A New Movie Examines the Talented, Enigmatic Little Richard
metroweekly.comand women, ultimately marrying his bride Ernestine.Richard Wayne Penniman, who died in 2020, was many things, hence the revealing new documentary Little Richard: I Am Everything, directed and produced by Lisa Cortés (All In: The Fight for Democracy), who sought to capture the mercurial musician’s many contradictions and put into perspective his undeniable cultural impact.“I realized that in looking at Richard’s history, he’s like, I always say, a pendulum,” says Cortés. “He’s going back and forth.
He’s out, he bursts on the scene. He’s flamboyant. Then, he thinks the world’s coming to an end. He goes to Bible College. He marries a woman.
He leaves rock and roll. Wait a minute! He’s doing gospel music. Wait a minute! He’s divorced. He wants to be the Living Flame.
So, you know, Richard has this push-pull between the sacred and the profane.”Every facet of Richard’s life is considered, including his early days performing as drag persona Princess LaVonne, and the musical influence of queer mentors like Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Billy Wright, and nearly forgotten R&B butch queen Esquerita.The movie, which relies on abundant footage of Little Richard in performances and candid interviews — along with testimony from luminaries Mick Jagger, Paul McCartney, Billy Porter, and Nona Hendryx, to name a few — remarkably also turns up an interview with Richard’s wife Ernestine, who remembers him fondly.“Ernestine is the craziest story,” Cortés recalls. “We tried to find her when we were making the film, and people were like, ‘No, she’s dead.
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