diff --git a/collects/mred/private/wx/cocoa/queue.rkt b/collects/mred/private/wx/cocoa/queue.rkt
index 3557c15f..469e08d6 100644
--- a/collects/mred/private/wx/cocoa/queue.rkt
+++ b/collects/mred/private/wx/cocoa/queue.rkt
@@ -45,7 +45,9 @@
       (if (ptr-equal? (selector openPreferences:) 
                       (tell #:type _SEL menuItem action))
           (not (eq? (application-pref-handler) nothing-application-pref-handler))
-          (super-tell #:type _BOOL validateMenuItem: menuItem))])
+          (super-tell #:type _BOOL validateMenuItem: menuItem))]
+  [-a _BOOL (application: [_id theApplication] openFile: [_NSString filename])
+      (queue-file-event (string->path filename))])
 
 (tellv app finishLaunching)
 
diff --git a/collects/mred/private/wx/common/queue.rkt b/collects/mred/private/wx/common/queue.rkt
index 452528fc..e7bc3052 100644
--- a/collects/mred/private/wx/common/queue.rkt
+++ b/collects/mred/private/wx/common/queue.rkt
@@ -44,6 +44,7 @@
 
          queue-quit-event
          queue-prefs-event
+         queue-file-event
 
          begin-busy-cursor
          end-busy-cursor
@@ -450,6 +451,12 @@
   ;; called in event-pump thread
   (queue-event main-eventspace (application-pref-handler) 'med))
 
+(define (queue-file-event file)
+  ;; called in event-pump thread
+  (queue-event main-eventspace (lambda ()
+                                 ((application-file-handler) file))
+               'med))
+
 (define (begin-busy-cursor) 
   (let ([e (current-eventspace)])
     (atomically