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This Edison "slice-of-life" drama was inspired by a popular song of the era. The title character is the daughter of a destitute woman who lives in the red-light district of a major American city. The child's wealthy relatives want to adopt the girl, but her mother doesn't want this to happen. Enter the hero, a shifty but basically good-hearted gambler. After the mother commits suicide in despair, the gambling champions the little girl's cause. Ultimately, however, he realizes that the child would be better off with her rich relations. The story for Rose of the Tenderloin was supplied by Edwin W. Townsend, creator of the popular Chimmie Fadden stories.