Ok, I know this might have been discussed somewhere else, but I couldn’t find it where it worked using a variable as the url. So I have tried a few things but what I have right now is:
the button is set to: getURL("javascript:openNewWindow(movie,‘thewin’,‘height=400,width=400,toolbar=no,scrollbars=yes’) ");
Movie being the name of the variable set up earlier in the project to randomly choose my swf movie that I want to play. Then of course I have the function set up in the HTML page to listen for the variables for the URL, name and windowsettings.
I can get the whole thing to work with an HTML page in the URL, but I can’t get a variable to work… please help 
I have to be missing something so easy but I think I have fried my brain.
