Fact vs Fiction: Godfather of Harlem season 3 episode 10

Jason Alan Carvell as Malcolm X staring in Godfather of Harlem season 3

Jason Alan Carvell, Godfather of Harlem season 3 (Image credit: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc.)

Just like that, Godfather of Harlem season 3 episode 10 wraps explosive storylines for many of the characters. Bumpy Johnson (Forest Whitaker) killed his way out of the drug business, Vincent "The Chin" Gigante (Vincent D'Onofrio) reclaimed his power among the five families and Malcolm X (Jason Alan Carvell) met his fatal end.

Given so much happened in the nearly hour-long episode, we decided to look at the facts fueling some of the biggest plot points. For example, what actually happened on the day Malcolm X was murdered? Did he make the call to be more laid back with security prior to him being shot? Speaking of homicides, was Bill Harvey (Joel Marsh Garland) taken out by members of the mafia in real life?

Here's what we found out.

What happened the day Malcolm X was assassinated?

Jason Alan Carvell as Malcolm X with a gun pointed at him in Godfather of Harlem season 3 — Jason Alan Carvell, Godfather of Harlem season 3 (Image credit: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc.)

The fiction
A day before Malcolm X was to speak at the Audubon Ballroom in Harlem, New York, those around him were incredibly nervous about him taking to the stage. His wife Betty (Grace Porter), Elise (Antoinette Crowe-Legacy) and Brother Omar (Maurice Jones) begged him to cancel, only for him to refuse. In light of the civil rights leader’s determination to keep his plans intact, Omar suggested he take extra security precautions, but again Malcolm X declined.

As Brother Omar talked with Johnson’s lieutenants about how they all would manage security and the potential crowd, he dropped the bombshell that no one is to be patted down upon entering the event space. The news was shocking and Johnson’s men were uncertain how they can provide adequate protection if they didn’t know who may be carrying a weapon. Brother Omar claimed Malcolm X didn’t want people to be frisked as he feared it would scare off young people from attending.

On the day of his speech, Johnson’s men were stopped and arrested by several officials and never made it to the Audubon Ballroom. Then as Malcolm X stood before an audience, a commotion broke out in the crowd when two men pretended to get into an argument, shoving one another. As the two guys went back and forth, another man lit a towel on fire causing smoke to fill the room.

In the midst of all these distractions, three men stormed the stage and started firing shots at Malcolm X. Betty and his daughters sat in the front row looking on in horror. As the gunmen attempted to flee the scene, Betty tried to revive her husband, but he was dead.

The fact
According to Time, leading up to his assassination, Malcolm X spoke to his security team and requested they didn’t perform security checks at the entrance to his event. It’s important to note that when he was a member of the Nation of Islam and would perform speaking engagements, he did so with security checks in place. However, once he split from the NOI, he phased out these measures. As Peter Bailey, a former associate of the civil rights leader put it, "[Malcolm X] wanted a break away from the image" that padding people down represented.

On February 21, 1965, Malcolm X took to the stage in front of an audience of about 400 people in the Audubon Ballroom. Despite law enforcement usually being present at his engagements, practically none were visible on that day. As he proceeded to speak, a dispute broke out in the crowd. The orator and his team attempted to smooth over the commotion, and in the process, a man ran on stage and shot Malcolm X. Two other people then followed suit and ran up on stage shooting. In total, he was shot 21 times before being pronounced dead.

In the years following his death, there has been controversy surrounding who actually killed him. While Muhammad Abdul Aziz, Khalil Islam and Thomas Hagan were all tried and convicted of Malcolm X’s murder, the former two were exonerated decades later as spelled out in The New York Times. To this day, Hagan’s real accomplices in the crime have never legally been determined, but there are many clues offered in the Netflix documentary Who Killed Malcolm X?

Was Wild Bill Harvey murdered?

Joel Marsh Garland as Wild Bill Harvey sitting at a desk in Godfather of Harlem season 3 episode 6 — Josh Marsh Garland, Godfather of Harlem season 3 (Image credit: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc.)

The fiction
After the previous episode saw Harvey kidnap Elise, viewers wondered what Johnson would do to exact revenge. As it turns out, the Harlem Kingpin’s next move was to join forces with Gigante and go to his old FBI nemesis Robert Morgenthau (Justin Bartha). Johnson proposed helping Morgenthau expose Harvey and the CIA for their crooked tactics while also assisting the FBI in catching Joe Colombo (Michael Raymond-James) and Jose Battle (Yul Vazquez) in the middle of a drug deal. In exchange, the FBI would eliminate the Harvey threat.

Harvey caught wind of Johnson’s plan and confronted him and Gigante in the middle of their rooftop meeting. The CIA operative demanded both Johnson and Gigante put a stop to their plan with the FBI, and if not, he’d go after their daughters. At first, Johnson and Gigante pretended to agree with Harvey’s orders, but in the blink of an eye, they push him off the roof, and he fell to his death.

The fact
Simply put, what was seen in the show was fiction. According to local Indiana paper The Tribune-Star, Harvey died of a heart attack in Indianapolis on June 9, 1976. He was 60 years old at the time.

You can stream any episodes you’ve missed of Godfather of Harlem season 3 on MGM Plus.