diff --git a/dlls/mshtml/htmlelem.c b/dlls/mshtml/htmlelem.c
index 04ca05c8aae..6a9d3965485 100644
--- a/dlls/mshtml/htmlelem.c
+++ b/dlls/mshtml/htmlelem.c
@@ -156,6 +156,25 @@ HRESULT replace_node_by_html(nsIDOMHTMLDocument *nsdoc, nsIDOMNode *nsnode, cons
     return hres;
 }
 
+nsresult get_elem_attr_value(nsIDOMHTMLElement *nselem, const WCHAR *name, nsAString *val_str, const PRUnichar **val)
+{
+    nsAString name_str;
+    nsresult nsres;
+
+    nsAString_InitDepend(&name_str, name);
+    nsAString_Init(val_str, NULL);
+    nsres = nsIDOMHTMLElement_GetAttribute(nselem, &name_str, val_str);
+    nsAString_Finish(&name_str);
+    if(NS_FAILED(nsres)) {
+        ERR("GetAttribute(%s) failed: %08x\n", debugstr_w(name), nsres);
+        nsAString_Finish(val_str);
+        return nsres;
+    }
+
+    nsAString_GetData(val_str, val);
+    return NS_OK;
+}
+
 typedef struct
 {
     DispatchEx dispex;
diff --git a/dlls/mshtml/mshtml_private.h b/dlls/mshtml/mshtml_private.h
index 068c18e7201..3181ee2da1f 100644
--- a/dlls/mshtml/mshtml_private.h
+++ b/dlls/mshtml/mshtml_private.h
@@ -959,6 +959,8 @@ IHTMLElementCollection *create_all_collection(HTMLDOMNode*,BOOL) DECLSPEC_HIDDEN
 IHTMLElementCollection *create_collection_from_nodelist(HTMLDocumentNode*,nsIDOMNodeList*) DECLSPEC_HIDDEN;
 IHTMLElementCollection *create_collection_from_htmlcol(HTMLDocumentNode*,nsIDOMHTMLCollection*) DECLSPEC_HIDDEN;
 
+nsresult get_elem_attr_value(nsIDOMHTMLElement*,const WCHAR*,nsAString*,const PRUnichar**) DECLSPEC_HIDDEN;
+
 /* commands */
 typedef struct {
     DWORD id;
diff --git a/dlls/mshtml/script.c b/dlls/mshtml/script.c
index 4d495879615..e5f4ab18598 100644
--- a/dlls/mshtml/script.c
+++ b/dlls/mshtml/script.c
@@ -784,7 +784,7 @@ static void parse_script_elem(ScriptHost *script_host, HTMLScriptElement *script
             return;
         }
     }else {
-        ERR("GetAttribute(event) failed: %08x\n", nsres);
+        ERR("GetEvent failed: %08x\n", nsres);
     }
     nsAString_Finish(&event_str);
 
@@ -849,7 +849,8 @@ static BOOL get_guid_from_language(LPCWSTR type, GUID *guid)
 
 static BOOL get_script_guid(HTMLInnerWindow *window, nsIDOMHTMLScriptElement *nsscript, GUID *guid)
 {
-    nsAString attr_str, val_str;
+    const PRUnichar *language;
+    nsAString val_str;
     BOOL ret = FALSE;
     nsresult nsres;
 
@@ -871,26 +872,17 @@ static BOOL get_script_guid(HTMLInnerWindow *window, nsIDOMHTMLScriptElement *ns
         ERR("GetType failed: %08x\n", nsres);
     }
 
-    nsAString_InitDepend(&attr_str, languageW);
-    nsres = nsIDOMHTMLScriptElement_GetAttribute(nsscript, &attr_str, &val_str);
-    nsAString_Finish(&attr_str);
+    nsres = get_elem_attr_value((nsIDOMHTMLElement*)nsscript, languageW, &val_str, &language);
     if(NS_SUCCEEDED(nsres)) {
-        const PRUnichar *language;
-
-        nsAString_GetData(&val_str, &language);
-
         if(*language) {
             ret = get_guid_from_language(language, guid);
         }else {
             *guid = get_default_script_guid(window);
             ret = TRUE;
         }
-    }else {
-        ERR("GetAttribute(language) failed: %08x\n", nsres);
+        nsAString_Finish(&val_str);
     }
 
-    nsAString_Finish(&val_str);
-
     return ret;
 }