This is a good question and as I see it the answer is kinda complex and touches on a number of developments some of which have already been mentioned. This is the short answer...
Up till the late 70s or 80s the U.S. was a nation of wheelgunners. In Europe it was different there the pistol had dominated from the early part of the 20th century. Walther, FN, Berretta, Gabilondo y Cia (and the other Spanish makers), Sauer, Mauser and many others had been producing quality self loaders for decades for military, police and civilian use. The Luger, the Walther P38, PP and PPK, the Sig P210, the BHP made by FN, the Radom Vis, Mauser HSC, Berretta's various products, etc. all were wide spread and some imported into the U.S. but with high tariffs that raised their prices.
I have a copy of Guns Illustrated from 1973 here. Under the heading of "U.S. semi-automatics" it lists the Colt 1911 GM and Commander (a Gold Cup National Match was MSRP $189.95). It lists the Hi-Power which was actually made in Belgium. It lists the S&W M39 (MSRP $128.00 for the nickled version). It lists many of the great .22s and a number of hideout guns in ,25, .32 and .380 from a few manufacturers. But other than the 1911 and the M39 it lists no other pistols made by U.S. manufacturers in a service caliber. None.
The same book lists under the heading "Imported Semi-automatics" many of the European made pistols mentioned above. A Walther P-38 was $129.00. A Sig P210 250.00. H&K P9S $179.00. Stars and Llamas were plentiful.
Other than the 1911 no major American manufacturers made any semis in a service caliber till after the second world war. None made a gun in 9mm till after the war.
At the end of the war the U.S. military flirted with the idea of dumping the 1911 and moving to a lighter weight, alloy framed sa/da pistol in 9mm. This prompted Colt to introduce the alloy framed Commander in 1949 in .45 acp, 38 Super, and 9mm. S&W came up with the M39 in 9mm in 1954.
Colt and S&W dominated the market for revolvers and semis. They counted on tariffs to keep imports out.
Semi's, other than the 1911 were looked on as foreign. Not American. Revolvers were American. This is why in movies and TV, in general,the bad guys had semis and the good guys wheelguns. Unless the good guy had a 1911.
Good rounds were available for hunting with a wheelgun or for self defense. Only ball ammo was available for a semi.
The 1911 had a decent number of fans but mostly bullseye shooters. The 1911 was widely considered a good gun for military purposes but most folks didn't need one and it was big, heavy and could be unreliable many thought.
Post war prosperity allowed many more people to get into the shooting sports. Demand slowly grew for more and varied guns. By the late 70s defensive shooting competitions began, spearheaded by folks like Jeff Cooper who championed the 1911.
Political and social conditions by the mid 80s were such that law enforcement in the U.S. began in large numbers to transition to semis and the 9mm. SWAT teams showed up for the first time. S&W, which already had a hold in the LEO market, began to respond the a threat to their dominance by introducing the first U.S. made double stack 9mm the M59 in 1982. S&W introduced their second generation semis in 84. Than Glock showed up and beat S&Ws price point. The military transitioned to the M9 (Berretta 92) and it was all over but the shouting.
In movies and TV Glocks, and Berretta's began to show up. Later Sigs. Pistols became sexy and cool. Revolvers a stamp that one was "old school". This took about a decade to happen.
Maybe someone can compare the guns used on Starsky and Hutch from 1975-79 to those used on Miami Vice '84-89 and see the difference a few years made.
tipoc
