diff --git a/stepmania/src/ActorUtil.cpp b/stepmania/src/ActorUtil.cpp
index 21ddb06ef7..d52c433023 100644
--- a/stepmania/src/ActorUtil.cpp
+++ b/stepmania/src/ActorUtil.cpp
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@
 #include "FontCharAliases.h"
 #include "LuaManager.h"
 #include "MessageManager.h"
+#include "Foreach.h"
 
 #include "arch/Dialog/Dialog.h"
 
@@ -341,31 +342,59 @@ void ActorUtil::SetXY( Actor& actor, const CString &sType )
 	actor.SetXY( THEME->GetMetricF(sType,actor.GetID()+"X"), THEME->GetMetricF(sType,actor.GetID()+"Y") );
 }
 
-void ActorUtil::RunCommand( Actor& actor, const CString &sType, const CString &sCommandName )
+void ActorUtil::LoadCommand( Actor& actor, const CString &sType, const CString &sCommandName )
 {
-	actor.PlayCommand( sCommandName );
+	actor.AddCommand( sCommandName, THEME->GetMetricA(sType,actor.GetID()+sCommandName+"Command") );
+}
 
+void ActorUtil::LoadAndPlayCommand( Actor& actor, const CString &sType, const CString &sCommandName )
+{
 	// HACK:  It's very often that we command things to TweenOffScreen 
 	// that we aren't drawing.  We know that an Actor is not being
 	// used if its name is blank.  So, do nothing on Actors with a blank name.
 	// (Do "playcommand" anyway; BGAs often have no name.)
-	if( sCommandName=="Off" )
+	if( sCommandName=="Off" && actor.GetID().empty() )
+		return;
+
+	ASSERT_M( 
+		!actor.GetID().empty(), 
+		ssprintf("!actor.GetID().empty() ('%s', '%s')", sType.c_str(), sCommandName.c_str()) 
+		);
+
+	if( !actor.HasCommand(sCommandName ) )	// this actor hasn't loaded commands yet
+		LoadAllCommands( actor, sType );
+
+	// If we didn't load the command in LoadAllCommands, load the requested command 
+	// explicitly.  The metric is missing, and ThemeManager will prompt.
+	if( !actor.HasCommand(sCommandName) )
 	{
-		if( actor.GetID().empty() )
-			return;
-	}
-	else
-	{
-		ASSERT_M( !actor.GetID().empty(), ssprintf("!actor.GetID().empty() ('%s', '%s')",
-												   sType.c_str(), sCommandName.c_str()) );
+		// If this metric exists and we didn't load it in LoadAllCommands, then 
+		// LoadAllCommands has a bug.
+		DEBUG_ASSERT( !THEME->HasMetric(sType,actor.GetID()+sCommandName+"Command") );
+		
+		LoadCommand( actor, sType, sCommandName );
 	}
 
-	actor.RunCommands( THEME->GetMetricA(sType,actor.GetID()+sCommandName+"Command") );
+	actor.PlayCommand( sCommandName );
 }
 
-void ActorUtil::LoadCommand( Actor& actor, const CString &sType, const CString &sCommandName )
+void ActorUtil::LoadAllCommands( Actor& actor, const CString &sType )
 {
-	actor.AddCommand( sCommandName, THEME->GetMetricA(sType,actor.GetID()+sCommandName+"Command") );
+	set<CString> vsValueNames;
+	THEME->GetMetricsThatBeginWith( sType, actor.GetID(), vsValueNames );
+
+	FOREACHS_CONST( CString, vsValueNames, v )
+	{
+		const CString &sv = *v;
+		if( sv.Right(7) == "Command" )
+		{
+			// Ugh.  Where did StdString::Mid go?
+			CString sCommandName = sv;
+			sCommandName = sCommandName.Left( sCommandName.size()-7 );	// strip off "Command"
+			sCommandName = sCommandName.Right( sCommandName.size()-actor.GetID().size() );	// strip off actor ID
+			LoadCommand( actor, sType, sCommandName );
+		}
+	}
 }
 
 /*
diff --git a/stepmania/src/ActorUtil.h b/stepmania/src/ActorUtil.h
index 401ddc9b6a..0b6b5742a4 100644
--- a/stepmania/src/ActorUtil.h
+++ b/stepmania/src/ActorUtil.h
@@ -31,15 +31,15 @@ namespace ActorUtil
 	Actor* Create( const CString& sClassName, const CString& sDir, const XNode* pNode );
 
 
-
 	void SetXY( Actor& actor, const CString &sType );
 	inline void SetXY( Actor* pActor, const CString &sType ) { SetXY( *pActor, sType ); }
 
-	void RunCommand( Actor& actor, const CString &sType, const CString &sCommandName );
 	void LoadCommand( Actor& actor, const CString &sType, const CString &sCommandName );
+	void LoadAndPlayCommand( Actor& actor, const CString &sType, const CString &sCommandName );
+	void LoadAllCommands( Actor& actor, const CString &sType );
 
