Bring your blankets and lawn chairs and spend an evening in downtown Farmville under the stars. The Downtown Film Series will show “Shane,” starring Alan Ladd and featuring Jack Palance, on July 8.

The 1953 western is the second film of the 19th season of Stars Under the Stars.

Ladd stars as Shane, a mysterious gunslinger who rides into a Wyoming valley home to pioneers in the years following the Civil War. He soon learns that a cruel cattle baron is trying to seize the land that the farmers and ranchers had claimed under the Homestead Act.

Shane accepts a job from one of the homesteaders and befriends the family, including their son, Joey. However, tensions reach the boiling point, and the cattle baron sends a lethal gunfighter of his own (Palance) to the valley to settle things once and for all. Only Shane stands between the baron and the families’ lands.

“Shane” was nominated for six Oscars and was a winner for Best Color Cinematography.

The film features the stunning Grand Teton National Park as the backdrop, and it was the first film to be projected in a widescreen panoramic format.

The presentation will begin at dusk at Crute Stage, located on the corner of Main and Fourth streets in downtown Farmville. Come early for pre-show trivia and drawings. Parking is available on Main Street and in the municipal parking lot behind the courthouse. Admission is free and popcorn, candy and drinks will be available for purchase.

No pets are allowed.

In the event of rain, the film will be shown the following evening at dusk. The final presentation of the season will be “The Karate Kid” on Aug. 12.