Screen shows pink stripes instead of white, goes away by shaking

MacBook Pro 17" Unibody early 2009

My display shows pink vertical lines instead of white. Shaking the laptop, or pressing the bottom plate, can help (temporarily). My hypothesis is that the display data cable went bad, but would like to be sure somehow before replacing it (I never did DIY-repairs).

http://d3nevzfk7ii3be.cloudfront.net/igi...

If it is the display data cable, where can I get a new one and what kind exactly? Is there a way of fixing it (or trying to fix it) without opening the lid of the laptop?

Any ideas are greatly appreciated, since I can't cough up the dough for a new laptop and I would like to keep using my current beauty