S. P. B. Cudia Collection 1924-1977

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S. P. B. Cudia Collection 1924-1977

MSS-32


Overview of the Collection
Creator:	Cudia, S. P. B. (Salvatore Pace Bondanza), -1971
Title:	S. P. B. Cudia Collection
Inclusive Dates:	1924-1977
Bulk Dates:	1939-1960
Quantity:	6 Boxes (3.0 Linear Feet)
Abstract:	The S. P. B. Cudia Collection houses scripts, screenplays, correspondence, financial records, and printed matter documenting Cudia's work in movie production and the creation of the Cudia City development in Phoenix. The majority of the material dates from 1939 to 1960.
Identification:	MSS-32
Language:	Material in English
Repository:	Arizona State University Library. Greater Arizona Collection P.O. Box 871006 Tempe, AZ 85287-1006 Phone: (480) 965-4932 E-Mail: archives@asu.edu Questions? Ask An Archivist!

Biographical Note

Filmmaker, developer, and restaurateur Salvatore Pace Bondanza Cudia was born on September 13, 1887 in Rome, Italy. He immigrated to the United States in 1903 and began an Italian opera company in Washington, D.C. using immigrant talent in addition to designing sets and coaching drama at the New York Metropolitan Opera. He married Jennie Lucia (1877-1914) and the couple had three children, Florence (Cudia) Ayres (ca. 1894-), Louis S. (ca. 1900-), and Edmond Jasper (1906-1987).

A pioneering movie producer, Cudia began his career in Florida and later established studios in Hollywood before coming to Phoenix, where he established a movie studio and dinner theatre in 1938. Here, he produced Polish westerns for export as well as such English-language westerns as 26 Men, which was based on the story of the Arizona Rangers. The 160 acre site west of Camelback Mountain burned to the ground in 1959, but was soon rebuilt and became a popular recreational and social center for young Phoenicians. Cudia also created a retail and residential development known as Cudia City Estates in the Camelback Mountain area in the mid-1950s. S. P. B. Cudia died of a heart attack in Phoenix, Arizona on February 10, 1971.

Scope and Content Note

The S. P. B. Cudia Collection houses scripts, screenplays, correspondence, financial records, and printed matter documenting Cudia's work in movie production and the creation of the Cudia City development in Phoenix. The majority of the material dates from 1939 to 1960.

Arrangement

This collection consists of six boxes.

Restrictions

Access Restrictions

To view this collection, make an appointment at least five business days prior to your visit by contacting Ask an Archivist or calling (480) 965-4932. Appointments in the Wurzburger Reading Room at Hayden Library (rm. 138) on the Tempe campus are available Monday through Friday. Check the ASU Library Hours page for current availability.

Copyright

Arizona State University does not own the copyright to this collection. We recognize that it is incumbent upon the researcher to procure permission to publish information from this collection from the owner of the copyright.

Access Terms

Personal Name(s)

Cudia, S. P. B. (Salvatore Pace Bondanza), -1971

Corporate Name(s)

Cudiacolor Films

Subject(s)

Cudia City Estates (Phoenix, Ariz.)

Motion picture industry -- Arizona

Occupation(s)

Motion picture producers and directors -- Arizona

Real estate developers -- Arizona

Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

[Identification of item], S. P. B. Cudia Collection, MSS-32, Arizona State University Library.

Provenance

The S. P. B. Cudia Collection was received from Mr. and Mrs. Edmond J. Cudia in 1977 (ACC# 1977-00019).

Container List


Box	Folder
1	1	Arizona News Drama


1	2		Buzzy and the Phantom Pinto by E. G. Robertson, 1940


1	3		The Call of the Romany


1	4		Canyon Diablo Train Robbers by W. C. Barnes


1	5		The Drunkard; a moral domestic drams of American Life by W. H. Smith and A Gentleman, 1943


1	6		4:20 A.M. by Tom Neal


1	7		Golden Spurs by Tony Paton, 1945


1	8		Innocent Bigamy by Frances R. Neilson


1	9		It Was the Mardi Gras


1	10		La Fiesta by "Pat" Dennis, 1940


1	11		The Marshall of Dodge City by Harold Shumate


1	12		Melisse; or the Girl of the Mountains


1	13		The Peasants Wedding


1	14		Protectors Provided by Roberta F. Clayton


1	15		Ridin' Trouble! by Josef Montaigue, 1939


1	16		Roundup in Morocco by Charles Townsend


1	17		The Swivel Holster by Walter F. Potter


1	18		Where There's a War There's a Way by Milton Marshall and Jacques Kopstein, 1943


1	19		Who Is Guilty? by J. S. Zielinski, 1939


1	20		Untitled Scripts (2 Documents)


Box
2	Photographs
		These photographs were removed to CP SC: S. P. B. Cudia Photographs (guide available at http://azarchivesonline.org/xtf/view?docId=ead/asu/cp_sc.xml).


Box
3	Catalogs, Programs, and Leaflets, 1942-1953
		Includes:
		13 catalogs of plays Souvenir program of movie John Brown's Body 3 catalogs of camera and stage equipment 8 leaflets


Box	Folder
4	1	Correspondence, Brochures, and Catalogs Regarding Cancer Research and Related Movie, 1950-1951


4	2		Correspondence and Clippings, 1924-1958


4	3		Bills and Receipts


4	4	Financial Material, circa 1938-1958
			Includes correspondence, bank statements, certificate, income tax forms, mortgage forms, and contracts.


4	5		2 Address Books, 2 Notebooks, and 1 Checkbook


4	6		Cudia Color Television Films, Inc. and Cudiacolor Films Ltd. Capital Stock Certificates


4	7		Cudia Productions Contract Forms, Western Casting Service Forms, Actors' Guild Application, Certificate, and Cudia's Application to the Screen Directors' Guild of America


4	8		Cudia Advertising Poster, Business Cards, Theater Program, Poems by J. William Lloyd and Gertrude D. Webster, Invitations to Cudia Art Exhibition, Cudia Art Exhibition, and Cudia City Seals


Box	Folder
5	1	Cudia City Theatre and Guest Resort Brochures, Postcards, Tickets, Advertisements, and Napkins


5	2		Cudia City Currency and Stationery, Menu Cover Design and Related Correspondence, and Cudia City Menus


5	3		Clippings, 1929


5	4		Clippings, 1932-1939


5	5		Clippings, 1941-1949


5	6		Clippings, 1950-1959


5	7		Clippings, 1960-1977


5	8		Clippings, Undated


Box	Folder
6	1	Valley of the Sun Studios Plaque


6	2/OV2		Cudia City Brochure


6	3/OV2		Cudia Shield Sculpture (4 Posters)