diff --git a/akka-actor/src/main/scala/akka/actor/ActorCell.scala b/akka-actor/src/main/scala/akka/actor/ActorCell.scala
index 9268406086..c22529b2c8 100644
--- a/akka-actor/src/main/scala/akka/actor/ActorCell.scala
+++ b/akka-actor/src/main/scala/akka/actor/ActorCell.scala
@@ -285,20 +285,19 @@ private[akka] class ActorCell(
   final def isTerminated: Boolean = mailbox.isClosed
 
   final def start(): Unit = {
+    /*
+     * Create the mailbox and enqueue the Create() message to ensure that 
+     * this is processed before anything else.
+     */
     mailbox = dispatcher.createMailbox(this)
+    // ➡➡➡ NEVER SEND THE SAME SYSTEM MESSAGE OBJECT TO TWO ACTORS ⬅⬅⬅
+    mailbox.systemEnqueue(self, Create())
 
     // ➡➡➡ NEVER SEND THE SAME SYSTEM MESSAGE OBJECT TO TWO ACTORS ⬅⬅⬅
     parent.sendSystemMessage(akka.dispatch.Supervise(self))
 
-    /*
-     * attach before submitting the mailbox for the first time, because
-     * otherwise the actor could already be dead before the dispatcher is
-     * informed of its existence (with reversed attach/detach sequence).
-     */
+    // This call is expected to start off the actor by scheduling its mailbox.
     dispatcher.attach(this)
-
-    // ➡➡➡ NEVER SEND THE SAME SYSTEM MESSAGE OBJECT TO TWO ACTORS ⬅⬅⬅
-    dispatcher.systemDispatch(this, Create())
   }
 
   // ➡➡➡ NEVER SEND THE SAME SYSTEM MESSAGE OBJECT TO TWO ACTORS ⬅⬅⬅
diff --git a/akka-actor/src/main/scala/akka/dispatch/AbstractDispatcher.scala b/akka-actor/src/main/scala/akka/dispatch/AbstractDispatcher.scala
index 9d1575c4ec..22eadb55d5 100644
--- a/akka-actor/src/main/scala/akka/dispatch/AbstractDispatcher.scala
+++ b/akka-actor/src/main/scala/akka/dispatch/AbstractDispatcher.scala
@@ -185,9 +185,14 @@ abstract class MessageDispatcher(val prerequisites: DispatcherPrerequisites) ext
   def id: String
 
   /**
-   * Attaches the specified actor instance to this dispatcher
+   * Attaches the specified actor instance to this dispatcher, which includes
+   * scheduling it to run for the first time (Create() is expected to have
+   * been enqueued by the ActorCell upon mailbox creation).
    */
-  final def attach(actor: ActorCell): Unit = register(actor)
+  final def attach(actor: ActorCell): Unit = {
+    register(actor)
+    registerForExecution(actor.mailbox, false, true)
+  }
 
   /**
    * Detaches the specified actor instance from this dispatcher
@@ -243,7 +248,7 @@ abstract class MessageDispatcher(val prerequisites: DispatcherPrerequisites) ext
     () ⇒ if (inhabitantsUpdater.decrementAndGet(this) == 0) ifSensibleToDoSoThenScheduleShutdown()
 
   /**
-   * If you override it, you must call it. But only ever once. See "attach" for only invocation
+   * If you override it, you must call it. But only ever once. See "attach" for only invocation.
    */
   protected[akka] def register(actor: ActorCell) {
     inhabitantsUpdater.incrementAndGet(this)
diff --git a/akka-actor/src/main/scala/akka/dispatch/BalancingDispatcher.scala b/akka-actor/src/main/scala/akka/dispatch/BalancingDispatcher.scala
index 70101578f0..61ac773aa0 100644
--- a/akka-actor/src/main/scala/akka/dispatch/BalancingDispatcher.scala
+++ b/akka-actor/src/main/scala/akka/dispatch/BalancingDispatcher.scala
@@ -110,40 +110,24 @@ class BalancingDispatcher(
     }
   }
 
