A free screening of Alfred Hitchcock’s classic suspense film North by Northwest is included in this year’s Santa Barbara Summer Cinema series Those Fabulous Fifties!!, 8:30 p.m. Friday, July 12, at the Santa Barbara County Courthouse Sunken Garden. This summer marks the 10th anniversary of the outdoor film tradition.

Starring Cary Grant, Eva Marie Saint and James Mason, North by Northwest finds New York City ad executive Roger O. Thornhill pursued by ruthless spy Phillip Vandamm after Thornhill is mistaken for a government agent.

Hunted relentlessly by Vandamm’s associates, the harried Thornhill ends up on a cross-country journey, meeting the beautiful and mysterious Eve Kendall along the way. Soon Vandamm’s henchmen close in on Thornhill, resulting in a number of iconic action sequences.

Directed by Alfred Hitchcock, the film was produced in 1959.

To view the outdoor screenings, bring blankets, low-to-the-ground beach chairs (with seat no more than 6 inches above the ground), picnic dinner, and blankets. Filmgoers may begin setting up on the lawn at noon the day of the screenings.

Those Fabulous Fifties!! is presented by UCSB Arts & Lectures and the Santa Barbara County Office of Arts & Culture. Premier Sponsor is Montecito Bank & Trust.

For a full list of films and other information, call UCSB Arts & Lectures, 805-893-3535, or visit www.ArtsAndLectures.UCSB.edu.

— Caitlin O’Hara for UCSB Arts & Lectures.