Julius Monk was a pioneer entrepreneur of the New York cabaret scene.
His club Julius Monk's Downstairs 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.[1]
Four Below was a huge success, and Monk continued to stage annual revues that established the standard for New York cabaret over the following decade: Son of Four Below, Take Five, Demi-Dozen (1958), Pieces of Eight (1959), Dressed to the Nines (1960) and 7 Come 11 (1961). In 1962, he moved his troupe to a new nightclub, Plaza 9, at the Plaza Hotel, named for its phone number (Plaza 9-2000 ) and continued with revues such as Dime A Dozen, Bits & Pieces, Baker's Dozen and his last revue, Four In Hand (1968). Many unknown performers in Monk's cafe revues—including Ken Berry, Ruth Buzzi, Nancy Preiser, Mary Louise Wilson, Liz Sheridan, and Dorothy Loudon—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.
Monk wrote his autobiography, Baker's Dozen.
The recording of Demi Dozen came out in the same year as the production and had some memorable songs that would bring back a bit of history of a NYC much changed from the time it came out. Given the topicality of the recording.
Monk was 82 when he died in August 1995 at his home in Manhattan.[2]