A few years ago, Denzel Washington played the character Frank Lucas in American Gangster, a tale about a hustler who took the drug game beyond the limited scope of his fellow hoods. In the early portions of the movie we see that Frank was tutored by a man who they simply called Bumpy, played by Clarence Williams III. Well as much as the movie put Frank Lucas over as a mastermind and Denzel Washington inaccurately portrayed him as a cool, poised Gangster, most historians know that Bumpy Johnson deserved a bit more than a slight mention in the life of Lucas. It is convenient that Lucas was alive to make sure that they semi-accurately put him over in the movie, but his predecessor Bumpy was not afforded that luxury for  American Gangster.

Well we are fans of old Elsworth here at the Hall, Bumpy represented a Gangster and Gentleman the way that it was meant to be. Unlike Lucas, Bumpy lived by the code, was respected by the racist Italian Gangsters to the point where he represented their position in Harlem during the high times of the American Cosa Notra. While Lucas made mention of this as a negative, it isn’t that simple, the men were of two different times. During Bumpy’s time you either got in with Lucky Luciano or you got ran the hell over. He was regarded as a friend to the Italians, a position that made for good money and more power than Lucas ever had.

The Life and Times of Bumpy Johnson

Thug to the core, Elsworth Raymond “Bumpy” Johnson was given the name Bumpy due to a swelling on his forehead that he had since childhood. Known for his flashy lifestyle of the finest vines (clothes), the nicest cars and jewelry, young Bumpy was a pimp, a burglar and a thief. He was out of control in his twenties and had an attitude that kept him in solitary confinement during his numerous stints in prison – dude practically lived in prison he was there so much. As he was transferred from prison to prison due to fighting and his volatile behavior, Bumpy read a lot and had a talent for poetry. When he was released from prison during the 30’s he became the number one man for a lady known as Madame Stephanie St. Claire aka “Queenie”. Now Queenie wasn’t just some woman, her name was appropriate being that she was the top of the numbers rackets in Harlem. She was a black French femme turned Gang Leader who was the banker, plotter and runner of a Numbers game that broke people in the hood and made her rich.

When Bumpy and Queenie linked up it brought about war when the Italians tried to take over the rackets. The ruthless gangster Dutch Schultz was sent to Harlem to take over the numbers rackets from the negros and Queenie was not trying to hear any of it. As lover and Capo to Queenie’s regime, the deadly Bumpy went to the mattresses with the Dutchman and it resulted in over 40 murders on the Harlem streets. Queenie’s defiance was worthy of accolades but unfortunately the Mob owned the police and that was enough of an alliance to tip the scales in their favor and the Dutchman won the war.

After the war, Lucky Luciano promised Bumpy that he could still run the Harlem numbers rackets with the protection of the Cosa Nostra. This meant that Bumpy had to “kick up” but it was better than death or inability to earn, and it afforded him more power than he had ever had prior. For years after Queenie returned to her country, Bumpy ran Organized Crime in Harlem and was loved by everyone. Unlike Lucas who bled the streets and looked out for number one only, Bumpy gave heavily to charity, fed the poor from trucks and donated cash to the city. Dapper to the core and a ruthless killer when crossed, Bumpy was very much the American Gangster.

In 1968 the poetic, dapper Don of Harlem died of a heart attack. He was succeeded by the ruthless Frank Lucas whose Heroin empire helped poison the streets of his own black people unlike anything else seen before. If you watched American Gangster, I would urge you all to read “Manchild in The Promised Land” to see the realities of Harlem during that time period, told from the heart of a man who lived during it. Bumpy Johnson is our Badass Gangster of the month.

Written by Greg Dragon on Tuesday, May 11, 2010 

Filed under Badass of The Month
Tagged with badass, gangster, organized crime, thug