Yes, I remember TV sets like that well.
E.g. I used a B/W portable TV for years. It could run on internal batteries, off a car battery or a wall socket. I only used the latter. The image on that 5" screen was so crisp, I just loved it. The tuning knob was rotary, so I learned the order of the channels and how far to turn the knob between them, so I could switch channels between commercial breaks in an instant. I’d channel flip as quickly as if I was pushing buttons, but only in a sequential order. After a while it felt very natural. The TV set was so well designed, so that knob was the largest and easiest to turn. The others were for volume, brightness and contrast. I think there was also a headphone socket, but I don’t recall. All housed in rugged dark green plastic. So of course it was called the “Commando 505”. You can still find them on ebay. Recommended, if you want a cheap, small B/W CRT. Just add an RF converter and point a B/W camera at it.
I sold mine years ago. I loved it but I don’t think I’d want to use it now. However, some people out there still seem to.