diff --git a/src/as/com/threerings/crowd/client/PlaceController.as b/src/as/com/threerings/crowd/client/PlaceController.as
index d564fd5a2..143f82e1d 100644
--- a/src/as/com/threerings/crowd/client/PlaceController.as
+++ b/src/as/com/threerings/crowd/client/PlaceController.as
@@ -27,8 +27,6 @@ import com.threerings.crowd.data.PlaceConfig;
 import com.threerings.crowd.data.PlaceObject;
 import com.threerings.crowd.util.CrowdContext;
 
-import com.threerings.events.ControllerEvent;
-
 /**
  * Controls the user interface that is used to display a place. When the
  * client moves to a new place, the appropriate place controller is
diff --git a/src/as/com/threerings/mx/controls/CommandButton.as b/src/as/com/threerings/mx/controls/CommandButton.as
index 5b6bae2f0..11a67978e 100644
--- a/src/as/com/threerings/mx/controls/CommandButton.as
+++ b/src/as/com/threerings/mx/controls/CommandButton.as
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ import flash.events.MouseEvent;
 
 import mx.controls.Button;
 
-import com.threerings.events.ControllerEvent;
+import com.threerings.mx.events.CommandEvent;
 
 /**
  * A command button simply dispatches a Controller command (with an optional
@@ -37,7 +37,7 @@ public class CommandButton extends Button
             // stop the click event
             event.stopImmediatePropagation();
             // dispatch the command event
-            dispatchEvent(new ControllerEvent(_cmd, _arg));
+            dispatchEvent(new CommandEvent(_cmd, _arg));
         }
     }
 
diff --git a/src/as/com/threerings/events/ControllerEvent.as b/src/as/com/threerings/mx/events/CommandEvent.as
similarity index 53%
rename from src/as/com/threerings/events/ControllerEvent.as
rename to src/as/com/threerings/mx/events/CommandEvent.as
index 5dff9ddb9..09db3f980 100644
--- a/src/as/com/threerings/events/ControllerEvent.as
+++ b/src/as/com/threerings/mx/events/CommandEvent.as
@@ -1,16 +1,16 @@
-package com.threerings.events {
+package com.threerings.mx.events {
 
 import flash.events.Event;
 
-public class ControllerEvent extends Event
+public class CommandEvent extends Event
 {
     /** The event type for all controller events. */
-    public static const TYPE :String = "controller";
+    public static const TYPE :String = "commandEvt";
 
     public var command :String;
     public var arg :Object;
 
-    public function ControllerEvent (command :String, arg :Object = null)
+    public function CommandEvent (command :String, arg :Object = null)
     {
         super(TYPE, true);
         this.command = command;
@@ -19,12 +19,12 @@ public class ControllerEvent extends Event
 
     override public function clone () :Event
     {
-        return new ControllerEvent(command, arg);
+        return new CommandEvent(command, arg);
     }
 
     override public function toString () :String
     {
-        return "ControllerEvent[" + command + " (" + arg + ")]";
+        return "CommandEvent[" + command + " (" + arg + ")]";
     }
 }
 }
diff --git a/src/as/com/threerings/util/Controller.as b/src/as/com/threerings/util/Controller.as
index e1222c59d..60c33af99 100644
--- a/src/as/com/threerings/util/Controller.as
+++ b/src/as/com/threerings/util/Controller.as
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@ package com.threerings.util {
 
 import flash.events.IEventDispatcher;
 
-import com.threerings.events.ControllerEvent;
+import com.threerings.mx.events.CommandEvent;
 
 public class Controller
 {
@@ -13,12 +13,12 @@ public class Controller
     {
         if (_panel != null) {
             _panel.removeEventListener(
-                ControllerEvent.TYPE, handleControllerEvent);
+                CommandEvent.TYPE, handleCommandEvent);
         }
         _panel = panel;
         if (_panel != null) {
             _panel.addEventListener(
-                ControllerEvent.TYPE, handleControllerEvent);
+                CommandEvent.TYPE, handleCommandEvent);
         }
     }
 
@@ -32,7 +32,25 @@ public class Controller
      */
     public function handleAction (cmd :String, arg :Object) :Boolean
     {
-        // TODO: This warning should really be inside the ControllerEvent
+        // fall back to a method named the cmd
+        try {
+            var fn :Function = (this["handle" + cmd] as Function);
+            if (fn != null) {
+                try {
+                    fn(arg);
+                } catch (e :Error) {
+                    Log.getLog(this).warning("Error handling controller " +
+                        "command [error=" + e + ", cmd=" + cmd +
+                        ", arg=" + arg + "].");
+                }
+                // we "handled" the event, even if it threw an error
+                return true;
+            }
+        } catch (e :Error) {
+            // suppress, and fall through
+        }
+
+        // TODO: This warning should really be inside the CommandEvent
         // somewhere, and only generated if the event never gets cancelled
         Log.getLog(this).warning("Unhandled controller command " +
             "[cmd=" + cmd + ", arg=" + arg + "].");
@@ -43,7 +61,7 @@ public class Controller
      * Private function to handle the controller event and call
      * handleAction.
      */
-    private function handleControllerEvent (event :ControllerEvent) :void
+    private function handleCommandEvent (event :CommandEvent) :void
     {
         if (handleAction(event.command, event.arg)) {
             // if we handle the event, stop it from moving outward to another
diff --git a/src/as/com/threerings/util/MenuUtil.as b/src/as/com/threerings/util/MenuUtil.as
index 279135d5c..8b2aeb5ad 100644
--- a/src/as/com/threerings/util/MenuUtil.as
+++ b/src/as/com/threerings/util/MenuUtil.as
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@ package com.threerings.util {
 import flash.ui.ContextMenuItem;
 import flash.events.ContextMenuEvent;
 
-import com.threerings.events.ControllerEvent;
+import com.threerings.mx.events.CommandEvent;
 
 /**
  */
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ public class MenuUtil
             new ContextMenuItem(caption, separatorBefore, enabled, visible);
         item.addEventListener(ContextMenuEvent.MENU_ITEM_SELECT,
             function (event :ContextMenuEvent) :void {
-                event.mouseTarget.dispatchEvent(new ControllerEvent(cmd, arg));
+                event.mouseTarget.dispatchEvent(new CommandEvent(cmd, arg));
             });
         return item;
     }