Almost Heaven, Grafton, West Virginia , 1976 - 22 minutes
Produced, directed, filmed and edited by Peter R. Griesinger, on location sound by Carol D. Terwilliger; Sound mix by Lee Dichter, Photo-Magnetic Sound Studios, New York, NY; Color by TVC Labs, New York, NY

A sensitive, redeeming portrait of an American community struggling to reclaim its most basic values and beliefs during the final months of the Watergate crisis in 1974, this provocative documentary takes the viewer inside trailer homes and Main Street backyards as wives and husbands speak to the challenges of staying true to what's important in their lives. Poignantly weaving these confessions with the events and symbolism of the Memorial Day commemorations at the Grafton National Cemetery and the town's biggest annual homecoming celebration, the Memorial Day Parade, this beautifully structured film presents an extraordinarily intimate study of a people trying to get back in touch with their country, their faith, their marriages and themselves. Narrated by West Virginia Senator Robert C. Byrd. Premiered at the Museum of Modern Art, New York City.

“A well-produced, sensitive portrayal of a segment of Americana that has been pushed into the background of today's life by the hustle-bustle, hectic economic beat of our pluralistic society. Filmed and edited with capability and deftness, the program is a reminder of an America that has had its crest, albeit the values stressed - ethics, home, religion, love of country - are as valid today as ever; perhaps, in view of the nostalgia evident today, even more so.”

-Variety, September 1976.
From the review for the Cleveland, OH, WEWS/ABC local primetime television broadcast of Almost Heaven.

“Beneath a complacent certainty, lurk some anxious elements in these people's lives.....a curiously disquieting and sympathetically handled film portrait. A provocative addition to film programs on the American scene and spirit.”

- Booklist, November 1976

Merchant People: Pride, Power and Belief in Rural America, 1984 - 29 minutes.
A re-titled, educational version of the 1983 nationally televised PBS primetime special, Small Business My Way, 1982

Produced, directed and filmed by Peter R. Griesinger; Designed and edited by Michael Herschede; Sound by Dan Green, Dennis and DeAnn Berry, and John Ford; Foreword by West Virginia Secretary of State, A.J. Manchin; Original music directed and arranged by Michael Herschede - 'Now' composed and performed by Michael Craver, piano, with Burr Beard, Hammer Dulcimer and Michael Herschede, drums; 'Community' composed and performed by Tom Espinola, recorded and mixed at Bias Recording Co. Inc; Color title backgrounds by Jayne Rosenberg; Sound mix by Lee Dichter, Photo-Magnetic Sound Studios, New York, NY; Color by TVC Labs, New York, NY; Video post-production by TVC Video, Inc.; Sponsored by Appalachian Fresh Water Foods with additional underwriting by Hecks, Inc., ALAMCO, Monongahela Power Company and Union Carbide.

An uncompromising, undiluted tribute to the spirit of the American small business community, this skillfully edited, nationally televised PBS primetime special profiles nine small business men and women in Upshur County, West Virginia who unflinchingly put aside the nuts and bolts of running their businesses to get to the heart of how they view themselves and their lives during tough, recessionary times. Filmed during the run-up to the 1980 US presidential election, this straightforward, richly artistic portrait documents a courageous, hard working community that is by turns heroic and self-reliant, defensive and fed-up. Presented as an un-narrated, ethnographic record, this is an authentic, if not controversial, statement by a strong and deservedly proud people.

“ 'Merchant People' is an inside look at the struggles, strengths, prejudices and achievements of nine rural Appalachians. The voices and portraits ring with authenticity. Listening to them promotes, in terms both personal and memorable, a deeper understanding of an increasingly isolated small town America.”

- Jayne Ann Phillips, author of 'Machine Dreams' and 'Black Tickets'

“The ultimate statement of this film fits the current economic and political moods of the country. Hard sustained work and rugged individualism are the keys to these 'merchant people's' success as well as their personal happiness and pride. The film plays beautifully with excellent photography, color, music, sound, and editing.”

- Science Books and Films, 1985

“This is cultural anthropology...an ethnographic record. It is a study of an American tribe, uninterpreted, undefended. Griesinger and Herschede have done for this dying breed what Curtis did for the Plains Indians. They recorded them before they disappeared.”

- John Warner, Jr., Ph.D., Chairman, Dept. of Sociology, West Virginia Wesleyan College, Buckhannon, WV

“The shotgun editing style and rich indigenous music elevate the subjects' heroism to a mythic dimension.”

- Scott Bartlett, experimental filmmaker 'Offon', 'Moon', 'Medina';
Special effects coordinator, 'Altered States'; and producer/designer cable access 'Space Ship Earth', Tampa, Florida

Small Business My Way, 1982 - 28 minutes
Produced, directed and filmed by Peter R. Griesinger; Designed and edited by Michael Herschede; Sound by Dan Green, Dennis and DeAnn Berry, and John Ford; Foreword by WV Secretary of State, A.J. Manchin; Color title backgrounds by Jayne Rosenberg; Sound mix by Lee Dichter, Photo-Magnetic Sound Studios, New York, NY; Color by TVC Labs, New York, NY

The original, 1983 nationally televised PBS primetime special produced by Griesinger Films with additional underwriting by Hecks, Inc., ALAMCO, Monongahela Power Company and Union Carbide.

Finalist - 25th American Film Festival 1983 - Citizen Action
Winner - 14th Sinking Creek Film Celebration 1983

"An original and most unusual portrait of small business in America...an upbeat and personal Griesinger Films production"

- Lawrence K. Grossman, President, Public Broadcasting Service, Washington, D.C.

"One of the rare filmmakers who can contribute a compelling blend of color and emotion and content to the normally bland, noncreative world of the traditional documentary."

- William F. Baker, Ph.D., President - Television Group, Westinghouse Broadcasting and Cable, Inc., New York, NY

"Small business in mid-20th century America is a tenacious reminder of the historic forces that shaped society. This film permits several small business proprietors in a rural area to reflect, not nostalgically, on the foundations of independent enterprise. The photography is good. There is not narration, but the dialogue has been skillfully edited around a unifying theme."

- Science Books and Films, An 'Editor's Choice: Films' Selection, 1984

"A gem..a work of Art" - Cleveland Plain Dealer