite unashamedly a committed programme. We think that when New Zealanders realise how dangerously close thev have come to

having their libraries open for borrowing on holiday week-ends, there will arise an irresistible agitation to have libraries closed on every week-end, except to persons in receipt of a Social Welfare Domestic Perusal Benefit who can prove that they are not going to share their books with a de facto spouse.” Asked who would direct the series, Mir Rattigan said,

“That, at the moment, is a closely-guarded secret. Indeed, so closely is it guarded that I am not even sure if it is a secret. But I can tell you one thing. It' won’t be some damned snivelling bookworm who expects a bunch of loyal public servants to open up on Saturday mornings just so he can spend his week-end reading instead of mowing his lawns or watching television.”