diff --git a/debian/changelog b/debian/changelog
index 8d2e92fd..cd5740bf 100644
--- a/debian/changelog
+++ b/debian/changelog
@@ -1,8 +1,9 @@
-screen-profiles (1.53) jaunty; urgency=low
+screen-profiles (1.53) unreleased; urgency=low
 
-  * UNRELEASED
+  * screen: some users gripe about the default launched window being
+    called "motd+shell", LP: #369397
 
- -- Dustin Kirkland <kirkland@ubuntu.com>  Wed, 29 Apr 2009 02:33:57 -0500
+ -- Dustin Kirkland <kirkland@ubuntu.com>  Wed, 29 Apr 2009 15:59:51 -0500
 
 screen-profiles (1.52-0ubuntu1) karmic; urgency=low
 
diff --git a/screen b/screen
index 3dbc6be2..4ef2a68f 100755
--- a/screen
+++ b/screen
@@ -84,7 +84,8 @@ if [ "$#" = "0" ]; then
 	temp=$(mktemp screen-profiles-XXXXXXXX)
 	trap "rm -f $temp 2>/dev/null || true" EXIT HUP INT QUIT TERM
 	cat "$HOME/.screen-profiles/profile" "$HOME/.screen-profiles/windows" > "$temp"
-	exec /usr/bin/screen.real -c "$temp" /usr/bin/motd+shell
+	[ -n "$SHELL" -a -x "$SHELL" ] || SHELL="/bin/sh"
+	exec /usr/bin/screen.real -c "$temp" $SHELL /usr/bin/motd+shell
 else
 	exec /usr/bin/screen.real -c "$HOME/.screen-profiles/profile" "$@"
 fi