diff --git a/Examples/octave/operator/example.h b/Examples/octave/operator/example.h
index 526f262b9..a9b69e009 100644
--- a/Examples/octave/operator/example.h
+++ b/Examples/octave/operator/example.h
@@ -30,7 +30,6 @@ public:
   double im() const { return ipart; }
 };
 
-
-
-
-  
+ComplexVal operator*(const double &s, const ComplexVal &c) {
+  return ComplexVal(s*c.re(), s*c.im());
+}
diff --git a/Examples/octave/operator/example.i b/Examples/octave/operator/example.i
index ccb2029bc..7b903e69b 100644
--- a/Examples/octave/operator/example.i
+++ b/Examples/octave/operator/example.i
@@ -5,6 +5,9 @@
 #include "example.h"
 %}
 
+/* Rename friend operator */
+%rename(op_scalar_mul_ComplexVal) operator*(const double&, const ComplexVal&);
+
 /* Now grab the original header file */
 %include "example.h"
 
@@ -20,5 +23,3 @@
      return ComplexVal($self->re()*j,$self->im()*j);
    }
 };
-
-
diff --git a/Examples/octave/operator/runme.m b/Examples/octave/operator/runme.m
index 2a4168660..85fd99ad4 100644
--- a/Examples/octave/operator/runme.m
+++ b/Examples/octave/operator/runme.m
@@ -22,3 +22,5 @@ printf("f   = %s\n",disp(f));
 # paren overloading
 printf("a(3)= %s\n",disp(a(3)));
 
+# friend operator
+printf("2*a = %s\n",disp(2*a));
diff --git a/Lib/octave/octrun.swg b/Lib/octave/octrun.swg
index 2c36bc043..c2d2b0059 100644
--- a/Lib/octave/octrun.swg
+++ b/Lib/octave/octrun.swg
@@ -789,7 +789,7 @@ namespace Swig {
       octave_value fcn = get_global_value(symbol, true);
       if (!fcn.is_function() && !fcn.is_function_handle())
 	return false;
-      ret = fcn.subsref("(", std::list < octave_value_list > (1, args));
+      ret = fcn.subsref("(", std::list < octave_value_list > (1, args), 1);
       return true;
     }