The steps of the Harvard Lampoon Castle became a Canadian enclave, complete with Mounties and Canadian flags, yesterday afternoon as the Lampoon presented its annual Elmer Award for Lifetime Comic Achievement to Canadian-born actor and comedian Phil Hartman.

The 2:30 p.m. ceremony drew a crowd of more than 150 people, including photographers and TV crews from local news organizations. Members of the Lampoon, a semisecret Bow Street social organization which occasionally publishes a so-called humor magazine, began the event by leading the crowd in cheers of "PHIL! HARTMAN!" as the comedian emerged from inside the castle.

Hartman, in accepting the award, kept his remarks in line with the satirical tone of the event.

"My message and my comedy is plain and simple. It's about peace and love," he said. "There's a lot of love on this corner today. Most of it is love for the sound of my own voice."

The award ceremony focused primarily on Hartman's Canadian birth even though the comedian, who has starred in Saturday Night Live and The Simpsons, is now a naturalized U.S. citizen.

Two 'Poonsters dressed as Canadian Mounties attempted at one point in the event to arrest Hartman for denying his Canadian nationality. But they agreed to let him participate instead in the "All-National Lampoon All-Canadian Olympics," which require participants to drink maple syrup and ski a slalom course in the Castle basement.

During the event, several Lampoon staffers came to the microphone wearing disguises to "protest" Hartman's award.

One student dressed as an attorney argued that Hartman portrayed lawyers on Saturday Night Live as incompetent and unable to remember the name of "that guy, you know, the one with the robe, who sits on high." He then accepted a five dollar bribe from the comedian to leave the stage.

Recipients of the Elmer Award, given in honor of Elmer Green, custodian of the Castle for 50 years, are chosen "on a basis of funny," the Lampoon said in a statement. According to Lampoon ibis, or vice president, John Abbott '96, the Elmer Award has been given annually "for at least 20 years."

"Phil Hartman is the man in comedy right now," Abbott said.

Past honorees include Bill Cosby, John Cleese, Robin Williams, Billy Crystal and John Candy.

"We went through many different prospective comedians," said Lampoon sackbut Aaron Kesselheim '96. "We contacted a lot of people. A lot of people were disappointed.