diff --git a/image/private/js-impl.js b/image/private/js-impl.js
index 4ee947b..39e5f84 100644
--- a/image/private/js-impl.js
+++ b/image/private/js-impl.js
@@ -286,13 +286,11 @@ EXPORTS['bitmap/url'] =
         1,
         function(MACHINE) {
             var url = checkString(MACHINE, 'bitmap/url', 0);
-            var oldArgcount = MACHINE.a;
             PAUSE(
                 function(restart) {
                     var rawImage = new Image();
                     rawImage.onload = function() {
                         restart(function(MACHINE) {
-                            MACHINE.a = oldArgcount;
                             finalizeClosureCall(
                                 MACHINE, 
                                 makeFileImage(url.toString(),
diff --git a/js-assembler/runtime-src/runtime.js b/js-assembler/runtime-src/runtime.js
index 78fe167..b7ede87 100644
--- a/js-assembler/runtime-src/runtime.js
+++ b/js-assembler/runtime-src/runtime.js
@@ -432,8 +432,14 @@
             },
 	    0);
     };
+
+    // Creates a restarting function, that reschedules f in a context
+    // with the old argcount in place. 
+    // Meant to be used only by the trampoline.
     var makeRestartFunction = function(MACHINE) {
+        var oldArgcount = MACHINE.a;
         return function(f) { 
+            MACHINE.a = oldArgcount;
             return scheduleTrampoline(MACHINE, f);
         };
     };
diff --git a/resource/specialize/js-impl.js b/resource/specialize/js-impl.js
index 3fe23a9..4a6708b 100644
--- a/resource/specialize/js-impl.js
+++ b/resource/specialize/js-impl.js
@@ -71,7 +71,7 @@ EXPORTS['specialize!'] = makeClosure(
     1,
     function(MACHINE) {
         var resource = checkResource(MACHINE, 'specialize!', 0);
-        var oldArgcount = MACHINE.a;
+
         if (isImagePath(getResourceKey(resource).toString())) {
             return PAUSE(
                 function(restart) {
@@ -81,7 +81,6 @@ EXPORTS['specialize!'] = makeClosure(
                         delete(rawImage.onerror);
                         injectImageMethods(resource, rawImage);
                         restart(function(MACHINE) {
-                            MACHINE.a = oldArgcount;
                             return finalizeClosureCall(MACHINE, resource);
                         });
                     };
@@ -91,7 +90,6 @@ EXPORTS['specialize!'] = makeClosure(
                         // on any kind of image-loading error, fail out and
                         // just return the resource unchanged.
                         restart(function(MACHINE) {
-                            MACHINE.a = oldArgcount;
                             return finalizeClosureCall(MACHINE, resource);
                         });
                     }
diff --git a/web-world/js-impl.js b/web-world/js-impl.js
index 738424f..85b8741 100644
--- a/web-world/js-impl.js
+++ b/web-world/js-impl.js
@@ -1083,7 +1083,6 @@
 
     // bigBang.
     var bigBang = function(MACHINE, world, handlers) {
-        var oldArgcount = MACHINE.a;
         var oldCurrentBigBangRecord = currentBigBangRecord;
 
         var running = true;
@@ -1117,7 +1116,6 @@
                 running = false;
                 stopEventHandlers();
                 restart(function(MACHINE) {
-                    MACHINE.a = oldArgcount;
                     MACHINE.params.currentOutputPort = oldOutputPort;
                     currentBigBangRecord = oldCurrentBigBangRecord;
                     finalizeClosureCall(MACHINE, world);
@@ -1543,12 +1541,10 @@
         1,
         function(MACHINE) {
             var viewable = MACHINE.e[MACHINE.e.length - 1];
-            var oldArgcount = MACHINE.a;
             PAUSE(function(restart) {
                 coerseToView(viewable,
                              function(v) {
                                  restart(function(MACHINE) {
-                                     MACHINE.a = oldArgcount;
                                      finalizeClosureCall(MACHINE,
                                                          new InitialViewHandler(v));
                                  });
@@ -1571,12 +1567,10 @@
         1,
         function(MACHINE) {
             var viewable = MACHINE.e[MACHINE.e.length - 1];
-            var oldArgcount = MACHINE.a;
             PAUSE(function(restart) {
                 coerseToMockView(viewable,
                                  function(v) {
                                      restart(function(MACHINE) {
-                                         MACHINE.a = oldArgcount;
                                          finalizeClosureCall(MACHINE, v);
                                      });
                                  },
@@ -1897,13 +1891,11 @@
         2,
         function(MACHINE) {
             var view = checkMockView(MACHINE, 'view-append-child', 0);
-            var oldArgcount = MACHINE.a;
             var x = MACHINE.e[MACHINE.e.length - 2];
             PAUSE(function(restart) {
                 coerseToDomNode(x,
                                 function(dom) {
                                      restart(function(MACHINE) {
-                                         MACHINE.a = oldArgcount;
                                          var updatedView = view.appendChild(dom);
                                          finalizeClosureCall(MACHINE, updatedView);
                                      });
@@ -1927,13 +1919,11 @@
         2,
         function(MACHINE) {
             var view = checkMockView(MACHINE, 'view-insert-right', 0);
-            var oldArgcount = MACHINE.a;
             var x = MACHINE.e[MACHINE.e.length - 2];
             PAUSE(function(restart) {
                 coerseToDomNode(x,
                                 function(dom) {
                                      restart(function(MACHINE) {
-                                         MACHINE.a = oldArgcount;
                                          var updatedView = view.insertRight(dom);
                                          finalizeClosureCall(MACHINE, updatedView);
                                      });
@@ -1959,13 +1949,11 @@
         2,
         function(MACHINE) {
             var view = checkMockView(MACHINE, 'view-insert-left', 0);
-            var oldArgcount = MACHINE.a;
             var x = MACHINE.e[MACHINE.e.length - 2];
             PAUSE(function(restart) {
                 coerseToDomNode(x,
                                 function(dom) {
                                      restart(function(MACHINE) {
-                                         MACHINE.a = oldArgcount;
                                          var updatedView = view.insertLeft(dom);
                                          finalizeClosureCall(MACHINE, updatedView);
                                      });
diff --git a/world/kernel.js b/world/kernel.js
index 9c5234f..3110ae7 100644
--- a/world/kernel.js
+++ b/world/kernel.js
@@ -24,9 +24,6 @@ var finalizeClosureCall = plt.baselib.functions.finalizeClosureCall;
 //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
 
 var bigBang = function(MACHINE, initW, handlers) {
-
-    var oldArgcount = MACHINE.a;
-
     var outerToplevelNode = $('<span/>').css('padding', '0px').get(0);
     MACHINE.params.currentOutputPort.writeDomNode(MACHINE, outerToplevelNode);
     var toplevelNode = $('<span/>').css('padding', '0px').appendTo(outerToplevelNode).get(0);
@@ -65,9 +62,7 @@ var bigBang = function(MACHINE, initW, handlers) {
 	    function(finalWorldValue) {
 		// state.removeBreakRequestedListener(onBreak);
 
-
 		restart(function(MACHINE) {
-                    MACHINE.a = oldArgcount;
 		    finalizeClosureCall(
 			MACHINE, 
 			finalWorldValue);