-	inline void OnCommand( Actor& actor, const CString &sType ) { RunCommand( actor, sType, "On" ); }
-	inline void OffCommand( Actor& actor, const CString &sType ) { RunCommand( actor, sType, "Off" ); }
+	inline void OnCommand( Actor& actor, const CString &sType ) { LoadAndPlayCommand( actor, sType, "On" ); }
+	inline void OffCommand( Actor& actor, const CString &sType ) { LoadAndPlayCommand( actor, sType, "Off" ); }
 	inline void SetXYAndOnCommand( Actor& actor, const CString &sType )
 	{
 		SetXY( actor, sType );
@@ -47,7 +47,7 @@ namespace ActorUtil
 	}
 
 	/* convenience */
-	inline void RunCommand( Actor* pActor, const CString &sType, const CString &sCommandName ) { if(pActor) RunCommand( *pActor, sType, sCommandName ); }
+	inline void LoadAndPlayCommand( Actor* pActor, const CString &sType, const CString &sCommandName ) { if(pActor) LoadAndPlayCommand( *pActor, sType, sCommandName ); }
 	inline void OnCommand( Actor* pActor, const CString &sType ) { if(pActor) OnCommand( *pActor, sType ); }
 	inline void OffCommand( Actor* pActor, const CString &sType ) { if(pActor) OffCommand( *pActor, sType ); }
 	inline void SetXYAndOnCommand( Actor* pActor, const CString &sType ) { if(pActor) SetXYAndOnCommand( *pActor, sType ); }
@@ -63,7 +63,7 @@ namespace ActorUtil
 #define ON_COMMAND( actor )		ActorUtil::OnCommand( actor, m_sName )
 #define OFF_COMMAND( actor )	ActorUtil::OffCommand( actor, m_sName )
 #define SET_XY_AND_ON_COMMAND( actor )		ActorUtil::SetXYAndOnCommand( actor, m_sName )
-#define COMMAND( actor, command_name )		ActorUtil::RunCommand( actor, m_sName, command_name )
+#define COMMAND( actor, command_name )		ActorUtil::LoadAndPlayCommand( actor, m_sName, command_name )
 
 
 #endif
diff --git a/stepmania/src/ScreenSelectMusic.cpp b/stepmania/src/ScreenSelectMusic.cpp
index 032573393a..7dfe9540ad 100644
--- a/stepmania/src/ScreenSelectMusic.cpp
+++ b/stepmania/src/ScreenSelectMusic.cpp
@@ -317,6 +317,7 @@ void ScreenSelectMusic::Init()
 	m_sprOptionsMessage.StopAnimating();
 	m_sprOptionsMessage.SetHidden( true );
 	SET_XY( m_sprOptionsMessage );
+	ActorUtil::LoadAllCommands( m_sprOptionsMessage, m_sName );
 	//this->AddChild( &m_sprOptionsMessage );	// we have to draw this manually over the top of transitions
 
 	FOREACH_PlayerNumber( p )
diff --git a/stepmania/src/ThemeManager.cpp b/stepmania/src/ThemeManager.cpp
index 5ef62c2491..fc8894b80f 100644
--- a/stepmania/src/ThemeManager.cpp
+++ b/stepmania/src/ThemeManager.cpp
@@ -821,6 +821,44 @@ void ThemeManager::GetMetric( const CString &sClassName, const CString &sValueNa
 	valueOut.SetFromExpression( "function(self) " + sValue + "end" );
 }
 
+void ThemeManager::GetMetricsThatBeginWith( const CString &_sClassName, const CString &sValueName, set<CString> &vsValueNamesOut )
+{
+	CString sClassName = _sClassName;
+	while( !sClassName.empty() )
+	{
+		// Iterate over themes in the chain.
+		for( deque<Theme>::const_iterator i = g_vThemes.begin();
+			i != g_vThemes.end();
+			++i )
+		{
+			const XNode *cur = i->iniMetrics->GetChild( sClassName );
+			if( cur == NULL )
+				continue;
+
+			// Iterate over all metrics that match.
+			XAttrs::const_iterator j = cur->m_attrs.lower_bound( sValueName );
+			if( j == cur->m_attrs.end() )
+				continue;
+			for( ; true; j++ )
+			{
+				const CString &sv = j->first;
+				if( sv.Left(sValueName.size()) == sValueName )
+					vsValueNamesOut.insert( sv );
+				else
+					break;
+			}
+		}
+
+		// put the fallback (if any) in sClassName
+		CString sFallback;
+		if( GetMetricRaw( sClassName, "Fallback", sFallback ) )
+			sClassName = sFallback;
+		else
+			sClassName = "";
+	}
+}
+
+
 // lua start
 #include "LuaBinding.h"
 
diff --git a/stepmania/src/ThemeManager.h b/stepmania/src/ThemeManager.h
index 68bf62c429..0c252eea36 100644
--- a/stepmania/src/ThemeManager.h
+++ b/stepmania/src/ThemeManager.h
@@ -89,6 +89,8 @@ public:
 	void	GetMetric( const CString &sClassName, const CString &sValueName, LuaExpression &valueOut );
 	void	GetMetric( const CString &sClassName, const CString &sValueName, apActorCommands &valueOut );
 
+	void GetMetricsThatBeginWith( const CString &sClassName, const CString &sValueName, set<CString> &vsValueNamesOut );
+
 	//
 	// For self-registering metrics
 	//