-  protected[akka] override def systemDispatch(receiver: ActorCell, invocation: SystemMessage): Unit =
-    /*
-     * need to filter out Create() messages here because BalancingDispatcher 
-     * already enqueues this within register(), which is called first by the
-     * ActorCell.
-     */
-    invocation match {
-      case Create() ⇒
-      case x        ⇒ super.systemDispatch(receiver, invocation)
-    }
-
   protected[akka] override def register(actor: ActorCell) = {
-    val mbox = actor.mailbox
-    mbox.systemEnqueue(actor.self, Create())
-    // must make sure that Create() is the first message enqueued in this mailbox
     super.register(actor)
     buddies.add(actor)
-    // must make sure that buddy-add is executed before the actor has had a chance to die
-    registerForExecution(mbox, false, true)
   }
 
   protected[akka] override def unregister(actor: ActorCell) = {
     buddies.remove(actor)
     super.unregister(actor)
-    if (messageQueue.hasMessages) registerOne()
+    if (messageQueue.hasMessages) scheduleOne()
   }
 
   override protected[akka] def dispatch(receiver: ActorCell, invocation: Envelope) = {
     messageQueue.enqueue(receiver.self, invocation)
     if (!registerForExecution(receiver.mailbox, false, false) &&
       buddyWakeupThreshold >= 0 &&
-      _pressure.get >= buddyWakeupThreshold) registerOne()
+      _pressure.get >= buddyWakeupThreshold) scheduleOne()
   }
 
-  @tailrec private def registerOne(i: Iterator[ActorCell] = buddies.iterator): Unit =
-    if (i.hasNext && !registerForExecution(i.next.mailbox, false, false)) registerOne(i)
+  @tailrec private def scheduleOne(i: Iterator[ActorCell] = buddies.iterator): Unit =
+    if (i.hasNext && !registerForExecution(i.next.mailbox, false, false)) scheduleOne(i)
 }
diff --git a/akka-testkit/src/main/scala/akka/testkit/CallingThreadDispatcher.scala b/akka-testkit/src/main/scala/akka/testkit/CallingThreadDispatcher.scala
index 8282ee58f5..8b2d15a079 100644
--- a/akka-testkit/src/main/scala/akka/testkit/CallingThreadDispatcher.scala
+++ b/akka-testkit/src/main/scala/akka/testkit/CallingThreadDispatcher.scala
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ import java.util.concurrent.locks.ReentrantLock
 import java.util.LinkedList
 import scala.annotation.tailrec
 import com.typesafe.config.Config
-import akka.actor.{ ExtensionIdProvider, ExtensionId, Extension, ExtendedActorSystem, ActorRef, ActorCell }
+import akka.actor.{ ActorInitializationException, ExtensionIdProvider, ExtensionId, Extension, ExtendedActorSystem, ActorRef, ActorCell }
 import akka.dispatch.{ TaskInvocation, SystemMessage, Suspend, Resume, MessageDispatcherConfigurator, MessageDispatcher, Mailbox, Envelope, DispatcherPrerequisites, DefaultSystemMessageQueue }
 import akka.util.duration.intToDurationInt
 import akka.util.{ Switch, Duration }
@@ -132,6 +132,17 @@ class CallingThreadDispatcher(
 
   protected[akka] override def shutdownTimeout = 1 second
 
+  protected[akka] override def register(actor: ActorCell): Unit = {
+    super.register(actor)
+    actor.mailbox match {
+      case mbox: CallingThreadMailbox ⇒
+        val queue = mbox.queue
+        queue.enter
+        runQueue(mbox, queue)
+      case x ⇒ throw new ActorInitializationException("expected CallingThreadMailbox, got " + x.getClass)
+    }
+  }
+
   override def suspend(actor: ActorCell) {
     actor.mailbox match {
       case m: CallingThreadMailbox ⇒ m.suspendSwitch.switchOn