The Desert Shall Rejoice
I'm pretty sure I just heard a version of Star In The Night - called The Desert Shall Rejoice - on Sirius Radio Classics. john Hodiak was Nick. He had a wife named Rosa, and there was the business with the sign. The guy Dusty held him up for $20, then brought it back. Been a while since I saw the film short, but this sounds like the same story. Oh, and a woman gave birth.
Anyway, thought it was interesting!
....and Whitey's on the moon