How can I fix my stiff shift lever on my 1971 chevy c-10 pickup?

my shift lever is very stiff on my 1971 chevy c-10 pickup. once i put it in the drive gear (an automatic trans.) its really hard to pull back on the shift lever nad get into park. i can go in by the motor and move the lever on the steering column very easily by hand to get it back into park but doing it inside the cab takes a lot of force. is the shift lever able to be lubricated there at the column where it goes in or is it farther down the shaft? when its cold its even worse.