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Santa Claus first appeared on film all the way back in 1898, when he starred in a short film by George Albert Smith called, appropriately, "Santa Claus." In it, a silent Santa sneaks across a rooftop, climbs down a chimney, and leaves gifts for a little girl and boy who are nestled in their beds.

Ever since, holiday films have been stuffed with depictions of Father Christmas. Some are nice, and some are naughty. Some are jolly, and some are degenerate. Most are merry, but a few are murderous. Many films try to put their own spin on the Santa mythos, too, trying to make their St. Nick stand out from the pack of present-carrying holiday patriarchs. But others simply try to spread holiday joy, offering something jolly to put on while you sip hot cocoa and trim the tree.

With an eye toward giving you a little bit of everything...

Paul Soles, the voice actor who starred in the original animated “Spider-Man” series in the 1960s, has died at the age of 90.

The news was announced by Soles’ manager, Angela Wright of Edna Talent Management, in a Facebook post Friday. “Paul Soles was truly a Canadian treasure,” Wright wrote. “He lived a long life with so many adventures along the way. Rip.”

According to an obituary in Canada’s The Globe and Mail, Soles died in Toronto on Wednesday, May 26. No cause of death was listed.

Soles voiced the title character in ABC’s animated “Spider-Man” series, which ran for three seasons on ABC and in syndication between 1967 and 1970. Soles starred alongside Bernard Cowan, Paul Kligman and Peg Dixon.

He also voiced Hermey the misfit elf in Rankin/Bass’ stop-motion “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” special in 1964. His other voice acting credits include “Rocket Robin Hood,” “King of the Beasts,” “The...

McU's Peter Parker might be going on a Euro vacay with his pals post-Snapture, but Spider-Man as a cultural icon never rests. In the past year, there have been three - count 'em, three - Spider-Man movies: Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, Avengers: Endgame, and Spider-Man: Far From Home. Over the last few decades, Marvel has given us four different live-action Peter Parkers: Nicholas Hammond, Tobey Maguire, Andrew Garfield, and, of course, Tom Holland. Plus, there seems to be a new Spider-Man swinging into the world of animated series every generation. Suffice to say, the scrappy superhero will never not be a part of the pop culture zeitgeist. If you want a breakdown of the most well-known Spider-Man portrayals, you won't have to rely on spidey senses alone. Here, we've gathered all of the actors who have brought us the most iconic iterations of the web-slinging superhero, from Paul Soles...

The winners of the 10th Annual Indie Series Awards were announced in a ceremony on Wednesday, April 3, hosted by Eric Martsolf, Kevin Spirtas and Patrika Darbo, all former hosts who returned. Not announced prior to the ceremony, one by one they took the stage declaring they were the best former host and should, obviously, host the milestone 10th anniversary celebration.

Top honors went to Giants and Indoor Boys, named best drama and best comedy series of the year. Giants won awards in a record-breaking seven categories, including best writing, lead actress (Vanessa Baden Kelly), supporting actress (Tanee McCall), score (Austin Wintory) and original song ("More Love" by Kareem James and Ashly Williams). Indoor Boys took home four ISAs, including best writing (Wesley Taylor and Alex Wyse), guest actress in a comedy (Krysta Rodriguez) and guest actor in a comedy (Michael Kostroff).

Other acting winners included Alex Wyse (Only Children), Lou Diamond Phillips (Conversations in L.

With only a few days left until Christmas day is upon us, chances are your kids are now out of class until next year and spending their free time in some mixture of snowball fights outside and curled up in front of the television inside (we'd love for them to be reading, but we know how kids are). While the time they spend outside frolicking in the snow equates to peaceful R&R time for you parents, you can help even if out by putting in some of these high-quality Christmas classics that are guaranteed to be as entertaining for the grown-ups as they are for the kids.

For infants through 8-year-olds...

A Charlie Brown Christmas

A Charlie Brown Christmas, released in 1965, was (and remains) a huge hit. It came out at the height of Peanuts’ popularity, but also marked the transition Peanuts made from a comic strip about kids...

You can’t deny that the Rankin/Bass Christmas specials have become classics in their own right. When the holiday season comes around, certain films will inevitably get some airtime, and still others will be played in near perpetuity across cable and network channels alike as everyone attempts to cash in on the American love for traditions, and the Rankin/Bass Original Christmas Classics certainly qualify. Frosty the Snowman, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town! sit comfortably next to A Christmas Story, It’s a Wonderful Life, Miracle on 34th Street, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, and A Charlie Brown Christmas on the shelf of Christmas programming. We’ll watch these things year after year, and this Blu-ray release of the Rankin/Bass classics helps to preserve them for future generations, even if it doesn’t do too much to improve their appearance.

Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town!