Julius Monk

Julius Monk was a pioneer entrepreneur of the New York cabaret scene.

He operated Julius Monk's Downstairs which opened March 4, 1956 with "Four Below", labeled as "the first legitimate cafe revue in New York City" by James Gavin, author of "Intimate Nights, The Golden Age of New York Cabaret". [Gavin, James."Intimate Nights, The Golden Age of New York Cabaret". New York: Grove Weidenfeld, 1991.]

"Four Below" was a huge success and Monk continued to stage revues that established the standard for New York cabaret over the following decade. His most successful nightclub was Plaza 9, named for its phone number: Plaza 9-2000. Many unknown performers in Monk's cafe revues -- including Ken Berry and Ruth Buzzi -- went on to varying degrees of fame.

In the 1960s, "Mad" published "The Agony and the Agony" (a parody of the film "The Agony and the Ecstasy") with the plotline moved from Renaissance Rome to present-day New York City. The film's antagonist Pope Julius II (a real historical figure) was updated by "Mad" as nightclub entrepreneur Julius Pope, a satire of Julius Monk.

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