Goes back much further than that. I can't remember Arabs ever being portrayed in a positive light. Think back to Lawrence of Arabia, or any other films, books. Maybe "Aladdin"?
You might find this interesting:
This groundbreaking documentary dissects a slanderous aspect of cinematic history that has run virtually unchallenged from the earliest days of silent film to todays biggest Hollywood blockbusters.
http://slacko.com/media/reel-bad-arabs.html
